In today’s economy, 80 to 90 percent of corporate assets consist of data, intellectual property (IP), brand, and code. Recognising that they hold the “crown jewels” of their clients, Intanify applied through Innovate UK to undertake a Secure Innovation Security Review (SISR). The intervention led to multiple security improvements and provided crucial external validation, enabling them to secure a partnership with a major US law firm.

While Intanify already prided itself on its enterprise-grade information security and cyber protections, co-founders Dylan Dryden and Viet Lee sought a more holistic, non-cyber-only security view from a professional to validate their posture. Building on their existing engagement with Innovate UK Business Growth, they posed this challenge to their dedicated Innovation and Growth Specialist, Shane Chester, who recommended the SISR, which proved to be exactly the right opportunity.

It allowed us to do something at a startup level that we probably would have had to postpone until reaching a more advanced stage of growth.

– Viet Lee, CTO & Co-founder, Intanify

Maximising effectiveness

Having joined the programme, Intanify interviewed a range of highly qualified Security Reviewers and selected Nigel Sommerville as the strongest culture-fit for their team. Not only was he exceptionally well-prepared, but he also understood the business instinctively, the assets at stake, and provided valuable advice from a commercial perspective.

Working in lock step with Nigel, the SISR intervention illuminated several “light bulb moments” for Intanify that transformed theoretical risks into tangible priorities. Dylan highlights conversations around state-sponsored threats as “eye-opening”, highlighting the serious value of UK intangible assets held within their system and their responsibility to secure them.

“Nigel really understood our business and why we place such weight on security.”
Dylan Dryden, CEO & Co-founder, Intanify

Strengthening the foundations

Recommendations resulting from the SISR were quickly implemented by Intanify, demonstrating their commitment to security integration. These included:

• Changing their existing risk register to be more quantified and nuanced.
• Visualising risks on a heat map, ensuring their eyes are always on the biggest and highest impact.
• Undertaking monthly reviews to keep potential issues and mitigations top-of-mind.

“These are very real changes that are now part of our business as usual.”
Dylan Dryden

Driving future growth

The most substantial benefit of the SISR was the external validation it provided, directly contributing to Intanify securing a major new customer in the US.

When engaging with this new client, Intanify faced a thorough security review. As part of this process, they were asked to provide a formal report. The SISR proved to be “very, very powerful ” in securing the relationship.

This partnership extends beyond this single client, a US based law firm, which now uses Intanify’s product monthly for their own clients. Dylan estimates this relationship will put Intanify in the hands of “north of 100 clients” and is a substantial source of revenue.

“The report that Nigel produced for us proved very useful. Commercially, it allowed us to speed up the onboarding process by a few weeks at least.”
Viet Lee

For Intanify’s future, the completion of the SISR demonstrated that the firm is more security-conscious and mature than its size and age might suggest. The review allows it to stand out as a “very serious and a very safe partner” which is a crucial advantage for the space they operate within.

Looking forward, Intanify are excited to continue working closely with Innovate UK Business Growth and working hand-in-hand with their dedicated Innovation & Growth Specialist, Shane Chester. Already, Intanify have been introduced to the Innovate UK ecosystem and given opportunities to showcase their business at conferences across the country as they connect with new partners and explore new opportunities for growth.

We’ve benefited a lot from Innovate UK and are very grateful for the support that we’ve received and will continue to receive.

– Dylan Dryden, CEO & Co-founder, Intanify