Egress Software rises on the back of demand for GDPR help

Those looking for signs that GDPR has been a positive development in the channel need only look at the numbers being shared by data privacy player Egress Software.

The firm has seen a 64% increase in new subscriptions in the first half of this year and a 169% climb in the number of customers compared to H1 2017. Egress is also keeping its existing base on-board with a 93% renewal rate.

A lot of the first half was spent getting customers ready for the late May arrival of the EU data protection regulations and the firm launched its GDPR In a Box offering to tap into customer demand.

Added to that the firm also joined the Microsoft ScaleUp programme and was selected for the Tech City Future Fifty programme.

“The first half of the year was incredibly busy for the company and we are seeing tremendous growth as a result,” said Tony Pepper, CEO of Egress.

“We’ve been selected for some of the most exclusive programmes, expanded our offices and brought in new talent to support our ambitious goals. All of this activity is directed towards creating the best solutions for our customers, to help them protect the valuable data that plays such a critical role in their businesses," he added.

The talent he referred to include the hiring of Tim Pickard from NewVoiceMedia as chief marketing officer, Sudeep Venkatesh from Hewlett Packard Enterprise as chief product officer, and Mark Bower also from HPE as chief revenue officer, with a brief to lead the firm's expansion in the US.

The impact of GDPR is unlikely to be felt just in H1 with indications that there continues to be a significant number of customers yet to get up to speed with the regulations.

Research earlier this week from digital marketing agency, MarketingSignals.com, found that 37% of businesses admitted that they were not compliant.

“The research shows there are many ways that businesses are admitting to not following the newly enforced GDPR regulations. GDPR is the most fundamental change to ever happen to data privacy, so it is imperative that businesses follow this and complete the process as soon as possible," said Gareth Hoyle, managing director at MarketingSignals.com.