The firm, which established its first workplace in Hong Kong in 2020, believes now could be an opportune time to additional broaden its presence in Hong Kong, particularly for the reason that institution of the Strategic Enterprise Attraction Authority (Oasis) on the finish of 2022.
Oasis is an initiative of the Hong Kong authorities and was first launched in Chief Executive John Lee Katchu’s 2022 coverage speech. It is a hub for enterprise within the metropolis, with investments and cutting-edge firms targeted on areas comparable to life and well being know-how, synthetic intelligence (AI) and knowledge science, monetary know-how, superior manufacturing and new vitality applied sciences. .
Beijing-headquartered QAX was one of many first batch of 30 international and mainland Chinese firms signed on as Oasis’ strategic company companions.
He Rui, vice chairman and common supervisor of QAX’s worldwide enterprise division, believes Hong Kong’s openness contributes to the event of the know-how ecosystem, making Hong Kong splendid for his firm’s new headquarters and worldwide R&D heart. It is alleged that it’s a good spot.
That means the corporate has a one-stop store for assist with arranging HR visas, hiring high-level expertise, and advertising and marketing and promotions, he mentioned.
“There are additionally subsidies for hiring extremely educated personnel comparable to Ph.D. and grasp’s diploma holders, in addition to help for market actions and promotions.The entire service system may be very nicely thought out. As lengthy as we reap the benefits of these initiatives, they are going to be of nice profit to our business.”
In December final yr, QAX formally opened its Hong Kong headquarters subsequent to the group’s worldwide analysis and growth (R&D) heart on the Hong Kong Science Park in Pak Shek Kok within the New Territories, making it the park’s largest cybersecurity firm.
The workplace will present high-level safety providers to the private and non-private sectors, with a concentrate on areas comparable to community safety know-how analysis, laboratory setup and testing, and cybersecurity expertise growth help.
Founded in 2014 and with greater than 60 branches in mainland China, QAX at the moment occupies an necessary place within the cybersecurity area, offering options to purchasers not solely in China but in addition abroad.
The firm has been ranked first for 3 consecutive years from 2021 to 2023 on the checklist of “Top 50 Competitive Companies in China’s Cyber Security Industry” revealed by the China Cyber Security Industry Alliance, a nationwide non-profit business group. Ranked.
QAX already has a robust foothold in markets in Southeast Asia and North Africa, and is increasing into new abroad markets, together with nations positioned alongside the commerce routes of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the central authorities’s plan to develop world commerce. We are working diligently to develop this area.
The firm achieved worldwide recognition because the official sponsor of cybersecurity providers and antivirus software program on the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the place it achieved a commendable “zero incident” document, he mentioned. This worldwide sporting occasion has a protracted historical past of being focused by hackers and malware.
To preserve its main place, the corporate invests closely in innovation. “About 30 to 40 % of our employees is in analysis and growth,” he says. “This in all probability represents all the workforce of many firms.”
However, these investments are important as cyber-attacks towards world firms develop into more and more refined. “Cyber attackers are making use of AI to their very own actions, so it is also getting used within the cybersecurity area,” he mentioned, including that AI can also be getting used to learn cyber assault logs to enhance effectivity and accuracy. He added that it’s being utilized.
He mentioned Hong Kong is a superb testing floor for cybersecurity merchandise because it units very excessive requirements on this regard.
“Cybersecurity product customers in Hong Kong have expertise utilizing a variety of world-leading safety merchandise and have an intensive understanding of the merchandise, together with their strengths and weaknesses,” he says. “These customers are wonderful judges of our merchandise, and their beneficial suggestions and scores function an necessary foundation for internationalizing our merchandise for international markets.”
He says Hong Kong’s historical past of bilingual schooling, the place English is extensively utilized in Hong Kong in comparison with mainland China, is definitely a bonus for QAX and can present beneficial perception into the event and testing of worldwide merchandise. The firm’s enlargement in Hong Kong additionally enhances its a whole bunch of employees primarily based throughout the border in China’s Guangdong province, together with its analysis and growth heart in Zhuhai.
Beijing-based QAX sponsored the official cybersecurity providers and antivirus software program for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
QAX’s accelerated world enlargement comes at a time when the world faces unprecedented challenges in cybersecurity.
Last November’s Hong Kong Corporate Cybersecurity Preparedness Index survey discovered that as much as 73% of companies questioned reported experiencing a cyber-attack previously 12 months, which was first revealed in 2018. It is the best since then.
The World Economic Forum, a Swiss non-profit basis, reported final yr that the typical annual value of worldwide cybercrime is predicted to rise from US$8.4 trillion in 2022 to greater than US$23 trillion by 2027.
The firm mentioned such business disruptions are most prevalent within the Asia-Pacific area, making the area the brand new “floor zero” for cybercrime incidents. Citing findings from Check Point Research, the inspiration mentioned the area had the best year-on-year improve in weekly assaults, with a rise of 16% and a mean of 1,835 assaults per group. It is alleged that The world common was a complete of 1,248 assaults per week.
The examine notes that the Asia-Pacific area is especially susceptible to cybercrime as a result of accelerating digital transformation, however lacks consciousness and data of rising on-line threats.
He mentioned that many firms working throughout industries have to additional digitize their operations however do not need ample sources to determine their very own cybersecurity groups. Masu.
But that is the place QAX and its cybersecurity experience turns out to be useful, he says. “We do not simply promote merchandise to our clients; we additionally assist them with coaching on find out how to use the merchandise, carry out protected operations, and use these machines to realize most effectiveness.
“Clients additionally require providers comparable to penetration testing and emergency response, as it’s not sensible to rent numerous in-house cybersecurity professionals.”
QAX is the most important cybersecurity firm that established a world R&D heart on the Hong Kong Science Park (above) in Pak Shek Kok, New Territories, final December. Photo: kylauf/Shutterstock
He says QAX can also be recognized for what he calls “Lego-style” options. “Every business has distinctive traits and accordingly totally different wants for merchandise and options,” he says.
“We provide a variety of merchandise from endpoint safety to perimeter safety, knowledge safety and industrial management programs. Like enjoying with Lego blocks, our merchandise match right into a base platform and are used throughout quite a lot of industries and clients. We can construct totally different options to fulfill your particular wants.”
With a lot of the world on-line, from medical information and infrastructure administration to monetary programs, cybersecurity is changing into more and more necessary.
“This business will develop into an increasing number of well-known and acknowledged by extra folks over the following few years,” he says. “Protecting cybersecurity not solely in Hong Kong however around the globe is our unwavering mission.”