Kobalt.io is a rapidly growing company that manages all aspects of cybersecurity programs for small and medium-sized, cloud-native businesses. Our team acts as an extension of our clients, considering their unique limitations and needs and supporting them with services ranging from security program-as-a-service to privacy management and 24×7 monitoring. Ensuring our client’s security and helping drive their business growth are our top priorities.
Tell us about yourself?
Cybersecurity is my passion. I have been working in the cybersecurity industry for over 20 years, taking up technical, sales and marketing roles.
I spent two months in Thailand with my family in 2018 while semi-retired. After the trip, I was looking for some things to do but not necessarily a job. Weeks later, I met Boris and Pankaj, two high-tech startup investors. They were interested in working on a cybersecurity project, and this was how Kobalt.io was born.
At that time, we realized the issue in the market was that SMBs were underserved. They lack the resources necessary to secure their operations. Kobalt.io was determined to offer SMBs end-to-end cybersecurity solutions as a result.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Get bitcoin, then sell it for $40,000. There is no need to be greedy. I’m actually pretty content with my experiences and the course I’m taking. The best advice would be to “enjoy the journey and your time with those you love.”
What problem does your business solve?
With limited resources, smaller businesses are often underprepared for cyberattacks and data breaches, and they can find it especially difficult to recover when they do occur. Kobalt.io enables SMEs to outsource cybersecurity, leveraging strength in numbers they don’t have on their own. It also makes high-level security affordable for smaller enterprises
What is the inspiration behind your business?
The SME market is incredibly underserved, in part because setting up a system is expensive. This is what led to the creation of this Vancouver-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) company.
On top of that, B.C. takes privacy and security very seriously. The province and the world are currently experiencing a shortage of cybersecurity talent. It is Kobalt.io’s mission to build consumable, scalable technology enabled services that make cybersecurity problems tractable to SMBs, ensuring that organizations of different sizes have access to the talent and expertise they need to build a solid foundation for business growth.
What is your magic sauce?
It’s really about building relationships with our clients. Kobalt.io is agnostic to the technology and digital environments our clients currently operate in. We tailor security approaches based on the limitations and needs of our clients’ businesses, and with an investment of a fraction of the cost of building an internal security team, we act as an extended arm of our clients.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Kobalt.io has always considered expanding into the United States. The Canadian government awarded Kobalt.io the Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) Funding, which supports innovative, high-growth firms in British Columbia. We will embark on an ambitious expansion to offer cybersecurity programs for SMBs in the U.S. and other English-speaking nations with the help of the funds. In the next phase, we are eager to broaden our reach and penetrate into Europe and Asia-Pacific, ultimately serving SMBs globally.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Kobalt.io initially decided to build its infrastructure from the ground up, which was costly and time-consuming. It neared the end of its first year with just a handful of clients and low monthly recurring revenues. We just weren’t able to build fast enough, it was consuming a lot of expenses and energy and it was moving too slowly.
We then changed course and bought core technologies off the shelf to build custom innovations. That was a key turning point for us. In the second year, with the new approach in place, Kobalt.io grew quickly and was able to serve more than 75 clients. What started as a group of half a dozen employees, has since grown to 20 full-time employees and a virtual team of about 75 experts that Kobal.io can call upon as needed.
How can people get involved?
Everyone deserves great cyber security. If you are ready to grow, chat with us. We are confident that you can secure your business with us. Book a meeting with us to learn more.