SINGAPORE — ST Telemedia’s S$125 million (US$89 million) investment in US-based cloud company Armor will enable the Singapore company to tap into a secure hosted cloud with proprietary platform that integrates threat intelligence, automated security orchestration and machine learning. The investment is a reflection of the growing importance of cyber security, data protection and cross-border compliance, said the Singapore company in a statement.

“Security is a baseline concern as organisations seek to move to the cloud. Protecting data and ensuring compliance is complex and organisations need specialised help to keep pace with increasingly complex cyber threats,” said Mr Nikhil Eapen, chief strategy and investment officer at ST Telemedia.

The investment makes ST Telemedia (STT) a joint lead shareholder with The Stephens Group (TSG), the existing majority shareholder of Armor.

“Armor’s strong performance, with shareholder support from STT and TSG, creates real opportunity to gain market share as public clouds continue to gain popularity and awareness of Armor increases,” added Mr Eapen. Based in Dallas, Armor manages a security platform for public and hybrid cloud environments. As the first company to establish a secure hosted cloud, Armor’s proprietary platform integrates threat intelligence, automated security orchestration and machine learning managed by a world-class security operations centre.

“Armor protects approximately 1,200 customers across more than 40 countries,” said Mr Chris Drake, founder and CEO of Armor. “Much of our growth has been attributed to word-of-mouth and customers seeking us out as they searched for a reliable security partner. Our goal is for the global community to embrace what our customers already know – Armor’s end-to-end cloud security orchestration platform is the best approach to protect sensitive data backed by measurable results. This additional capital and partnership with STT will help spur innovation, drive brand awareness and broaden global distribution channels.”

The investment in Armor adds to STT’s technology infrastructure and enterprise software portfolio and provides the company with a growing presence in the growing cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure markets.

“For the last four years, Armor’s capabilities have been presented as our security solution of choice as we expand our footprint and market share within facilities management software,” said Mr Sunil Padiyar, chief technology officer, FacilitySource. “Their ability to consistently execute and provide unparalleled support within cloud environments has been critical for keeping our customer data safe while maintaining the integrity of our platform. Armor solidifies our offering with proven security putting our customers and my team at ease. We look forward to seeing what the future holds as they accelerate growth.”

Credit Suisse acted as the exclusive transaction adviser to Armor in connection with this financing