SecureData, Africa's largest IT security company, is well-poised to capitalise on a number of positive factors thrown-up by the buoyant state of the industry.
A proliferation of start-ups worldwide means there is ample opportunity for expansion through acquisitions or partnerships, but the healthy state of the company - it has grown in revenue by at least 50% for eight consecutive years - means it can continue its strong drive for organic growth.
Adding to the company's rosy outlook is the strong trend of customers seeking holistic, integrated systems. SecureData is already in a prime position to benefit, as it is the only company in Africa positioned to provide end-to-end information risk management solutions, and is planning to extend its offerings beyond the security space.
SecureData MD Brett Parker has identified a combination of issues all leading to a boom in the information security sector:
* The sophistication of networks;
* The wide range of wireless portable devices;
* The growing need for internal and external protection;
* The capabilities of cyber criminals and their ability to intrude into different parts of networks and exploit any vulnerabilities; and * Every company is looking to increase their security capabilities.
"Companies have to spend more on security," says Parker. "Every single company in every single sector needs to do this. It is not an area in which you can afford to cut back."
In any industry that is booming, there will be a lot of new entrants followed by consolidation. In the security sector, most of these start-ups focus on a specific area of expertise.
"There are a lot of opportunities out there and we are well-positioned, because of our size, strength and knowledge of the industry, to expand," says Parker.
"Naturally, we know our business and we will be looking to expand into areas in which we know our customers need solutions. We'll be staying with what we know, but it makes sense to build our capabilities in all aspects of information risk management."
SecureData is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the market's "accelerated growth" and expand its offerings to customers, he says.
"We will continue to drive growth from the core and targeted acquisitions will be made to drive strategy, not growth."
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