Category: News

Sales of secure mobile comms surge as government and defence sector staff move to longer-term home working

 

London, 20th July 2020: Armour Comms, the leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, has seen a 35% surge in license sales for its Armour Mobile solution. The new sales have come from both new and existing customers extending their number of licenses. Six significant new customers have signed up since the beginning of the year.  In addition, Armour has also welcomed several new partners and is developing further enterprise-scale capabilities; working closely with a major systems integrator, Armour Mobile will scale to 100,000s of users.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms said; “We have seen significant orders from several governments around the world, amounting to around 5,000 additional users. As well as increased interest from the ‘security conscious’ sectors that we would expect, we’ve also seen a marked increase in queries from private sector enterprises.

“Our recent webinar outlining the shortfalls of using consumer grade apps for business, and how much better protected organisations are when they use a purpose-built, secure comms app was very well received. The webinar attracted over 200 registrations from organisations in the finance sector, indicating that there is a growing realisation of the challenges associated with ‘free’ apps, and acknowledgement that to remain compliant with industry regulations (and GDPR), companies need to protect personal and sensitive corporate data, even when people are using their own devices working from home.”

In addition to seven new appointments already made in 2020, Armour is currently going through a recruitment drive to fill a further six outstanding vacancies in its development team. The new roles will strengthen further the team’s ability to deliver innovative new features due in the next few months.

This surge in first half performance comes on the back of Armour Comms’ first round of outside investment of £2million from external investors, BOOST&Co, closed earlier this year, and an increase in revenue of 100% in 2019.

Mobile comms security company set for dramatic expansion with new funding, as its revenues double year on year 

London, 12 February 2020: Armour Comms, the leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, has successfully closed its first round of outside investment of £2million from external investors, BOOST&Co. The new investment comes at the end of Armour’s most successful year to date, with year-on-year revenue growth having more than doubled. Planned expansion in 2020 means the company are looking to hire up to 20 new people across the business. Several people have already been appointed, in product development and sales.

“Armour Communications is a fantastic example of a small business that has carved out a space for itself in the secure technology sector and is competing with established brands,” says Kim Martin, the BOOST&Co principal who led the deal. “The business is recognised for the quality of its offer and the experience of a management team that are thought leaders within their industry.”

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms said: “Attracting external investors is testament to the amazing achievements of Armour Comms, and everyone that works with us. The investment from BOOST&Co will enable us to fast-track innovative new developments to our family of products and bring them to market. This additional investment also means that we can move ahead with our plans to recruit new people in a variety of positions across the Armour team and we are looking to significantly increase our market presence.”

As well as increasing revenue by 100% in 2019, Armour signed up several significant new partners.  During the year, Armour collaborated on a next generation high grade encryption and remote access solution, that is in use with the Australian government.

In 2019 Armour extended its product range by launching SigNet by Armour, which provides secure voice, video, messaging, group chat, file attachments and MessageBurn (timed messages) with AES-256 bit encryption. SigNet by Armour, which is an alternative solution to its government-approved Armour Mobile secure communications systems, solves new user requirements, provides the same ease of use as consumer grade apps, and is available for Android and iOS devices and for use with Windows 10 and Mac OSX desktops.

SigNet by Armour is available as a Software as a Service (SaaS) product hosted on Armour’s secure cloud, or as an on-premises installation, and uses a peer-to-peer key management system. It uses the double ratchet algorithm with prekeys and 3-DH key management to provide confidentiality, integrity, authentication, participant consistency, destination validation, forward secrecy, backward secrecy (aka future secrecy), causality preservation, message unlinkability, message repudiation, participation repudiation, and asynchronicity.

Armour Mobile v4 provides host of new features designed for the enterprise user, including faster authentication, secure voicemails and community whitelisting

London, 23 September 2019: Armour Communications, the leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, has announced that the latest version of Armour Mobile, Version 4.0, is now available for download from the Apple and Google app stores. The new version is a significant upgrade with a range of features that improve the user experience, including community whitelisting, secure voicemails and faster authentication. The improved usability and new features also make it easier and faster for IT departments to deploy and manage.

Armour Mobile connects multiple groups securely and transparently to end users, making it easy to communicate across different organisations for collaboration on joint projects. The improved community whitelisting feature within the app provides added security when adding a new secure contact (or conference number), actively checking the security community and retrieving the keys required to communicate with that contact. The new secure voicemail feature within the app lets the caller quickly record a secure voice mail or message, when the person being called has turned off their phone (or has no signal), that can be picked up as soon as the phone connects to the network.

The latest version of Armour Mobile v4.0 also includes biometric authentication (fingerprint and facial recognition), that can be used to start the app, avoiding the need for a password.  It enables rapid ‘auto’ provisioning of new users using secure QR codes or encrypted links within emails. Like the Armour Activation Card, the new activation methods are one-time use only.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms commented; “Secure enterprise communications are becoming vital as phones have become a key business tool and users require confidence that company and competitive information is safeguarded.

“The latest version of Armour Mobile includes many additional refinements to make it more user-friendly, encouraging both adoption and use throughout the enterprise and making it easier for IT departments to deploy and manage. For example, faster authentication, secure voicemails, increased community and conference call security and added notifications for Burn Messages all make it easier to use – and provide confidence that company communications are protected.”

Armour Comms’ solutions for secure communications work on everyday smartphones, tablets and Windows 10 desktops. With the same usability as consumer-grade apps, and with significantly enhanced security, Armour Mobile supports voice calls, video calls, one-to-one and group messaging, voice and video conference calls, file attachments and sent/received/read message status.

Using a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto core, Armour Mobile has been awarded many other certifications including CPA (Commercial Product Assurance) from the NCSC and is included in the NATO Information Assurance catalogue.

Market leading Mobile Comms security company previews new product line with 256 bit encryption at DSEI 2019

London, 06 August 2019: Armour Comms, the leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, is to preview a brand new product line at DSEI in September. The new solution, SigNet by Armour, provides secure voice, video, messaging, group chat, file attachments and MessageBurn (timed messages) with AES-256 bit encryption, with an on-premises option for total privacy and no auditability. SigNet by Armour provides the same ease of use as consumer grade apps, and will be available for Android and iOS devices and for use with Windows 10 and Mac OSX desktops. This new product line will run concurrently with Armour Mobile.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms commented; “SigNet by Armour has been designed for use by those organisations, typically in non-regulated industries, that require absolute privacy where it is paramount to keep information completely controlled. For this reason it is based on a different technology architecture to our award-winning Armour Mobile. Going forward we expect to develop the two product lines in parallel, with customers selecting the technology and features that best suit their specific requirements.”

SigNet by Armour will be available as a Software as a Service (SaaS) product hosted on Armour’s secure cloud, or as an on-premises installation, and uses a peer-to-peer key management system. It uses the double ratchet algorithm with prekeys and 3-DH key management to  provide confidentiality, integrity, authentication, participant consistency, destination validation, forward secrecy, backward secrecy (aka future secrecy), causality preservation, message unlinkability, message repudiation, participation repudiation, and asynchronicity.

SigNet by Armour can be seen at Defence & Security Equipment International,

10 – 13 September 2019, ExCeL, London,

Stand No: N7-260

London, 4 June 2019: Armour Comms, the leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, has seen its most successful year to date with revenues set to double.  As a result of several significant new contracts, Armour Comms is taking on extra office space to house new appointments in product development, quality assurance and customer support. During the past year, Armour Comms has signed up another major Government department, taking the total number of central Government organisations using Armour Mobile to seven, as well as a whole host of other new clients across a range of industries, many of which were previously using less secure consumer-grade apps.

In April Armour Comms launched the latest version of its flagship product Armour Mobile at Cyber UK 2019 – the premier annual cyber security event run by NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre).  Armour Mobile v3.0, which introduces significant new features including biometric authentication (fingerprint and facial recognition), and rapid ‘auto’ provisioning of new users using secure QR codes or encrypted links within emails, was extremely well received, with enquiries from a broad range of sectors including NHS, transportation and financial services.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms commented; “Armour Mobile is based on a Software as a Service delivery model, which has been gradually building up.  However, the last year has been particularly successful for Armour Comms, with many new contracts, new partners and recognition within the secure comms sector.  Several of our partner relationships are now approaching maturity and we expect to see significant revenue from this channel.”

Armour Comms’ solutions for secure communications work on everyday smartphones, tablets and Windows 10 desktops. With the same usability as consumer-grade apps, and  with significantly enhanced security, Armour Mobile supports voice calls, video calls, one-to-one and group messaging, voice and video conference calls, file attachments and sent/received/read message status. Message Burn limits the lifespan of sensitive data at rest, where users can set a time at which their messages are automatically deleted (or as the name implies, ‘burn’) on the recipient’s device, for immediate action after being read, or at a given time after sending, according to confidentiality.

Using a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto core, Armour Mobile has been awarded many certifications including CPA (Commercial Product Assurance) from the NCSC and is included in the NATO Information Assurance catalogue.

In March 2019, Armour Mobile was shortlisted for the SC Awards Europe in the category of Best Mobile Security Solution.

In September 2019, Armour Comms will be exhibiting at DSEI, stand number N7-260, where a new technology solution will be previewed.

Businesses using Consumer Apps risk facing stiff regulatory fines for data loss or worse

London, 14 May 2019: Armour Communications, the leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, calls for organisations to stop using consumer-grade, free apps when handling sensitive or commercial information. For people with jobs where security is paramount, for example, journalists, humanitarians, activists or special services working in unfriendly regimes, a phone that has been hacked via an app could put life at risk. For others, the risk of individual’s private information or commercial data being accessed will damage an organisation’s brand integrity and share price.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms said; “This latest case of a serious vulnerability in a consumer-grade app highlights the dangers of using free apps, and that they are simply not robust enough for business. While such apps claim that they are secure because they are encrypted, there is so much more to security than just encryption.  Encryption is rarely the weakest link, and therefore, unlikely to be targeted by hackers.

“While this particular exploit may have been to target people with specific jobs, there are various other everyday hacks that can be executed relatively easily by low level criminals against these types of product that put users’ data at risk.  Breaches of GDPR are a risk to every type of business and come with significant fines.”  https://www.armourcomms.com/2018/07/31/free-apps-you-might-get-more-than-you-bargained-for/?cat-slug=10

In 2018, German automotive supplier Continental AG banned its workers from using the messenger services WhatsApp and Snapchat on company phones, due to concerns about GDPR compliance and general security. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/05/continental-bans-facebooks-whatsapp-and-snap-incs-snapchat.html

Holman continued; “These free apps proliferate by stealth through organisations, unless firms take positive action, like in the case of Continental AG last year. There are enterprise-grade apps available that provide the same convenient user experience of consumer grade apps, while keeping the user in control of their data and metadata. Some of these apps, like

Armour Mobile, have been certified by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), so users can be confident that the software is secure by design.”

Armour Comms’ solutions for secure communications work on everyday smartphones, tablets and Windows 10 desktops. With the same usability as consumer-grade apps, and  with significantly enhanced security, Armour Mobile supports voice calls, video calls, one-to-one and group messaging, voice and video conference calls, file attachments, sent/received/read message status and message ‘burn’ (automatic timed deletion).

Using a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto core, Armour Mobile has been awarded many certifications including CPA (Commercial Product Assurance) from the NCSC and is included in the NATO Information Assurance catalogue.

Cyber UK 2019,  24 – 25 April

Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow,

Stand: B9

London, 26 March 2019: Armour Communications, the leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, is launching the latest version of its flagship product Armour Mobile at Cyber UK 2019 – the premier annual cyber security event run by the UK’s NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre).  In addition, Armour will be demonstrating full integration of Secure Chorus’ interoperability standards for encrypted voice calls, to a live audience, with Leonardo, BAE Applied Intelligence and a defence organisation. The interactive workshop, hosted by the NCSC and led by Secure Chorus takes place on 24 April at 14.00 and is part of Stream G.

Armour Mobile v3.0 introduces significant new features including biometric authentication (fingerprint and facial recognition), and rapid ‘auto’ provisioning of new users using secure QR codes or encrypted links within emails. There is a host of additional refinements, including sending a secure voicemail or text note when a user is unable to accept a voice or video call; accessibility options such as user-defined text sizes; and MessageBurn has added sophistication – for example, a marker to alert the user if they failed to read a secure message before it has been ‘burned’.

The demonstration of interoperability for encrypted voice calls at the Secure Chorus workshop will show how Armour Mobile can connect multiple groups or communities transparently to end users, maximising the ease with which they can communicate securely across different organisations. This is particularly useful where security requirements preclude these groups from merging their IT networks and, instead, provides a novel solution to allow them to collaborate securely on joint projects.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms commented; “For enterprise security to be effective it needs to be transparent to the end user. With this in mind, Armour Mobile v3.0 has been developed to include many new features that significantly enhance usability. The new auto-provisioning facility means that Armour Mobile can now be deployed on a large scale, quickly with minimal overhead for IT, security and the end-user.

“Interoperability is a key criteria for a communications app, and we are delighted to be able to demonstrate how Armour Mobile is able to work across user communities, so that even where a different Key Management System (KMS) is in use, the end user only needs to know a colleague’s secure contact number to be able to communicate with them securely.”

Armour Comms’ solutions for secure communications work on everyday smartphones, tablets and Windows 10 desktops. With the same usability as consumer-grade apps, and  with significantly enhanced security, Armour Mobile supports voice calls, video calls, one-to-one and group messaging, voice and video conference calls, file attachments and sent/received/read message status. Message Burn limits the lifespan of sensitive data at rest, where users can set a time at which their messages are automatically deleted (or as the name implies, ‘burn’) on the recipient’s device, for immediate action after being read, or at a given time after sending, according to confidentiality.

Using a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto core, Armour Mobile has been awarded many other certifications including CPA (Commercial Product Assurance) from the NCSC and is included in the NATO Information Assurance catalogue.

Armour Comms partners also exhibiting at Cyber UK include: BAE Systems on stand E22, Amiosec on stand E20, Leonardo on stand E15, Qinetiq on stand B2, Nine23 on stand SBH15 and Templar Executives on stand SBH7.

Security & Policing Home Office Event

5 – 7 March 2019

Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre

Stand: F25

London, 5 March 2019: Armour Communications, a leading provider of specialist, secure communications solutions, will be demonstrating the latest versions of Armour Mobile, Armour Blue and Armour Desktop at the Home Office’s Security and Policing event.

Armour Comms’ solutions for secure communications work on everyday smartphones, tablets and Windows 10 desktops. With the same usability as consumer-grade apps, and  with significantly enhanced security, Armour Mobile supports voice calls, video calls, one-to-one and group messaging, voice and video conference calls, file attachments and sent/received/read message status. Message Burn limits the lifespan of sensitive data at rest, where users can set a time at which their messages are automatically deleted (or as the name implies, ‘burn’) on the recipient’s device, for immediate action after being read, or in the future, according to confidentiality.

Armour will be showing a technology preview of the latest version of Armour Blue which  includes Mission Critical Push to Talk (MCPTT) functionality that meets the requirements of public safety mission critical voice communication.

The latest version of Armour Desktop extends the secure mobile communications capabilities of Armour Mobile and Armour Blue via a Windows 10 softphone, and, can bring additional Command and Control capabilities.

In 2018, Armour successfully participated in a week of plug-testing for (MCPTT) protocols organised by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and The Critical Communications Association (TCCA) in Texas. The protocols are fully integrated into the Armour Blue solution and supports different use cases including emergency and blue light, police and law enforcement, covert ops and others.

David Holman, Director at Armour Comms commented; “At Armour we are committed to developing and delivering highly usable, secure communications solutions that are equally suitable for use by the Enterprise, as well as the more security conscious organisations such as Government departments, Police and Law Enforcement and Special Services.”

Using a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto core, Armour Mobile has been awarded many other certifications including CPA (Commercial Product Assurance) from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and is included in the NATO Information Assurance catalogue.