KOCHI: In an indication that software companies prefer rural or semi-urban settings in Kerala, a cyber security firm headquartered at the government-run IT Park in Koratty, a small town in Thrissur, is serving clients in 25 countries including the US, the UK, Dubai and Saudi Arabia to manage their cyber risks and ensuring compliance.
Value Mentor, a homegrown IT firm, has been providing a wide array of cybersecurity solutions such as penetration testing, risk management and compliance consulting to its clients across the globe from Koratty for the last 10 years, said Binoy Koonammavu, its founder and CEO. "The company caters to clientele in 25 countries including the US, the UK, Dubai and Saudi Arabia," he told TNIE.
As for future expansion plans, Value Mentor is looking to expand its presence in key Indian cities like Bangalore, Delhi and Chennai while also deepening its global footprint in regions like Saudi Arabia and the US, Binoy added.
By 2026, the company aims to double its workforce and leverage advancements in AI and machine learning to develop smarter, more proactive cybersecurity solutions. "We plan to set up a training laboratory at Koratty Infopark. The aim is to get trained professionals to feed our workforce requirements. So, by 2026, the present strength of 150 will be increased to 300," he said.
In February last year, Zoho Corp launched an industrial park and R&D centre in Kottarakkara, another semi-urban town in the Kollam district while an American multinational GR8 Affinity (pronounced Great), which is a collaboration of six top-100 US-based accounting and consulting firms, has started its operations at the ASAP (Additional Skill Acquisition Programme) Community Skill campus at Kulakkada, also in Kollam.
Binoy said Value Mentor aims to play a pivotal role in establishing an ethical AI governance framework and creating next-generation defences like AI-driven firewalls.
"Cyber attacks that impact organizations and businesses are primarily driven by cyber criminals and nation-state-sponsored adversaries. These attacks include ransomware attacks, which primarily originate from cyber criminals who would gain unauthorized access to organizations, leading to data theft and encryption of data until a ransom is paid," he said, adding that the company ensures that its clients are protected from all sorts of cyber attacks and threats.