"Although we've taken over CyberSterk, collaboration with SIDN isn't ending."

How did Guardian360 get involved with CyberSterk?

Middelkoop: "After developing the CyberSterk proposition and testing its market appeal by talking to end users and registrars, we started looking for partners. Because, if you want to accelerate a project like this, collaboration is the way to go. You need to link up with companies that know the market, have complementary strengths and can deliver parts of the solution. Then, together, you can quickly and successfully build a new product. Guardian360 was one of the players we invited for talks. That was when I met Jan Martijn, and we hit it off immediately. Guardian360 was actively involved in the collaboration and helped us to refine and polish the proposition."

Broekhof: "As soon as I heard about CyberSterk, I liked the sound of it. Like SIDN, Guardian360 believes in equity on the digital infrastructure. Good security should be available to everyone. That was always the thinking behind our Guardian360 Lighthouse platform. As an affordable and understandable solution for the SME sector, CyberSterk dovetails perfectly with our philosophy. SIDN's network is also very attractive from our viewpoint."

How did the collaboration go?

Middelkoop: "Really well. Jan Martijn was a proper part of the team. We were in close contact all along the development pathway. We spoke pretty much every week in the Agile business team, we called each other frequently and we had a few lunches and so forth together. There was a lot of mutual trust. Being able to work together like that is a big plus." Broekhof: "In effect, what we were doing was setting up a business from scratch in a short space of time. And, yes, it went very well. If some little thing did go wrong, we were able to sort it out immediately."

If everything was going so well, why is the partnership now ending?

Middelkoop: "SIDN's introduction of the CyberSterk proposition wasn't motivated by exclusively commercial considerations. SIDN wants to have a positive impact in the field of cybersecurity. We want to see the Dutch SME sector become more resilient to cybercrime. After two years' work, we had succeeded in introducing a viable service to the market. In 2020, we recruited nineteen sales agents and enrolled forty customers. That's not bad for a new service, especially during a pandemic. However, with about 60,000 potential SME customers, we were clearly still a long way off the impact we wanted. As an entrepreneur at heart, it grieves me to say it, but for SIDN the decision to pull out makes sense. Fortunately, though, Guardian360 is taking up the baton. They can take CyberSterk forward and use their network and distribution muscle to grow the product more quickly."

Broekhof: "As a commercial operation, we're not in the same position as a foundation with a social objective. CyberSterk has great potential. I'm convinced that it can take off. And it would be a real shame to let all the time and effort that SIDN has put in go to waste. So much groundwork has been done, so much has been learned, I want to put it to use. Progress wasn't fast enough for SIDN, but we're able to play a longer game. And, like SIDN, we want to make SMEs more secure."

Will CyberSterk ultimately be a success?

Broekhof: "It has every chance of succeeding. Cybersecurity incidents are in the news all the time. Attacks are becoming more frequent and criminals are becoming more professional. And, unfortunately, more and more SMEs are falling victim. Finally, therefore, people are starting to recognise that cybersecurity is crucial for SMEs as well. Of course, there's still a lot of work to do, but more and more businesses are investing in incident prevention. A lot more firms are offering information security services too. The only problem being that many of them are start-ups that soon fold. Which is a shame, because I'd like to see more competition; it would raise the profile of cybersecurity."

Will CyberSterk be changing?

Broekhof: "The basics of CyberSterk will stay exactly the same. It'll remain an affordable cybersecurity solution that's straightforward enough for any SME to use; a service that flags up vulnerabilities in business networks and websites, and provides help with fixing them. CyberSterk is an ideal part of every new business's start-up kit. One thing we will be doing is working with our technology partner SecureMe2 and our distributor TST ICT Distribution to identify the best pricing strategy. And, before long, we're aiming to improve the way things work under the hood, so that we can upgrade the dashboard and add new functionality. We'll also be putting a lot of emphasis on promotion."

Middelkoop: "We'll continue to help with the promotion. We'll be highlighting CyberSterk wherever possible and, for the time being, CyberSterk will continue to feature on our website. But, instead of an order form, there'll be a link to the CyberSterk website. And, of course, if opportunities arise for helping to improve the product, we won't simply let them pass." Broekhof: "Although we've taken over CyberSterk, I'm pleased to say that collaboration with SIDN isn't ending. CyberSterk can be a great umbrella brand for offering new services, and SIDN will continue to be involved in the conversation, albeit more remotely."

Over the last two years, SIDN has devoted a lot of energy to CyberSterk. What are you going to do with the capacity you're freeing up?

Middelkoop: "We'll be pressing ahead with new projects that can make the internet more secure and convenient. We'll be reallocating our CyberSterk capacity to DBS, to the privacy-friendly IRMA identity platform and to IRMAconnect. We'll also keep looking for new solutions, new ways of maximising our impact and contributing to the safety and convenience of the online world."