Net Cyclops Inc.

Secured Intelligence

Established by two dynamic business partners in 2000, NCI (Net Cyclops Inc.) is an IT security and networking firm that delivers advanced security solutions.

Danny Timmins, CEO & President of NCI, spoke with The American Business Journal, “In the early 2000s, information security was a relatively obscure field. In those days everything was pretty new and simplistic. At that time, few people really gave much attention to security. But today things are different. The field has grown quite rapidly over the last decade and it has become much more sophisticated.”

Since its launch, the company has experienced steady growth, and today the NCI team stands 60 strong with Headquartered offices in Mississauga and with branch offices in Montreal, Ottawa and London, [Ont.,] and soon Calgary. NCI has also expanded its service offering with the introduction of a solution integration branch, a managed services arm, and more recently, a consulting and risk assessment portfolio. NCI has emerged as a robust, end-to-end Canadian service organization.

“When we first started, customers were basically asking for simple integrated solutions that mitigated few but the most visible risks around security,” Timmins explained. “Nowadays, tools for hacking and propagating malware are widely available, which is compelling organizations to seek far more powerful information security solutions.”

Increased Security

Since having being accepted into PCI (Payment Card Industry) in 2008, NCI has experienced its fastest growing business segment in this avenue, where banks and credit card brands have launched a compliancy program mandatory for merchants that accept credit cards. The program objectives are to tighten the security of credit card information and minimize the likelihood of fraudulent expenses.

In the United States, where NCI is contemplating expansion opportunities, the level of security measures deployed by American businesses is reaching new heights. As one example, in states such as California, New York, and Arizona, security breach disclosure is the next realm in consumer protection. Timmins commented, “In the U.S., it is recognized that public disclosure of security breaches is the most potent means to force a business to lock down consumer data and protect privacy, thus ensuring that personal information doesn’t get out for all to see and cause harm to affected individuals.

“We’re hoping a similar rule comes to Canada. With the public disclosure of security breaches and their causes, other businesses can implement remediation solutions before being broken into themselves by the attackers. It’s all good because, at the end of the day, it’s the consumers that are the victims of security failures.”

Expansion Efforts

As part of its growth goals, NCI is targeting foreign markets such as the northeastern United States and high opportunity markets in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. The idea is that these markets will serve as the starting point of a worldwide expansion. Timmins summarized, “We are designing our internal processes and procedures to produce exponential growth in the markets we are entering. That’s our international strategy.”

The company will continue to firm up its domestic operations and processes, while strengthening its service delivery capabilities as a knowledge-based organization. NCI aims at streamlining its internal infrastructure in a way that paves the way for dramatic increase in revenues and profitability.

The results of these efforts are already palpable. In recent years NCI was ranked in both the PROFIT 100 (2007 and 2010) and PROFIT 200 (2011) categories, an annual ranking of the fastest growing private organizations based on revenue growth. NCI has also been recognized by Branham 300, in 2011 & 2012, a list of the leading Information Communication Technology (ICT) businesses in Canada. The company was also recognized by CRN Magazine, a publication that provides strategic information for IT solutions providers, among its Top 24 North American security companies, NCI being one of only two Canadian organizations to have made the cut.

Although focused on the IT side of business, NCI also sees significant growth potential in merging its services with physical security. “We’re bridging IT and physical security as one discipline,” Timmins explained.

“Our solution integration services mitigate particular risks in a client organization. On the consulting side, it’s about evaluating the risks. Our reviews are a complex and complete network security analysis, including the conduct of penetration testing to uncover all vulnerabilities. Our services are truly comprehensive.”

Now more than a decade in the IT security and networking industry, NCI attributes its success to its many critical partners in business, like Check Point Software Technologies and HP Security Division, innovative global leaders that unite Internet security with business requirements. Timmins concluded, “Like NCI, Check Point and HP stand on the leading-edge of technological advancement. We’re continually growing and leading the way toward what’s next in IT security.”

www.nci.ca

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