The multinational announced the acquisition of Onward Security in Taiwan, a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions
Onward Security operates in the main Asian markets
The DEKRA organisation of experts, global leader in security and sustainability, announced the acquisition of Onward Security in Taiwan, a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions. The acquisition occurs when DEKRA takes important steps towards the expansion of its services in the fast-growing field of cybersecurity testing and product certification. DEKRA has many lines of expertise in the consumption, industrial, IT, medical and automotive sectors.
Onward Security, founded in 2014, is specialised in offering cybersecurity compliance solutions to clients in the loT/lloT, automotive, industrial and medical sectors, among others. In the Asia-Pacific region, the company is leader in loT testing and cybersecurity certification services. Moreover, Onward Security provides cybersecurity assessments and develops automated security assessment tools with AI and machine learning functions. In 2021, Onward Security was selected as “Hot Company” in the Cybersecurity Internet of Things Awards, Global InfoSec Awards.
The transaction is part of DEKRA’s strategy to become the global leader in cybersecurity, testing and certification services. DEKRA has already made investments in this field with the acquisition of Epoche & Espri in 2017, a Common Criteria and FIPS lab based in Madrid (Spain), and where it established a DEKRA Global Cybersecurity Hub in 2022. With Onward Security, DEKRA strengthens its services in cybersecurity assessments, evaluation, certification and R&D in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mike Walsh, Executive Vice President of the Asia-Pacific region at DEKRA: “I’m very excited with the acquisition. Onward Security’s experience and services are a perfect fit for our business, and we’re sure that combining the strengths of both companies will enable us to boost our presence in the Asia-Pacific region and offer even more valuable services to all of our clients around the world. The increasing complexity of cyber threats, along with the companies’ needs of having a reliable cybersecurity partner, has made this a crucial field of investment for DEKRA.”
Fernando E. Hardasmal, Executive Vice President at DEKRA’s Service Division of Digital and Product Solutions: “The incorporation of Onward Security will enable us to expand our cybersecurity services and add R&D capabilities. DEKRA will offer its clients complete solutions that tackle new regulatory challenges and market access to key regions with an expanded accreditation portfolio. We have known the Onward Security team for years, they are very talented and share DEKRA’s values and ambition, we are proud to have them as part of the DEKRA family”.
Morgan Hung, Onward Security Co-founder, President and Managing Director, has also expressed his excitement on working together: “We believe that our experience in loT cybersecurity will complement DEKRA’s existing abilities to lead loT cybersecurity development and to provide our clients with first-class cybersecurity solutions.”