Exclusive: DigiCert eyes growth in ANZ as cyber threats escalate

Cyber attacks are on the rise, quantum computing is edging closer, and businesses across Australia and New Zealand are under "increasing pressure to modernise their digital infrastructure."

According to Daniel Sutherland, Regional Vice President for ANZ at DigiCert, building digital trust is now central to enterprise resilience.

"We're seeing a growing volume in the number of cyber attacks and data breaches," he explained during a recent interview. "The Australian Signals Directorate reported over 87,000 cyber attacks last financial year alone."

Sutherland explained that with organisations expanding their digital footprints and threats becoming more sophisticated, businesses need to rethink how they secure data, manage risk, and modernise legacy systems. "Digital trust enables organisations and consumers to navigate the digital world with confidence," he said.

DigiCert, best known for its TLS certificates, has grown significantly in the past decade.

What began as a company helping people verify the legitimacy of websites has become a major player in digital trust and identity management. "It's rare to work for an organisation that covers such a wide range – from enterprise PKI to IoT device integrity and software verification," he said.

Innovation remains a key pillar. "We had 81 patents issued last financial year alone – ten of those were in post-quantum cryptography and nine in AI and machine learning technologies," Sutherland said.

He added that DigiCert's presence in the ANZ region has become increasingly significant. The company now employs over 100 people in Australia and was named a Great Place to Work in both 2023 and 2024. "We're really proud of that recognition," he said. "It shows that our people enjoy working here and that we invest in our culture."

One major milestone this year has been the local deployment of DigiCert ONE, its core digital trust platform, which is now hosted in Australia.

"It's one of only five instances globally," Sutherland noted. "This allows local customers to meet data sovereignty and residency requirements, while managing digital trust within region."

Among the most engaged sectors are those classified under critical infrastructure – from healthcare and finance to energy and government.

"The Security of Critical Infrastructure Act is driving these organisations to reassess how they manage cyber risk," he explained.

Sutherland highlighted a partnership with New Zealand health tech provider Clanwilliam as an example of digital trust in action. "They enable secure sharing of sensitive patient records and have connected 15,000 medical clinics, securing over 100 million clinical messages each year."

IoT security is another priority. Sutherland pointed out the proliferation of low-cost, insecure devices as a risk. "There are expected to be 75 billion connected devices globally this year – ten times the human population," he said. "If these devices are used in mission-critical sectors like healthcare or energy, the security risk becomes enormous."

One local project focuses on distributed energy resources (DER), such as solar panels feeding electricity back into the grid. "We're working with Australian energy providers to ensure these systems are secured with PKI technology," he said.

Quantum computing is no longer a future concept – it's a pressing issue. "Microsoft, Amazon, Google – they've all announced quantum-ready chips," he said. "It's becoming a bit of an arms race."

The timeline for businesses to prepare is short. "Gartner says organisations must migrate from legacy asymmetric cryptography by 2029," he said. "That's just four years away."

Sutherland said DigiCert's post-quantum strategy includes helping companies inventory their cryptographic assets, assess vulnerabilities, and test new algorithms. "It's about identifying your crown jewels and building cryptographic agility," he said.

Interest in this area is growing, especially in the financial services sector. DigiCert recently released a free e-book, 'Post-Quantum Cryptography for Dummies', to help organisations take those first steps.

The company is also looking at trust in digital content amid the rise of deepfakes and misinformation.

"Did that CEO really say that on an earnings call? Is that real person trolling me on social media?" Sutherland asked. "These are real questions today."

One solution is C2PA – an emerging standard backed by over 300 global organisations – which uses digital signatures to track image authenticity.

"You take a picture, it's signed at the source. If it's altered later, you can trace that," he said.

Gen AI is another game-changer. "AI agents are no longer just assisting – they're acting," he said. DigiCert sees PKI as the key to managing AI identity. "Think of it like a cryptographic passport. Every action the AI takes is signed and traceable. And if something goes wrong, you can revoke its certificate immediately."

Looking ahead, Sutherland is excited about several initiatives, including the DigiCert Trust Summit in Sydney on 3 June. "It's a great opportunity to give ANZ a voice within our global strategy," he said.

And with quantum computing on the horizon, the need for robust, agile security systems has "never been more urgent", according to Sutherland.

"The next five years will be more important than ever to data security."