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CEO Talk: Hassan TRIQUI of Secure-IC

This interview was held with Hassan TRIQUI, co-founder & CEO Secure-IC.

 

 

Tell me a bit about your background? How did you first get started with Secure-IC?

 

I have a background in electrical engineering, but I am the kind of guy who turned out to be more of a businessman than an engineer. Indeed, the desire to do business has always been a part of me, as a way to achieve something, to find the way to be exactly at the crossroads of innovative technology and market requirements.

 

I started Secure-IC more than ten years ago. To sum up, I would say that I had the chance to meet with a group of brilliant scientists and, although we were very different, we had that kind of chemistry that made the difference and led us to found Secure-IC and to live this great adventure together.

 

Tell me about Secure-IC?

 

Secure-IC is a company specialized in embedded cybersecurity. Our mission is to protect mobile and connected objects against cyber threats and malicious attacks from chip to cloud. Secure-IC’s protection technologies are embedded in millions of chips for smartphones, laptops, automobiles, smart meters, passports and more.

 

The company has more than 80 talents across Europe, Asia and lately the United States.

 

If I had to sum up the company, I would say that Secure-IC is all about excellence in embedded cybersecurity. Indeed, excellence is one of our key objectives, it guides our actions and makes us proactive. It is essential in a field in which technologies and markets are constantly evolving. We also value people and customers who are our driving forces. All this combined, you get something just amazing.

 

What problem did you see that needed to be fixed? What is your approach to solving that?

 

I quickly realized that the root of trust needs were not properly addressed at a time when markets and threats were booming and security and trust were required everywhere. Thus, our approach is to consider the security of connected devices from the design stage up to the mass deployment and life-cycle management.

 

How was the role/offering of Secure-IC changed during the recent years?

 

We moved from an IP vendor kind of positioning towards the one of a comprehensive solution provider including our Chip to edge to cloud vision. For us, security is an asset that must be considered from the design stage of a product but also throughout its life cycle.

 

Our offering is based on a unique approach that we have called PESC for Protect, Evaluate, Service & Certify which consists in a complete set of protection tools, evaluation and service activities to support our customers throughout the life cycle of their product, from design phases up to certification and mass deployment.

 

We are definitely at the center of the discussion when it comes to embedded security and moreover we are proud to elevate the debate and bring more value to the market and to the customers.

 

Which market segment seems promising to you? And why?

 

Embedded cybersecurity is by nature horizontal. We have been fortunate to address many of the needs of vertical markets with our protection solution, namely the SecuryzrTM, which is customizable and adaptable to specific needs, especially in terms of certification.

 

We have to recognize that some verticals are more mature than others but our responsibility remains the same: to promote the best possible practices in each one them. Of course, the industrial and automotive sectors have been very active over the past few years, but we have found that security needs are spreading very quickly to the many other market verticals.

 

What is a typical customer for Secure-IC?

 

Our customers are typically IC & semiconductor companies but our customer base spans from large system companies or startups in various vertical industries to fabless companies, security laboratories, governmental agencies worldwide.

 

At Secure-IC, it is very important for us to maintain strong partnership relationship with our customers. For example, we established ourselves abroad very soon after the company creation because we consider it essential to be close to our customers to provide them with the best possible service.

 

We are very often involved in successive projects for the same customer, from the initial phase where we help defining the specifications, to the different phases of design, production and testing up to certification. We want to share with our customers our chip to cloud vision and support them throughout the life cycle of their products and beyond with cloud-based security management.

 

Customers are focused on time-to-market, first-time-right, price, etc. Do you see a change in customer behavior in recent years? Where is the focus today and why?

 

Indeed, the cycles are getting shorter. This leads to a situation in which anticipation and reactivity are key. Security, in particular embedded cybersecurity, is a dynamic sector. There is lot going on and we have to offer our customers the best-of-breed technologies and solutions at all times.

 

In that line, we have launched a few years ago The Security Science Factory (SSF). It is Secure-IC’s innovation engine to conduct advanced R&D and projects, co-innovation activities with some of our key Customers, as well as our Thought Leadership activities. The SSF anticipates hacker’s attacks that are increasingly inventive, generates new security solutions, publishes scientific papers, shares its knowledge, helps defining major security standards. In short, we like to think at Secure-IC that we help our customers stay in advance.

 

Are you currently hiring? What type of jobs?

 

Yes, we are hiring. We have currently approximately 50 open positions for multidisciplinary profiles ranking from R&D to marketing and sales, HR, controlling, etc. Our headquarters are located in Rennes, France. But we have also offices in Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, San Francisco and soon Shanghai. Positions are open in different locations.

 

Where can one find more information?

 

On our website at the following address: https://www.secure-ic.com/career/

 

What is the best moment in your day?

 

The best part of my day is in the morning, even early in the morning. I like to take time for myself in the morning. I have a kind of routine to start the day, to think with my coffee and my newspapers. This is my time. A time when I am alone, a time of introspection from which I find my energy for the rest of the day.

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