Telenor, Aker via Aker Capital and Cognite are establishing a software security company to serve industry and operational technology.
The company called Omny will fill a gap in the cybersecurity market where there is a great unmet need for software that prevents cyber attacks and secures businesses’ operations. The aim is to build a Norwegian software company that will be a global player in operational industrial security.
Approximately 90 per cent of data available today did not exist just two years ago. The need to secure data and information held in cloud-based services is growing rapidly. Digitalisation and the Internet of Things are both making businesses more efficient, but they are also making them more vulnerable to those who seek to threaten them. From this there has grown a significant market for solutions that prevent digital sabotage of companies and production processes that are connected to the internet and control systems.
Omny will develop software that helps to secure industrial operators and critical infrastructure, such as oil and gas producers, energy suppliers, public sector actors and hospitals. This product will be developed in close partnership with pilot customers in the industrial sector, and will be based on the Cognite Data Fusion platform. Cognite Data Fusion helps industrial companies to collect and connect large volumes of data to enable them to monitor trends and improve their businesses. In the world of cybersecurity, this affords opportunities for the prevention of attacks and allows for data-driven decisions to be made that limit damage and maintain critical functions.
The company will launch a commercial product into the Norwegian market in 2023 via Telenor’s sales organisation. The aim is to launch the product internationally during 2024.
Telenor will have an ownership of 50 per cent of Omny, Aker 44,2 per cent, and Cognite, who has developed the software until now, will own 5,8 per cent.
