Canberra cybersec firm Penten merges with UK-based Amiosec

Canberra-based cybersecurity firm Penten, which specialises in securing classified mobile communications for government and military organisations, has merged with UK company Amiosec to form PentenAmio. 

PentenAmio has approximately 300 security-cleared professionals, along with sovereign facilities in both Australia and the UK. 

The combined business will generate more than AUD$125 million in annual revenue.

PentenAmio’s encryption and deception solutions are deployed in classified environments by more than 20 national security and defence organisations across the UK, Australia, and Canada.  

PentenAmio’s AltoCrypt mobility platform enables secure, sovereign mobile access to classified networks across multiple devices, while its AI-powered deception suite, including TrapRadio, provides realism and adversary confusion for defence operations and training. 

Last year, fellow Canberra company archTIS inked a deal worth $466,840 with Penten to implement its Kojensi solution at an Australian national security agency.  

In 2022, Penten was tapped by aerospace giant Airbus to join its Team Maier supplier group as its dedicated encryption partner, and in 2019, the company secured a contract with the Department of Defence to develop IT security solutions for the Australian Army. 

Leadership shakeup 

Matthew Wilson and Adrian Cunningham, who are among the founders of Penten and Amiosec respectively, will serve as executive co-chairs of the merged business. 

Cunningham said this merger will help provide customers with agility and innovation.

“By joining forces we give ourselves, our nations and their allies access to an unrivalled breadth and depth of expertise across secure communications and beyond,” he said. 

Sarah Bailey, previously CFO at Penten, has been appointed CEO of PentenAmio Australia and Matt Thomas has been newly appointed CEO of PentenAmio UK, joining the team from NCC Group.  

Greg Barsby, the previous CEO of Penten, has stepped down but will continue to support PentenAmio as a strategic adviser. 

PentenAmio is privately held and backed by Five V Capital, which remains a minority shareholder.