We caught up with Guillaume Boisvert, Director of Product Innovation at Sherweb, to ask him a few questions about the project we funded, our support and the benefits Sherweb has derived from it.
With over 20 years’ experience in cloud services development and marketing, Mr. Boisvert currently leads Sherweb’s product innovation efforts.
Can you tell us about the project you funded? Where did the project come from?
“The funded project aims to help Sherweb create an automated cloud service for cybersecurity, specifically designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and information technology (IT) service providers.
Originally, part of this project already existed within the company itself, as it was a technology already used in-house. But following several direct requests from customers, we decided to commercialize the service.
What problem(s) are you addressing with your innovation? What technological challenges or uncertainties are you addressing?
“A large part of the project is devoted to detecting potential security problems with Microsoft 365. In fact, this solution addresses a number of issues, particularly those of a technical nature.
Secondly, this project meets a need for available resources. It would be too costly for companies to hire people specialized in this field. With Sherweb, all this is simplified and much less expensive, since we use automation to ensure cybersecurity. Finally, this innovation comes from a technological point of view, since, as mentioned above, it uses automation. This reduces the volume and flow of information, thus minimizing the need for manual labor.
Simply put, this innovation helps SMEs save money by reducing consulting and personnel costs, as well as speeding up the time it takes to obtain cybersecurity services. As a result, SMEs could better detect and respond to cyber-attacks, while strengthening the security of their IT systems.”
Who were the partners in this project?
“This project was carried out in partnership with Deloitte from an administrative point of view, as well as with the Université de Sherbrooke, in particular the Groupe de Recherches Interdisciplinaires en cybersécurité (GRIC), for research and development.”
What were the benefits of PROMPT’s support?
“This type of project represented more risk for the company, due to its commercialization. PROMPT’s financial support reduced the risks considerably, and this enabled us to embark on a project with a material impact on our future, with fewer fears.”
How did Sherweb benefit from the financing?
“In terms of spin-offs, we have launched the service and have over 200 client organizations, comprising over 10,000 users, who are protected by the service that was developed in connection with this project.”
