JOHANNESBURG – VIVICA Holdings has announced the appointment of seasoned cybersecurity expert Caesar Tonkin to head up its cybersecurity business ARMATA, which provides technology solutions and niche expertise needed to help local businesses better protect themselves against cyber threats.

Vivica Group is a future-focused and technology-driven company that brings well-established and powerhouse brands such as Vox, Braintree, Frogfoot and Everlytic into the same stable as exciting, high-growth-potential technology companies such as Guardian Eye, qwerti, Nymbis, HYPA and ARMATA. The group provides a home for entrepreneurs and visionaries leading high-growth potential businesses in different industry sectors. Tonkin’s appointment will drive ARMATA’s journey to becoming an industry leader in a competitive cybersecurity landscape.

Vivica CEO Jacques du Toit says the move was a logical choice. “We have said from the beginning that Vivica exists to bring leaders of established and newer businesses under the same umbrella to support and ignite growth. Caesar comes with the pedigree and vision that will take ARMATA to the next level,” he says.

Tonkin brings a diverse experience stack into the role, including leading the cybersecurity businesses within various service providers, as well as prior corporate CISO roles. “This track record will provide ARMATA with a distinct advantage in engaging with the cybersecurity market precisely because Tonkin has insight and experience on both ends of a service provider relationship”, says Du Toit.

Tonkin says he is looking forward to leading ARMATA and adding value to the Vivica Group with a differentiated Cyber Security-as-a-Service.

Tonkin says the business has created a compelling value proposition that includes:

“A unique third-party risk management solution and service which will protect enterprises’ supply chains from cyber risks introduced by their key SMBs and mid-markets suppliers;

“A bundled cloud-based Cyber Security-as-a-Service using globally leading technologies, which includes agile, consumption-based pricing;

“The introduction of outsourced, multi-year managed security services of cyber essentials for SMBs and mid markets based on defined service level agreements;

A virtual CISO service; and

Advanced cyber defences with a threat-centric SOC Service, offensive security, threat hunting, vulnerability management service and cyber crisis incident response.”

Ultimately, says Tonkin, ARMATA is designed to disrupt the status quo in the market.

“The ARMATA Cyber Security-as-a-Service will not only ensure that SMBs and mid markets have the basics in place in an outsourced arrangement, but through the advanced cyber defence service, ARMATA can defend customers against anomalous security events and even attacks,” he explains. He adds that the ARMATA Cyber Security-as-a-Service will enable faster turnaround in mean time to detect, as well as mean time to remediate using automation and integration.

“To lead the business to become a trusted and credible player in the cybersecurity market hinges strongly on service delivery excellence in a multi-skilled cyber team. This is crucial to exceed customers’ expectations and execute with excellence – especially as ARMATA expands into Africa,” says Tonkin.