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Sophos secures its place in Southern Tech 100


The launch of this year’s Southern Tech 100 sees the arrival of Sophos, coming straight in at number six. Granted, its rapid rise up the turnover ranks to well over £281 million is due in part to its acquisition of Astaro, but it also marks an extremely successful 12-month period for the company. Alison Dewar of The Business Magazine spoke to chief financial officer Nick Bray about the secrets of its success


Specialising in IT security and data protection for mid-market companies, Sophos - an award- winning company with its global headquarters in Abingdon - has more than 100 million users in 150 countries relying on its products to give them the best protection against complex threats and data loss.


Worldwide, Sophos is ranked third overall among corporate endpoint security vendors in terms of both revenue and market share and, over the past five years, has more than doubled its market share, as the rise of mobile computing has led to a major increase in the need for greater ’on the move’ security options.


While its customers include some of the best known names in business, such as Marks & Spencer,


GE and Tesco, its primary target is mid-market businesses in the 100-plus employee sector who are unable to sustain a dedicated in-house IT security team.


Constant innovation is at the heart of its success and Bray is keen to pay tribute to co-founders Dr Jan Hruska and Dr Peter Lammer for the vision they showed in setting up the company in the early days of internet security in 1985.


“The IT security industry was effectively non-existent, but they had the foresight to start the business and build it into what it is today,“ he said. “They gave Sophos strength, stability and business continuity for the long term.


“Our goal is to look at an organisation’s IT and consider how we can provide a simple, secure


and complete solution across the multiple products they are using.“


SophosLabs, described by Bray as the best in the industry, see around 150,000 security threats a day, and the changing nature and complexity of mobile technology means the team is constantly developing different types of security to protect a range of devices, from laptops and mobiles to iPADs.


“We know we can never be complacent. We have what we call a ’healthy paranoia’ about what is going on and we are always looking at how we can produce even better products, alongside providing great customer satisfaction and experiences,“ continued Bray.


He likes to describe Sophos as a “hidden gem“ and its purpose- built £32 million headquarters – opened by the Queen in 2004 – remains just a stone’s throw from where the Sophos story began.


The company sees the Thames Valley as the perfect pool for new talent and Bray calls it a great area to be based in, attracting the “best and the brightest“ employees from across the region.


Sophos’ global headquarters in Abingdon


Abingdon is home to some 500 staff out of the global headcount of 1700, and the company is proud at the way its inclusive approach ensures employees from around the world all feel part of the Sophos family.


Bray describes the culture as “less command and control“ and more about encouraging teams to work together and sharing best practice.


There is a strong focus on employee communications, including an online and print newsletter, family open days, competitions and support for a wide range of CSR programmes.


www.businessmag.co.uk Nick Bray


The culture of sharing was exemplified when Sophos completed its acquisition of network security provider Astaro in June last year and embarked on a major staff integration process to successfully bring the teams together.


In adding the strength of Astaro to its portfolio, Sophos showed it is always looking for new opportunities to expand.


“We will continue to grow organically and invest in new products, but if we find a great company such as Astaro which we can integrate into our own business and, in doing so, gives us a head start in a certain area, then it’s an avenue we will take,“ continued Bray.


“What’s important to us is having a clear, strategy alignment – ensuring everyone, from the leadership through to every member of staff – knows we are working together and moving forward as one.“


And, with a clear mandate for the future, Bray says there’s no reason why, within the medium term, Sophos won’t become a $1 billion company.


“To achieve those plans, we need to continue to grow billings and our profits, which in turn enables us to recruit and retain the best people. When you are doing it right, it allows you to do the things you want,“ he concluded.


Details:


01235-559933 www.sophos.com


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – FEBRUARY 2012


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