Kobalt: “we walk them through the journey.”
In the cybersecurity ecosystem, small and mid-sized organization are still left behind despite their economic contributions.
Facing that situation and the threat of cyber attacks, Michael Argast who has more than twenty years of experience in cybersecurity, cofounded Kobalt in late 2018 with the mission to develop and manage cybersecurity programs for small and mid-sized organizations.
Kobalt services and clients
Being aware of the challenges in cybersecurity, Kobalt offers tailor-made products and services, easy to deploy with an accessible pricing model to customers.
Also, it allows customers who often find it difficult to identify their needs, to benefit from security advice, and training for security awareness. As per Mr. Argast, “Customers are generally aware of the risks they are exposed to, and are ready to find solutions to protect themselves. However, they do not know where to start, and which solution meets their needs. ”
Although the business is newly established, it has eight full-time employees and about hundred virtual subcontractors. Its services are being used by dozens of customers in Canada (British Columbia, Ontario) and the United States.
How do you react to competition?
With the expansion of cybersecurity companies, Kobalt stands out through its business model. Indeed, as Mr. Argast states, “Kobalt does more than just sell services to customers. We help them in the process of optimizing their businesses, that is to say, detecting customer needs, proposing solutions, training them for better performance, and optimizing the system to allow them being more focus into their goal and relieve them from anxiety of cyberattacks; we walk them through the journey. ”
Member of In-Sec-M
For Argarst, joining In-Sec-M is an opportunity for Kobalt to grow as a cybersecurity service provider, “I heard about In-Sec-M through the IRAP program that offers small and mid-sized organizations funding for cybersecurity advice, and as an active company in the field it was a good opportunity.”
In-Sec-M aims to promote the cybersecurity industry and increase the innovation, commercialization and growth capabilities of businesses in this field. In-Sec-M also supports innovative Canadian SMEs by providing cybersecurity consulting services through the National Research Council’s (NRC) Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP).
Cybersecurity is often seen as complex by most citizens, M.Argast message is that “security should not be scary, we help clients take positive steps towards efficient and effective solutions, tailored for their needs; this is what Kobalt is all about. ”