Cato Networks has opened its first dedicated AI hub in London, expanding the cybersecurity company’s research and development presence in the UK.

The Holborn office will focus on artificial intelligence, small and medium-sized business growth, and security. It adds an R&D base to Cato’s existing London presence, where it already employs nearly 100 people across sales, support, marketing and customer success.

The move gives Cato a dedicated engineering operation in the capital as it looks to broaden its product development footprint beyond its existing teams. The London hub is part of a multi-year growth plan and will launch with a team of data scientists, software engineers and product managers.

Avidan Avraham, Director of Engineering at Cato, will lead the new site. Cato plans to grow the London hub to nearly 50 staff over the next three years.

R&D focus

The London team will concentrate on two areas: the company’s AI efforts and product journeys aimed at smaller businesses; and a security-focused product engineering team for longer-term development work.

The expansion comes as technology companies continue to build engineering and research teams in London, attracted by the city’s deep pool of software, data and cybersecurity specialists. Cato positioned the investment as part of that wider UK trend.

Shlomo Kramer, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Cato Networks, described the opening as an important step in the company’s growth plans.

“Cato’s new London R&D site marks a defining moment and a meaningful acceleration into our next phase of growth,” said Shlomo Kramer, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Cato Networks.

He said the company sees London as a major source of AI and cybersecurity talent as customers increasingly focus on using AI securely.

“This strategic expansion elevates our global R&D footprint, anchoring us closer to one of the world’s leading AI and cybersecurity talent hubs, and helping us build the technologies customers need to securely adopt AI at scale,” Kramer said.

Hiring plans

Avraham said the new office would draw on London’s established technology labour market and experience base. The initial team will include specialists across data science, engineering and product roles.

“I’m incredibly excited to build a world-class AI innovation hub right here in London,” said Avidan Avraham, Director of Engineering, Cato Networks.

He said the choice of location reflects the concentration of international technology groups already operating in the city.

“The opportunity here is vast, and building alongside other global tech giants that have chosen to set up in the city gives us access to a rich pool of experience and talent that we can tap into and develop. We look forward to working with exceptional professionals on projects that are central to accelerating Cato’s strong growth trajectory, and with engineers ready to tackle challenges across AI, data intelligence, next-generation cybersecurity, and cloud networking,” Avraham said.

Cato is best known for network and security software delivered through a cloud-based platform. The London expansion signals a push to deepen engineering resources in AI and security as demand rises from businesses seeking to manage cyber risks linked to new tools and services.

The company did not disclose the size of its investment in the site. It said the London hub would support core growth initiatives and extend its engineering reach in one of Europe’s largest technology labour markets.

Sobell House announced today (Thursday, June 4) that their Carterton branch on Alvescot Road will close on Saturday, June 27.

In a statement on Facebook Sobell House said: “This has been a hard decision, but as a charity, we must make sure every donation is used in the best possible way to support patients and families.

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“Despite the dedication of our fantastic staff and volunteer team, the shop isn’t making enough money to cover the costs of keeping it open. Closing it is the most responsible decision to protect funding for hospice care in the long term.

“We are incredibly grateful to you, our customers and donors, who have supported our Carterton shop over the years.

“Your support has made a real difference.

The hospice assured customers that expansion projects would instead be coming to their shops in Wantage and Kidlington later this year.

Founded in 1976, Sobell House Hospice provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care to adults living in Oxfordshire with a life-limiting illness, and support to their family and friends.

Sobell House runs seven other shops across Oxfordshire, with the next closest to Carterton being their Witney Superstore.

This comes as Sobell House Hospice marks 50 years of service.

The news joins the closure of their Headington branch in March this year.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Granicus has published UK research showing that 57% of public sector workers are embedding or testing AI-driven services, while 69% of citizens are unaware of any public services using AI.

The findings point to a gap between adoption inside public bodies and public understanding of how the technology is being used.

The research was based on responses from 500 public sector employees and 1,000 UK citizens across local government, central government, housing and the NHS. It comes as digital reform remains central to public services, with departments under pressure to improve access while managing budgets, skills shortages and ageing systems.

Trust appears to be a central issue. Nearly half of citizens surveyed, 49%, said they do not trust or feel comfortable with AI in public services, while 55% said they trust digital public services based on their use over the past year.

This leaves public bodies in a difficult position. Workers inside government are moving ahead with AI trials and deployments, but a large share of the public either does not know the technology is in use or feels uneasy about it.

Priorities also differ between the public and those inside the sector. While 30% of public sector workers said AI should be among the key technologies needed to close the digital services gap by 2028, only 17% of citizens said it should be a focus over the next two to three years to improve services.

Cybersecurity ranked higher among workers, with 34% identifying it as a key need, followed by big data analytics at 22%. The figures suggest officials see the next phase of digital service delivery as depending on a broader set of systems and protections rather than AI alone.

Training emerged as another constraint. Some 62% of public sector workers said the digital tools they already have could be used more effectively, and 42% identified lack of training as the biggest barrier. Asked which skills they personally needed more support with, 39% named AI literacy.

The survey also pointed to pressure on leadership and organisational alignment. A majority of workers, 54%, said leadership, communication and alignment continue to hold back digital initiatives, with little change over the past year.

At the same time, staff satisfaction with current digital services has improved. The proportion of public sector workers who said they were happy with current services rose to 56% from 46% previously. Yet confidence in readiness for the future moved in the opposite direction, falling to 47% from 61% a year earlier.

Among citizens, concerns about the long-term direction of digital public services were also evident, with 42% saying they are not confident about future readiness.

Accessibility gap

The research found another divide on accessibility. While 58% of public sector workers said their organisation’s digital services are fully accessible to people with low digital skills or disabilities, 29% of citizens said they had personally experienced difficulty accessing digital public services over the past year.

Citizens also placed accessibility above AI in their list of priorities for improvement. Some 24% said accessibility should be prioritised over the next two to three years, compared with 17% for AI and 8% for interoperability. Staff training was the top choice for 27% of citizens.

These findings suggest the public is more focused on whether services are easy to use and available to everyone than on the technologies being introduced inside departments and agencies.

Ian Roberts, UK Managing Director at Granicus, said: “The level of engagement and utilisation of AI and automation across government services shows clear progress, but our research also highlights the work needed to bring citizens on that journey. This extends to the role of training and addressing AI literacy, which our research highlights. This will be key over the next 12 months, not only in bringing about greater efficiencies for local authorities but also in improving digital services, enhancing accessibility and allowing the public to self-serve and access the support they need.”

The figures add to the broader debate over how public services should explain the use of AI to citizens, especially where automation affects access, communication or decision-making. They also indicate that departments may need to focus as much on communication, staff skills and service design as on new tools if they want public confidence to keep pace with deployment.

For now, the clearest finding is the contrast between internal momentum and external awareness: a majority of public sector workers say AI is already being used or tested in their organisations, while more than two-thirds of the public say they have not noticed it.