Luke Cifarelli, AttackIQ SA country manager.
US-based cyber security firm AttackIQ today announced its official entrance into the South African market.
With its South African debut, the company has appointed cyber security veteran Luke Cifarelli as country manager.
Cifarelli tells ITWeb via e-mail that South Africa, and the broader African continent, is in a rapid digital transformation phase, which brings immense opportunity but also significant cyber risk.
“We’ve seen a surge in high-profile breaches affecting financial services, critical infrastructure and the public sector,” he says.
“These organisations are realising that traditional, point-in-time security testing is no longer enough. There is a clear and growing demand for the continuous validation and threat-informed defence.”
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Cifarelli says by establishing a local presence, the company is committing to help build a more resilient cyber security ecosystem in the country.
He explains that AttackIQ was founded in 2013 by a team of security leaders who were early pioneers in operationalising the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
“The company was built on a core premise – that defenders need a powerful, independent platform to continuously validate their security controls against real-world adversary behaviours,” says Cifarelli.
The company’s products were previously available in the country via channel partners.
“Even prior to this launch, a number of forward-thinking South African organisations across finance, retail and insurance were already using the AttackIQ platform,” Cifarelli notes.
“They were leveraging our technology through our global channel partners and directly. Their success and the clear value they derived proved there was a strong product-market fit, which is a key reason for now investing in a dedicated local team and presence.”
Asked if the firm will be hiring, he says the initial focus is on establishing a strong foundation for customers and partners.
“As we grow our client base and deepen our engagement in the market, expanding the local team will be a natural next step to ensure we continue delivering world-class support and value.”
He points out that the target market spans organisations of all sizes. This includes large enterprises in financial services, critical infrastructure, telecommunications and mining, mid-market companies and managed security service providers.
