October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, and we’ll be profiling some of the industry superstars to help bring attention to this very important sector. Canberra’s home to some some of the most innovative leaders in cyber the world over — get to know them here!

This week we spoke to Roy Borekar, Technical Director of Solution Tech. Learn about what they do, what they’re proud of and why Canberra is the best place for them (and you!) to do business.

Tell us about your company. When and why was it founded?

I founded Solution Technologies, known as Solution Tech, in Perth back in 2016. After working in IT as an Senior Engineer for 15 years it was time to start the business. As any new business I had a slow start, but soon enough hired more and more staff and grew the company. In 2019 we expanded in Canberra, which turned out to be a good business decision as it opened us up to bigger and better contracts and subcontracts. We are a 100% Australian Veteran-owned company. And I’m still a member of the Army Reserve and support organizations such as SoliderOn and other Veteran programs.

What products and services do you provide?

We provide complete IT managed and cyber security services to help organizations looking for reliable, stable IT with vendor management and digital transformation at an affordable cost.

Our services include:

• Cyber Security
• Managed Services
• Cloud solutions
• VOIP & Internet services
• Domain hosting and registration

We specialize is small- to medium-sized organizations with less than 50 staff, and take a holistic approach where we aim to provide complete IT solutions and services.

Tell us about the skillset and dynamic of the team.

We have two teams spread across Australia; one looks after Managed Service and other Cyber Security and Cloud Services. Our tech have more then 30+ years combined experience. We’ve seen the technology landscape change dramatically in that time; we now invest heavily in our education to stay on top of the technology. We have Master’s degrees in IT and have been mentors for Australian Defense programs, the Australian Computer Society and Edith Cowan University.

Tell us about the current cyber landscape in Australia.

Cyber threats against Australians are growing by the day and getting more sophisticated. Many organizations recognize a cyber incident as a high impact event, but still assess the risk of these incidents occurring as low. It’s paramount that we as a country (and as an organization) educate people on cyber security.

What advice do you have for startups and business around cyber security?

Test your ideas with MVP before going all in. Invest in Cyber Security from the beginning and make sure to train your staff on basic Cyber Security practices. It’s like insurance — you can’t buy insurance after an accident! And keep going — you’ll have ups and downs, but as long as you’re pushing forward everyday you’ll make progress. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.

What are you most proud of so far?

We have a great team that works hard to keep our customers happy and their environment healthy. In 2019, we were proud and grateful to be part of the Defence SEA2273 Project to deliver a Cloud and Cyber Security solution for the Navy.

Building the company to where it is now makes me extremely proud, and two acquisitions over the last two years have truly been highlights:

• Acquisition of Modern Computer System
• Acquisition of Swish Online

What quote or philosophy do you stand by?

Be the hardest worker in the room; if you don’t work the hardest, why should anyone work for you?

Why do you think Canberra is a great place to do business?

Canberra has some of the greatest opportunities and programs, both in government and in the private sector. We have the potential to be the next Silicon Valley.

If you’ve attended any Canberra Innovation Network events or participated in our programs, how have they helped you along the way?

CBRIN has provided time away from the business to work on the business. To work on bigger picture projects opened different perspectives at our business from the outside. And CBRIN certainly helped us improve business connections in Canberra.

What does the general public not understand about cyber that just leaves you flabbergasted?

If you buy a house or car you always get insurance to protect that asset. Your business is your biggest asset, which pays for that house or car, but people think twice before moving to protect their business! Everyone talks about ROI on Cyber Security — ROI is not the right measurement to use. How about peace of mind?!

Thanks, Roy! We appreciate your insight (and will definitely dig through the shoebox to make sure ALL of our insurance is current!).