You run a family business, is it harder to keep all the family members in check, or to expand to the US?

Definitely the family! The US is a big market, but at least it has rules you can study. With family, the rules keep changing.

Seriously, though, having my wife and both sons in the company is a great advantage. There is a lot of trust, but we also have to be very clear about roles and responsibilities. At work, we are colleagues first and family second.

Expanding to the US is a different kind of challenge. We have been in the IT business in Europe since 1993, but in America you cannot simply copy and paste what worked in Europe. You must understand the market, build relationships and earn trust again. That’s what makes it exciting.

Cybersecurity is a top priority for every company right now. What are you bringing to American clients that others don’t?

For more than 30 years, our model has been value-added distribution. We combine technology with technical expertise, support, training and, most importantly, strong relationships with our partners.

In the US, we want to bring the same approach. Especially for MSPs, we want to be a partner who helps them choose the right solutions, implement them and ultimately grow their business. Technology matters, but people still buy from people they trust.

What is the one thing companies most underestimate about their security and if you could only invest in one thing today, what would it be?

Companies still underestimate the human factor. You can buy excellent technology, but one wrong click can open the door.

So, if I could invest in only one thing, I would invest in building resilience across the whole company. That means educating people, assuming that sooner or later something will go wrong.

Security is not about believing you can prevent every attack. You can’t. The real question is: when something happens, how quickly can you detect it, contain it and recover? For me, that’s the difference between security and real cyber resilience.

Why South African wines what makes them so special?

That’s the dangerous question; I could talk about South African wine much longer than cybersecurity.

South Africa has everything: great terroir, old vines, fantastic winemakers and an incredible diversity of styles. You can find world-class Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Syrah or Pinotage, often with an excellent price-to-quality ratio.

But for me, it’s also about the country itself. Wine is about people, places and stories, and South Africa has plenty of all three.

And after more than 30 years in cybersecurity, I can confirm one important thing: wine is much easier to understand after the second glass.

US Expansion: 2024
US Location:  Charlotte, North Carolina
Product: value-added distributor in the IT security and data protection

Zebra Systems value-added distributor in the IT security and data protection segment in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Southeastern Europe since 1993. In addition to product sales, it provides its customers with top-notch support and training services. The company is a distributor of Acronis, GFI Software, N-able, Cloudflare and AST products.