"We help customers become safer!"
Interview with Detlef Weidenhammer, Managing Director of GAI NetConsult GmbH
Almost every company today has to deal with information security. Attacks from outside or inside threaten IT landscapes and cause immense damage. Disruptions in digitally controlled industrial production processes quickly amount to millions, and disturbed structures of energy companies endanger the security of supply. More than 30 years of experience in the field of IT security make GAI NetConsult GmbH a sought-after contact. The focus of the Berlin-based company is on consulting and auditing (technical, organizational).
"We help our customers become more secure," describes Detlef Weidenhammer, Managing Director of GAI NetConsult GmbH, in one sentence the performance of the company. "In doing so, we protect the IT infrastructure from both external and internal attackers."
The distinction is important to the Managing Director, as many people think of external intruders when they hear the word 'hacking'. However, greater damage can often be caused by employees who - for various reasons - damage or even cripple their employer's data systems. With the analyses and recommendations of GAI NetConsult, this risk can be significantly minimized.
Long engaged in the subject
Long before data security was a common topic, Managing Director Detlef Weidenhammer was already deeply involved in the subject and was the initiator of the first IT security congress in Germany. "We are very technically organized," explains Detlef Weidenhammer. "We consult and audit, we create new concepts for our customers and also revise existing ones."
Based on the standards of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and the ISO 27000 norms, GAI NetConsult also assists customers up to final certification. "We review the structures of the customers, conduct a GAP analysis, and see if the structures meet the current state of the art," the Managing Director clarifies.
Over the years, GAI NetConsult has acquired special competencies in protecting industrial production and control technology. The so-called ICS/OT Security protects both sensitive manufacturing systems and IT structures of utility providers and network operators, financial service providers, banks, and insurance companies. Other clients come from the chemical, pharmaceutical, automotive, and public transportation sectors.
Young team
GAI NetConsult was founded in 1994 as a startup by four people, including the founders Detlef Weidenhammer and Wilfrid Kettler. After restructuring (spin-off of the software development division), GAI NetConsult has been operating under its current name since 2020, but is now exclusively engaged in the field of information security. Detlef Weidenhammer is the sole shareholder of the company, which has 30 employees and a turnover of around 3.8 million EUR.
Clients are companies from the DACH region, and occasionally projects abroad have been taken on on behalf of German companies, for example in Italy, Argentina, and India. "In our core business of consulting and auditing information security, we are at a good level," the Managing Director knows. "Three or four companies are bigger than us, but no real competition, because our consulting goes much deeper into the subject matter." Two employees are responsible for sales, but do very little acquisition themselves.
"Since we have been in the market for 30 years, many customers know us and some even approach us on their own," Detlef Weidenhammer emphasizes. "That's why our sales team is very busy processing tenders and offers. However, this is always done together with our security experts, as I never let the sales department write the performance part."
The very technically oriented spirit of the largely young team also makes up an important part of the success for the Managing Director. Therefore, the focus for the coming years is on modest and healthy personnel and professional growth.