With many thanks to Daniel Hofmann, CEO of Hornetsecurity, Aviva Zacks of Safety Detectives found out how his company maintains 50,000 worldwide customers.
Safety Detectives: What has your cybersecurity journey been like?
Daniel Hofmann: I hold several years of experience in various positions in the IT world, including the role of Executive IT Consultant. Throughout that time, I saw the need for a solution that was low-maintenance and easy to manage, while also being capable of handling large amounts of datfsura to effectively detect threats. I couldn’t find a product that could cover all these requirements, so I simply started to develop a solution myself. Unlike the traditional products around at the time, however, I wanted it to be cloud-based at the outset. This is how Hornetsecurity was born. Since 2007, the company has developed a comprehensive portfolio of cloud email security services and now protects more than 50,000 customers worldwide.
SD: What is your company’s flagship service?
DH: The Hornetsecurity Group is at the forefront in protecting email communication in Microsoft 365 with solutions like 365 Total Protection, a leading comprehensive security and compliance suite for Microsoft 365. It integrates seamlessly with M365 and its centralized console was developed with data privacy in mind while making it super easy to manage and monitor everything.
365 Total Protection is an essential complement to Microsoft’s protection mechanisms. Customers can choose from various bundles to suit their business needs and benefit from state-of-the-art email security that protects against spam, viruses, phishing, and ransomware, plus email signatures and disclaimers.
Then there’s 365 Total Protection Enterprise that adds Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), automated email continuity, and legally compliant email archiving. On top of all that, our latest addition, 365 Total Protection Enterprise Backup provides backup and recovery for endpoints and Microsoft 365 data in mailboxes, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint.
SD: Who are your customers and why do they like working with you?
DH: We’ve gained the trust of more than 50,000 companies around the world, of all sizes and from all industries. We don’t focus exclusively on one specific vertical because cybersecurity and data protection are a universal need, regardless of the market sector you’re in.
Our customers and partners like us because we provide robust solutions that are easy to implement and maintain, with intuitive usability. Additionally, they know they can count on us for the highest levels of protection against spam and viruses and that the security we provide is always up-to-date thanks to the cloud. For those instances when tech support is needed, they know there is an expert team available at their disposal too.
SD: How do you stay ahead of your competitors?
DH: In this business, it is not a matter of keeping up with technological progress, but rather of setting and shaping it. Whether it is CEO fraud, business email compromise, or new ransomware and malware attacks, cybercriminals continue to develop their attacks at a horrifying pace, using ever more sophisticated methods. Lagging behind technologically would not only endanger the company’s business model but also its customers.
It is for this reason that I insist on two principles at Hornetsecurity: First of all, in-depth analysis to give us a comprehensive understanding of current cybercrime trends, business challenges, and market changes. Secondly, a culture where we constantly question established approaches. Only in this way can we provide innovative services that pioneer solutions for emerging needs.
SD: What are the worst cyberthreats today?
DH: Microsoft is a prime driver of the worldwide migration into the cloud: Its cloud office suite, Microsoft 365, has circa 180 million corporate customers. This is highly attractive to cyber-criminals. They identify it as a lucrative opportunity and dedicate time and attention to breaching its defenses.
In fact, Microsoft has reported a 250% increase in targeted attacks on M365 accounts. A survey we have just conducted, interviewing more than 420 businesses, revealed that 1 in 4 respondents had reported an email-related security breach. Of these, 36% were caused by phishing attacks that target end-users.
Microsoft 365 provides some built-in security features as the first layer of defense, but as attackers increasingly focus on this platform, it becomes necessary to add another layer of security over and above that. In fact, our survey showed that while 68% of companies interviewed expect Microsoft 365 to keep them safe from email threats, 50% use third-party email security solutions.
It’s important to keep in mind that Microsoft 365 is primarily a communications system; so, it makes sense to boost your defenses using specialized services from reputable security experts like us.
SD: How is the pandemic affecting the way your company handles cybersecurity?
DH: I don’t think we’re handling cybersecurity any differently than we did before the pandemic – it’s always been our top priority and is our core business. What we are seeing, however, is a growing need for the protection of employees in the home office. Many companies have moved to the cloud and to Microsoft 365 and as a result, need additional protection for their email communications and data.
This is something we already catered for before the pandemic via 365 Total Protection, but we have now optimized our offering even further. As I mentioned earlier, we have just released a new edition—365 Total Protection Enterprise Backup—that also includes data loss protection for Microsoft 365.
If data loss occurs due to accidental or malicious deletion, ransomware, or system or human errors, you must be able to restore your users’ Microsoft 365 data. You must therefore ensure you have a backup solution in place to protect your organization from data loss. Following our acquisition of Altaro Software in January this year, we have a team of backup specialists who have developed a robust, reliable backup and recovery solution which covers mailboxes, Teams Chats, OneDrive business accounts, SharePoint and roaming, and on-premise Windows-based user endpoints.
365 Total Protection Enterprise Backup is a truly comprehensive all-in-one security and backup suite for all-around peace of mind.