Secure communications are becoming a must in all areas, KATIM CEO underlines
In early October 2022 the EDGE Group announced the rebranding of DIGITAL14, specialised in ultra-secure communication solutions for defence, intelligence, government and private sector clients worldwide. The company became KATIM, and EDR On-Line recently interviewed its CEO, Didier Pagnoux
Asked about the future of the company and its niche market share. Mr. Pagnoux told EDR On-Line that, “At KATIM, our mission is to be a global leader in secure communications. Building on our sovereign defence capabilities, we will bring to market cutting-edge best-in-class technologies and deliver our products and solutions locally and globally. We will achieve this by bringing together the brightest minds and talent in the world to enable our innovation roadmap.” According to its CEO KATIM is on an accelerated growth trajectory, therefore it will double down on its investment strategy which focuses on developing new technologies to expand its portfolio, acquiring technology to accelerate its objectives and partnering with the best in the world to create integrated solutions to meet client needs.
“We will continue to focus on key sectors that demand ultra-secure communications, including defence, intelligence and government sectors. With the changing threat landscape, the requirement has expanded to areas such as emergency response, remote locations, restricted facilities, critical infrastructure and all other sectors requiring mission critical communications. The use case now also extends to enterprises and organisations that require reliable secure communications in their corporate environment such as senior management teams and boards needing to share sensitive information or communicate real-time.” KATIM CEO added.
This strategy will power the company ‘Secured by KATIM’ ecosystem we will expanding its presence and capability in a number of regions including Europe, Africa, and Asia, as part of EDGE’s target markets.
Asked on the latest developments in the company’s products portfolio, Mr. Pagnoux underlined that “KATIM Networks business unit builds post-quantum cryptography-capable products for next generation data-in-transit security. We replace existing, outdated, and untrusted networking solutions for all mission-critical sectors, from defence to public safety, with trusted, ultra-secure, and competitive network encryption devices to ensure their sensitive data is protected at all times.” Launched in October 2022, KATIM Gateway 9011 is an ultra-secure encryptor for large-scale deployment including sensitive entities, critical infrastructure campuses, government buildings, and data centres. Providing the backbone in secure communication, it has been designed from the ground up to mitigate cyber threats that may emerge in the future as quantum becomes more mainstream.
“KATIM’s Ultra-Secure Phones business unit is currently developing the 4th generation smartphone, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and the most recent innovations in the industry. Our aim is for all government, defence, emergency responders, and public safety personnel to be equipped with KATIM devices, ensuring that all nations, their people, and their sensitive data is protected and secure,” the company CEO stated.
Currently on the market and powering communications for VIPs on the move are the KATIM X2, a 5G ultra-secure smartphone for government leaders, top executives, and individuals and teams working with sensitive information, and the KATIM R01, a ruggedised smart phone for critical communications in the harshest field conditions.
“A recent addition to our KATIM Applications portfolio is KATIM 2.0, a purpose-built platform that uses the latest technology stack to create scalable, custom, and security-differentiated solutions for ultra-secure communication and collaboration. KATIM 2.0 comprises all of our secure principles in one single platform, ensuring end-to-end encryption which cannot be guaranteed on mainstream, consumer-grade communication and collaboration solutions,” Mr. Pagnoux told EDR On-Line.
KATIM’s SATCOM capability is being developed by a highly experienced team in the UAE. The company aim is to offer comprehensive, reliable, and secure systems for a wide range of tactical networks, platforms, and applications, including point-to-point links, tactical data links, and tactical radios.
Supporting the defence industry and customers with its current and future products portfolio is oen of KATIM’s objectives.”We are continuously investing in research and development (R&D) and advanced technologies that will secure communications, including multi-layered defence in-depth mechanisms in hardware and software, post-quantum attack-resistance, sovereign cryptography with the custom-crypto integration option, and we are building every product based on the zero-trust and secure-by-design principles,” KATIM’s CEO stated.
Governments, military, and public safety organisations manage a large amount of sensitive data that needs to be stored and protected, making them a primary target for cyber-attacks. Threat actors focus on sensitive communications conveying valuable information such as intellectual property, financial, R&D, public safety, national security and military information. Quantum computers that are exponentially faster than any of our current computers and are capable of code-breaking applications will be available in the near future. The only defence against this threat is quantum-resistant cryptography, according to the company CEO.
“At KATIM, the quantum-resistant cryptography has been an active and ongoing area of research, with evolving quantum-cryptographic protocols being implemented in our products and solutions. This approach ensures our cryptographic systems are capable to effectively withstand attacks from even powerful quantum computers,” he underlined.
With a strong foothold in UAE and Finland, the Abu Dhabi-based company looks at its European to support further penetration in the Old Continent market. “KATIM’s R&D centre in Finland not only allows us to attract new customers in Europe, but also to develop and tailor our products to meet the requirements of that region.
Our participation at Critical Communications World 2023, the leading global conference and exhibition for the critical communications sector, being held in Helsinki, Finland, from 23-25 May, also demonstrates our commitment to the European market. This will be the first time we exhibit an entire portfolio of solutions suitable for critical communications and the defence industry in this region,” Mr. Pagnoux said. Company R&D centres in different countries continuously develop and adopt the latest technologies in their offerings. “Our aim is for governments, the defence sector and public safety personnel across the world to be equipped with KATIM secure communications solutions for the best responsiveness, resilience and protection of their nations. We will achieve this by accelerating digital advancement, nurturing next-generation global talent, and curating advanced innovations to solve the most difficult digital challenges for its customers. KATIM empowers organisations worldwide with the confidence that their mission-critical information and communications are private and secure at all times,” the company CEO concluded.
Photos courtesy KATIM
