Ikusi, technological services company Integrated into the Velatia family group, it operates in the field of digitalization and cybersecurity and specializes in the world of connectivity in communications infrastructure. Its CEO, Iñaki Maiz, explains to elEconomista.es the growth that the sector is experiencing and the plans of your company in that context, which go through access new markets as well as by acquiring companies that complement your portfolio of services.
For Iñaki Maiz, the company he directs – founded in 1967 – is an example that although the Basque ICT sector is very attractive for large companies or investment funds, you can grow in the international marketmake acquisitions and become an organization with 900 workers and 185 million in business.
What activity does Ikusi carry out within the ICT sector?
It is a technology-based services company and in the ICT sector we have high specialization in everything in the world of connectivity in communications infrastructure and cybersecurity.
An area in which investments are skyrocketing due to digitalization. What forecasts do you have?
Traditionally, investment in our sector has been correlated with GDP and that is broken in the pandemic: GDP falls and investments are maintained. For the next 4-5 years, the sector is expected to grow globally at a rate of 7.5%, according to ‘Garnet’.
What other changes has the sector experienced?
Years ago, a network outage did not mean a shutdown of the industry and today it does. In conjunction with digital transformation, the processes that are being digitized are more critical in the client’s business operation. All sectors in general have realized that they have integrated key processes of their business in the digital world and, therefore, the network becomes critical and requires much more demanding management. In addition, trends such as Artificial Intelligence will lead to growth in data traffic. If we are going to multiply traffic, we must invest in having robust, efficient and secure networks. The network is an enabler of this transformation and if you transform your processes you require networks prepared for it. There is progress and awareness and that together with the world of security.
With new digital trends, the risks for companies multiply. How is Ikusi preparing for this arrival?
The approach you propose with the emergence of new technologies is one of risk, but it is also one of opportunity. The increase in incidents in recent years is a reality regardless of quantum or AI. As you add criticality to the processes and more digitalization, there are more elements to monitor. From our operations centers we manage more than 90,000 incidents a year and have around 50,000 assets monitored. If you have a good architectural design and good implementation and operation, you are prepared to be resilient. There will be attacks, but you have to minimize the impact and lift the system quickly, efficiently and safely. And that’s what we focus our efforts on. Given the greater complexity of these attacks, you can only deal with them using the same advanced technologies.
What are the expected business figures for this year?
Last year we closed at 175 million in turnover and this year we will reach 185 million, from 120 million in 2020. We are growing in all the countries in which we operate, with a strong presence in Spain, Mexico and Colombia. Our staff exceeds 900 professionals, mainly distributed in these three countries. Another thing is where we have projects, since we accompany clients in many more countries.
In which sectors does the group mainly work?
The sectors in which we are working most are the financial, retail-distribution, industrial and communication operators, telecommunications, for example in Mexico. It is an area that requires strong specialization. In some complex projects, these operators rely on specialized companies. The private sector represents 85-90% of our business.
What objectives are pursued with the 2024-2026 strategic plan?
We are finishing the first year of the new strategic plan and we will deliver as planned. The main objectives are to grow at double digits and continue with strong specialization in the world of connectivity, datacenter and cybersecurity, which is where we are leveraging our growth by expanding our presence in the countries in which we operate. In addition, we are analyzing entering new markets and we aspire to have a presence in more countries on the continents where we are located, which are Europe and America.
Are you planning to enter new markets through company acquisitions?
Within the strategic plan it is planned to be able to incorporate a company into the group. Inorganic growth can come from two sides: undertaking investments in countries where we are not located and acquiring complementary capabilities to our activity in countries where we operate. The network is becoming more complex and new elements are arriving into the equation and specialized niche companies that can complement our proposal.
Next year Ikusi will celebrate 15 years in Velatia. What is your assessment of this integration?
Velatia is a family business and that imbues some values and a way of doing things that we have deeply rooted in and, in addition, gives us the long term. Family businesses look for long-term projects compared to other types of shareholders in which the short-term takes precedence. Added to this is the size and the ability to enter into larger projects.
Is it a ‘rare bird’ in the Basque ICT sector?
It is an attractive sector in general and has gone through purchases by large groups or investment funds, but it can grow from here. We have made acquisitions and we have been growing and from our experience we see that there are possibilities for development and growth for a Basque ICT company.
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