Trondheim company to bring data security to Europe

The funding allocated to deliver 'Europe's digital transformation', as the European Commission describes the Digital Europe Programme, is substantial. A total of €7.5 billion has been allocated up to 2027 for high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills and the deployment of digital technologies across businesses and the public sector.

Funding is awarded through calls for proposals. In the latest round, Trondheim-based Secure Practice secured funding through a cybersecurity call. The company will receive around NOK 29 million to bring its solution to new markets across Europe.

‘EU funding gives us the opportunity to provide practical support on digital security to many more people and businesses. It also enables us to build an internationally recognised centre of expertise focused on the human side of cybersecurity,’ says Erlend Andreas Gjære, CEO and co-founder of Secure Practice.

The company specialises in helping businesses and their employees improve data security. Data breaches are most often caused by human error. But Gjære, who previously worked as a researcher in the field, saw that conventional data security products had poor user interfaces and failed to consider how much time each employee was expected to set aside.

An idea began to take shape that would turn the whole issue on its head: What if we stopped seeing our colleagues as the weakest link and instead created training tailored to employees' needs? People could then go from being a vulnerability to the best security investment you make – in principle, every employee could become a cybersecurity guardian.

'With the right expertise and user-friendly tools, you can significantly reduce the risk of both hacking and fraud. More than 500 businesses use Secure Practice every day, and with support from the Digital Europe Programme, we will now introduce our cloud services to a number of new markets,' says Gjære.

Our CEO Håkon Haugli believes the funding is good news for Norway's digital transformation.

'Norwegian companies that receive support from the Digital Europe Programme will play an important role in Norway's participation in Europe's digital transformation. The programme provides access to funding, networks and expertise and could make a significant difference to businesses across the country. We congratulate Secure Practice on becoming one of the first Norwegian companies to receive support through the Digital Europe Programme, and we hope to see more Norwegian recipients in the years ahead,' says Haugli.

We have supported Secure Practice from the very beginning. The company launched its first product, MailRisk, in 2018 to combat fraud and hacking via email. The product adds a button to Outlook and Office 365 that employees can click if they receive an email they consider suspicious.

Since launching MailRisk, the company has expanded its offering to include a complete platform for managing human cyber risk across organisations. It has completed several research and development projects and developed an innovative range of services.

Gjære now sees significant opportunities arising from the funding awarded through the Digital Europe Programme. He believes the call offered them an excellent opportunity.

‘Commercial growth requires a different type of project from traditional research and development projects. We need projects that focus on marketing and sales, adapting to new markets and scalability. Digital Europe was a perfect fit for us. Our goal is to provide more than one million EU citizens with up-to-date security knowledge on a regular basis within one year of the project’s completion – and, importantly, to achieve strong continued growth from there,’ says Gjære.

We hope more Norwegian companies will be inspired by Secure Practice's success and apply for funding through the upcoming calls under the Digital Europe Programme. Ingrid Wik, Norway's National Contact Point for Digital Europe, says the programme is still relatively unknown in Norway.

‘We are delighted for Secure Practice, and we believe their funding award is a strong example of what Norwegian companies can gain by applying for EU funding. Secure Practice is a forward-looking company, both in its business model and in its recruitment of ICT expertise, which is in short supply here in Norway. Around half of its employees are students,’ says Wik.

Gjære says our support was crucial to Secure Practice during the critical startup phase. The company has now become a gazelle company – one of Norway's fastest-growing companies – and has received funding both in Norway and, more recently, from the EU.

– Secure Practice is therefore also a good example of the ‘customer journey’ we want you to experience when you apply to us. We help companies get started so they can then take off on their own, says EU adviser Lisbeth Vassaas at our Trøndelag office, who has worked with Secure Practice over time.

Do you think the Digital Europe Programme could be right for your company? Read more about the programme here.