With economists predicting a looming (or even ongoing) recession, 2022’s first few quarters have seen organizations cut back spending and adjust earning expectations. But the technology space, and particularly that of security testing, has mostly thrived.

So, what’s the upcoming forecast and how will the enterprise deal with disruptions and data security pain points?

“The quarter is becoming lumpier for tech companies, and we think that that’s going to become kind of the normal over the next year,” said Snehal Antani (pictured), co-founder and chief executive officer of pentesting company Horizon3.ai Inc. “But what’s interesting in our space of security testing is a very basic supply and demand problem. The demand for security testing has skyrocketed. When I was a CIO eight years ago, I only had to worry about my on-prem attack surface, my perimeter and insider threat.”

This scenario has evolved and changed over the years, he added.

Antani spoke with theCUBE industry analyst John Furrier following the “Horizon3.ai Drives Global Partner-First Approach With Expansion of Partner Program” event, as part of exclusive event coverage on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed Horizon3 and the larger cybersecurity solutions market, particularly in the context of predicted economic downturns. (* Disclosure below.)

As the attack surface expands, companies look toward pentesting

As much as companies are adjusting to new economic realities, one area in which they’re refusing to compromise is security. A major reason behind this is the constantly widening threat area, including multiple simultaneous clouds, managed solutions, and distributed workforces and infrastructures, according to Antani.

Given this fact, the chasm between the supply of and demand for certified penetration testing professionals is widening, he added.

“There’s just not enough supply. There are only about 5,000 certified pentesters in the United States,” Antani explained. “So I think, for starters, you have a fundamental supply and demand problem. That plays to our strength, because we’re able to bring a tremendous amount of pen testing supply to the table.”

Subsequently, automated pentesting is itself a boon for solutions companies scouting new revenue sources.

“If I’m the CEO of an MSSP or a large security company, and I see a huge backlog of security testing revenue on the table, the easy button to convert that to recognize revenue is Horizon3,” Antani said.

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the “Horizon3.ai Drives Global Partner-First Approach With Expansion of Partner Program” event:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the “Horizon3.ai Drives Global Partner-First Approach” event. Neither Horizon3 AI Inc., the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE