5 Minutes With... Jamie Wilson and Melissa Crossman from team Cryptoloc
25th August 2020
Highlights
- Cryptoloc is an international cyber protection success story headquartered right here in Brisbane.
- Holly Bretherton, State Manager, ACS Queensland met with Executive Chairman and Founder Jamie Wilson and CEO Melissa Crossman to discuss their amazing 10-year journey and what’s next for team Cryptoloc.
1. Tell us about your ‘Why’? What motivated you to start Cryptoloc?
After the passing of my father to cancer in 2010, I was left with the difficult process of trying to find the will, superannuation, etc for my mother. In a difficult time, I didn’t want other people to have the same challenges that I did. I also thought about my accounting clients at the time and what if something happened to me. I had ownership of all of their business strategy and financial documents, which they likely wouldn’t get back which could cripple their businesses. So I set about trying to find a secure cloud document solution, where businesses and individuals could own their own data and the documents would stand up in court as strong as the originals and in the event of loss, the documents could be left to a nominated parties. Such technology and such security did not exist, so I set off on my journey to create both.
2. You’ve recently been named in the Forbes Top 20 (cyber companies to watch) world-wide. That’s an extraordinary coup, congratulations. What’s the next big milestone you are working towards for Cryptoloc?
We are in a growth stage right now. Taking a secure product to market is not an easy task because you cannot sell a new security technology before the development has been tried and tested. We sell trust and going to market early was not an option. We have already reached profitability and our next big milestone is to deliver dividends for our shareholders, many of which have supported us for many years.
3. What has been the secret to success for team Cryptoloc over the last decade?
Our culture and passion most definitely. As a small and focused team, we have delivered products that are disruptive to many large internationals. Our entire team is passionate about delivering products that empower people and take market share back from cybercriminals.
4. How would you describe your leadership styles?
We have complementing leadership skills. Jamie is very strong at building relationships and the black art of futurism and strategy and Melissa is strong on working internally with structure, process and delivery.
5. What would be your best advice now to younger Jamie & Melissa, starting out on the Cryptoloc journey?
Back yourself. If you truly believe that it will make a difference to people and you have the passion to put everything else on hold to achieve it, then fail or succeed, the journey is worth it.
6. We’ve seen a raft of major cyber breaches of late. What do you see as Australia’s biggest issues in relation to tackling the increasing cyber security challenge?
We need a new approach to cybersecurity, which we like to think that Cryptoloc is a part of. We don’t expect car drivers to be experts in the combustion engine, but we focus so much energy on trying to educate everyone on implementing cyber security. We believe that from the start, our cyber experts need to be the ones focused on engineering a secure environment where business owners and consumers have the freedom to focus on what matters to them and not the complex details of cyber security. Security should be ingrained in the foundation on which businesses are built, not just a fence added on after the construction.
7. How do you see ACS as supporting your organizational journey as a Professional Partner Member?
It cannot be stressed enough just how important relationships are for business. A professional partnership with ACS offers many valuable insights, education programs and communities, but most importantly it opens the door and creates a speed of trust to build relationships and opportunities with industry professionals and decision makers.
"5 Minutes With..." is a series of articles showcasing exceptional ACS Members and their amazing, innovative, and game changing stories. Representing over 48,000 tech professionals across Australia, our Members work across industry, government, research, and education organisations and each edition highlights the role they are playing in making Australia a world leader in technology talent, fostering innovation, and creating new forms of value.