Omegapoint and Basalt join forces to meet the growing threat
Nicklas Haglund, CEO Basalt and Johan Malmliden, CEO Omegapoint.
Cyber threats against Swedish companies, authorities and municipalities are increasing. This is partly due to increased geopolitical risks and partly because the threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated and technologically advanced. Leading Swedish cybersecurity companies Omegapoint and Basalt are now joining forces to meet the threat with more force.
Digitalisation has continued to accelerate in recent years. According to a report by Kearney, Sweden is the country with the second highest digital penetration in the world. This implies a high level of digital capability, regulatory frameworks adapted to digital environments and a high level of business maturity. But as society becomes more connected, the risks and number of potential entry points for cyber attacks are increasing. Sweden lags behind in the global cybersecurity index, which measures how countries prioritise cybersecurity. The gap between the pace of digitalisation and our cybersecurity capability is thus growing every day.
At the same time, the current geopolitical situation, combined with new advanced threats, requires a stronger and more comprehensive security response. Basalt, a business protection company, and Omegapoint, a leading cyber security company, are now combining their businesses, skills and experience. The merger aims to scale capacity and capability to better serve joint customers against increased cyber threats and risks.
Omegapoint's CEO Johan Malmliden says:
Basalt is a leading expert company in business protection and cybersecurity for which we have great respect. I am very proud and happy to welcome all of Basalt's 90 employees to the Omegapoint family. Through the merger, we are combining several areas of expertise where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Omegapoint's cybersecurity focus and Basalt's expertise in operational and security protection will give us deeper experience and greater capacity to help customers with the highest security requirements, such as in the defense industry and central government. Together with Basalt, we become an even safer hand in a rapidly changing world.
Basalt specialises in operational and security protection and has deep expertise in systematic security management, security consulting and the development of secure solutions. The company works to reduce the vulnerability and increase the capability of companies and authorities that handle sensitive information for their own operations or for the functioning of society.
We work to protect society's most sensitive activities from internal and external threats. Together with Omegapoint, we can now deliver to these customers to a much greater extent than before. Omegapoint's in-house Corporate Academy provides us with a well-established forum to share expertise with Omegapoint staff. This will enable us to recruit and train more cybersecurity and business security experts at an increasing pace. Therefore, it felt natural to join forces, says Basalt's CEO Nicklas Haglund.
The government's decision to continue strengthening the total defence and the investment in a National Cyber Security Centre is indicative of the fact that threats to Swedish businesses have increased significantly in recent times. The increasingly broad threat picture means that there is a need to tighten the level of security at all levels, i.e. both digitally and physically, to ensure protection across the entire threat spectrum.
The high level of trust that Swedes have in public authorities and other social institutions is one of our most important assets. We see it as critical to defend. Our customers often operate socially important activities and have the highest security requirements. Now, more than ever, it is important that their sensitive information is protected. Not just for the customers themselves, but for the trust in our public institutions as a whole. This requires us to be able to work safely, securely, and robustly on an ever-increasing scale. Together with Omegapoint, we have the opportunity to do just that," says Nicklas Haglund.
