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A business that has its roots in Suffolk is making its return.

Layer 9, an industry-leading technology company, moved its operations last month from Portsmouth to the Harbour View area of North Suffolk.

The company has moved into the renovated third floor of the Northrop Grumman building at 8030 Harbour View Blvd., Suite 300 off of Interstate 664, allowing it to have a central location for its customers on the Peninsula and South Hampton Roads. It is located near Hub 757 and River Stone Chophouse. It has leased 8,800 square feet of office space to function as its administrative headquarters for its information technology support and data center operations.

“We wanted to focus on giving our employees a modernized working environment that gave them each their own space but also maintained the camaraderie Layer 9 employees have come to know and love,” said Layer 9 owner and founder Troy McCollum in a news release. “This move has allowed us to grow not only our clientele but also our workforce. We are very excited to be back in Suffolk and looking forward to the growth along with the city.”

The company received a $35,000 Economic Development Investment Program grant to help with its costs in setting up its business in the city. Layer 9 has proposed to invest $393,000 in facility buildout, building signage, server operations, generator and moving expenses. The generator and server equipment is to be taxable by the city for four years, and if it is not taxable during this period, the company has to pay the EDA 25% of the amount of the grant.

The EDA board voted unanimously in favor of the grant.

“They are moving in on the top floor with an option to purchase,” said Acting Deputy City Manager Kevin Hughes. “We’re excited by the opportunity.”

Hughes said Layer 9’s move helps with the strategic direction to backfill some of the Department of Defense space in the area with private contractors.

Layer 9 was founded in 2002 as a company vested in managing and securing technology while helping clients and businesses grow. Until 2019, the company was known as XP Networking.

The company’s experience is in digitizing workspaces and helping its customers modernize their networks.

“This ability to move to a more technology-savvy building and improved location will allow them to grow from 30 to 45 (employees),” Hughes said.

The company will receive the grant after the EDA confirms its certificate of occupancy and confirms its investment in the first phase of the move.

“We look forward to hopefully working with them on future phases as they work their way into the building and take over ownership,” Hughes said.