Brian Bouchard, President and CEO of Alacrinet, Speaks to The Silicon Review: ‘With the Increasing Demand and Importance of IT Security, We’ve Expanded Beyond Professional Services and Reselling Solutions to Include In-Demand Services like Penetration Testing and Security Staffing’

“With our company background rooted in services, we understand the importance of having a strong technical team with certifications relevant to cybersecurity.”

Cybersecurity is complex. Attacks and exploits are happening more frequently, and while technology is there to minimize those risks, it still requires skilled people to implement, tune, and manage that technology. In other words, having a strong technical team with certifications that are relevant to cybersecurity is crucial.

In light of the foregoing, we’re thrilled to present Alacrinet—a leading cybersecurity and information technology consultant. The company is a full-service partner with a team of experts who continue to develop their skills, knowledge, and certifications for the benefit of its clients.

Whether it’s certifications on the solutions Alacrinet resells, like IBM’s ‘Proficiency in IBM QRadar SIEM Deployment’, or industry certifications like OSCP and CISSP, the Alacrinet team has the skills needed for all security engagements.

The company is based in Palo Alto, CA.

Interview Excerpt: Brian Bouchard

Q. Let’s talk about Alacrinet and how it came to the fore. So, what inspired you to start the company? Was there any prior experience that led to the establishment of the company?

Alacrinet was founded in 2002 by former IBM Services consultants. Specifically speaking, a few large changes in the marketplace came together to create an opportunity that our team was uniquely qualified to pursue. First, IBM announced that they were starting a software resell channel, similar to their existing hardware channel, that would enable business partners to add value. Second, this was shortly after the ‘dotcom bust’ when a number of clients were left without a partner. Along with my co-founders, we saw an opportunity to benefit from our existing experience with the IBM services, technical skills, and knowledge of some clients’ accounts.

Q. How did you overcome your initial roadblocks? Describe briefly.

We’ve overcome roadblocks throughout the years by adapting to the marketplace and trends in IT. As the technology industry has evolved, from the early days of website design through personalization, mobile computing, big data analytics, the cloud, and security, our team has developed their skills to always stay at the forefront. With the increasing demand and importance of IT security, we have expanded beyond professional services and reselling solutions to include in-demand services like managed security services, penetration testing, and security staffing.

Q. As leading cybersecurity and IT consultant, your company’s goal is to deliver the right services and solutions that meet your clients’ IT security strategy. How efficiently do you serve your clients’ needs?

Today’s cybersecurity landscape is increasingly complex. There are numerous tools and services—and with a variety of features—to help secure different areas of an environment that an organization needs to protect. Our role as cybersecurity consultants is to simplify that complexity by sorting through all the options and identifying the solutions that best address our clients’ security challenges.

Q. Would you like to share a client success story or two?

The relationship we have with one of our clients, a multinational fast-casual restaurant chain, is a great success that demonstrates the value we provide. The CISO at this organization loves our approach and process to simplify his decision-making. The CISO will tell us what vendors he has heard of and wants to know more about, and then we take it and make it happen with demos and Proof of Concepts (POCs). We work on the CISO’s behalf with all the vendors to address the specific pain points, and the client has clear options to choose from.

Q. How do you measure success, and over what time frame? How are these metrics determined?

We measure success based on happy customers. We continue to work with a client that we had on day one and truly value that relationship. This is among the many clients we retain as they renew and expand their security portfolio. We aren’t simply looking to sell a single contract and move on. We succeed when our clients have a strong security posture. 

From a business perspective, we measure the strength of those relationships with happy clients based on our revenue growth. As we gain new clients and continue to sell more solutions and services to existing clients, this metric reflects the level of service we provide. And the results are clear—in 2020, we reached #2777 on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing privately held companies. And already in 2021, we have earned #146 on the Inc. 5000 Regionals: California list with year-over-year growth of 109.6 percent.

Q. Where do you stand as a company in the current market landscape? Please share an overview.

Very few other cybersecurity companies offer the range of services that we provide. There is a new shift in the marketplace that’s taking shape now. More and more clients are looking for consolidation of vendors—they want the one-stop-shop to get high-quality service and reliable recommendations instead of dealing with a handful of vendors, each providing a singular service. As we’ve added complementary services over the past couple of years, including penetration testing and red team engagements, managed security services, and security staffing, we’ve become strong challengers in this marketplace. 

Q. What new endeavors is your company currently undertaking?

As mentioned above, we’re excited to be expanding our services with two new divisions and added services within penetration testing. The first new division that we have just launched is the Alacrinet Security Labs, which will focus on security research. The research will publish unique findings and complement our penetration testing. By finding Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), we help organizations minimize their security risks.

Another division that we recently added is security staffing. This new offering draws on our existing technical expertise in implementing and managing cybersecurity solutions as well as our ability to find top talent with the right skills for cybersecurity positions. With our entire organization focused on cybersecurity, we know how to find top security talent.

The Resilient Leader at the Helm of Alacrinet

Brian Bouchard, president, serves as the CEO of Alacrinet. He co-founded the company to meet the growing demand for technology consulting services and successfully deploy enterprise solutions in businesses across America. He oversees the daily operations, including strategic business development, sales and marketing tactics, business management, and technology initiatives. Brian holds a double major in Management Information Systems and Accounting from the University of Hawaii.

“In 2020, we reached #2777 on the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing privately held companies. And already in 2021, we have earned #146 on the Inc. 5000 Regionals: California list with year-over-year growth of 109.6 percent.”