Cape-based certificate authority Thawte Consulting is coming of age. Since its acquisition by VeriSign and the resignation of president and CEO Mark Shuttleworth, the company has changed from a one-man-band to a medium-sized enterprise.
"With Mark leaving, there was a major change in management," says Morgan Collett, chief technology officer, Thawte Consulting.
Collett joined Thawte three years ago as the company`s second software developer, with Shuttleworth as the first. At the time, the company`s dozen employees operated out of a house and various apartments in Cape Town, and had an "informal, flexible type of environment".
Now Thawte operates in 20 countries, with offices in Cape Town and North Carolina. The Cape Town office currently houses 60 employees.
"We have moved into corporate offices, the company has grown up, and there are more rigorous procedures in place - things that are almost inevitable with growth," says Collett.
"Parts of our business have scaled with the market," he says. "The more certificates we issue, the more support we need. Growth is inevitable, but it`s not always the goal, it`s often by-product."
Over the past year, the company has issued approximately 100 000 Web certificates, and is currently averaging 150 a month. The US accounts for approximately 60% of certificates issued, with Europe and SA taking 40%.
Most of the European sales are derived from the UK, France and Germany, while SA represents only 1% of Thawte`s business.
The recent dot-com crash has slowed Thawte`s growth, admits Collett. "I`m confident of seeing more growth once people set more realistic expectations."
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Thawte acquired by VeriSign
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