NEWS
Ingram Micro
expands
leadership in
cybersecurity
with acquisition
of Abbakan
in France
KnowBe4 acquires
Norwegian company, CLTRe;
shining spotlight on security
culture measurement
I
ngram Micro has announced that it
has entered into an agreement to
acquire French cybersecurity value added
distributor (VAD), Abbakan, as part of the
expansion of its cybersecurity business in the
EMEA region. The acquisition of Abbakan
expands Ingram Micro’s network of system
integrators and telecommunications
companies across France. Sophie Deleval,
Chief Executive for Ingram Micro France,
added: “This acquisition cements the
transformation we initiated two years ago
to strengthen our ability to support our
partners in developing their business and
stay relevant and sustainable. Abbakan’s
and Ingram Micro’s teams will combine their
expertise, dynamism and engagement to
provide an outstanding value proposition to
the exciting market in which we operate.”
Abbakan is a leading cybersecurity value
added distributor in France. The company
provides cybersecurity solutions through
a network of partners across the country
through its headquarters in Paris and offices
in Lille, Lyon, Toulouse and several other
locations. Abbakan’s existing customers
will now also have access to Ingram Micro’s
wider portfolio of cybersecurity solutions and
network of experts.
Abbakan GM, Franck Navarro, said: “This
will strengthen our resources and widen our
reach across France and, through its global
footprint, give our existing vendors and
customers a stronger support system.”
Ingram Micro Senior Vice President and
Chief Executive META & Cybersecurity EMEA,
Dr Ali Baghdadi, commented: “Cybersecurity
is high priority for Ingram Micro. One of our
global initiatives is establishing Centers of
Excellence (COE) around the globe and this
strategic acquisition provides us with the
opportunity to further enhance our value-
added capabilities, while expanding our
cybersecurity footprint across France and the
rest of EMEA.”
8
INTELLIGENTCIO
K
nowBe4, the provider of the world’s
largest security awareness training
(SAT) and simulated phishing platform,
has announced the acquisition of
CLTRe – pronounced ‘culture’ – a
Norwegian company focused on helping
organisations assess, build, maintain
and measure a strong security posture.
CLTRe will continue to operate as an
independent subsidiary of KnowBe4, and
service customers globally. CLTRe’s Toolkit
and Security Culture Framework will be
available to all KnowBe4 customers later
this year.
According to The 2018 Cybersecurity
Culture Report, 95% of organisations see
a gap between their current and desired
organisational cybersecurity culture. With
94% of malware being delivered via
email (2019 DBIR), it’s clear that working
with users to minimise cyber-risk and
improve security culture is key.
The 2018 Security Culture Report
shows the value of being able to
measure culture, helping organisations
to demonstrate the effectiveness of
their organisational security controls,
as required by GDPR, CCPA and other
regulations. Interestingly, the finance
industry demonstrated an overall
healthy improvement in culture from
2017, while the real estate industry
showed a decline.
CLTRe created the CLTRe Toolkit and the
Security Culture Framework, which work
in tandem to help organisations gather
evidence about their current security
culture and how it changes over time.
The acquisition of CLTRe is advantageous
for both KnowBe4 and CLTRe clients;
KnowBe4 users will gain access to a
research-driven measurement platform
to show how their security culture
programme matures over time. And
CLTRe clients will be introduced to the
industry’s most progressive and easiest-
to-use SAT and simulated phishing
platform to help educate users and
change their behaviour.
www.intelligentcio.com