Our History

Following the development and internal incubation of an early stage cyber security venture, we launched and span out SOC.OS as a new business, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) based security alert investigation and triage tool. The move saw SOC.OS gain £2million in funding from two top-tier cyber and deep tech venture capital partners, Hoxton Ventures and Speedinvest.

 

2020 also saw the launch of NetReveal 360º, a fully managed and comprehensive compliance solution for the financial services sector that provides applications for Customer Due Diligence (CDD), Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Watch List Management (WLM) and Data Privacy.

Our in-house tech incubator, the Futures team, that research and develop innovative technology for BAE Systems and wider society launched the FinCrime Testing Service to simulate criminal and victim behaviours that are used to test and quantify the performance of anti-money laundering detection systems.

 

We also began work with the Home Office to transform the UK’s national automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) service and give nationwide police and law enforcement agencies access to the ANPR data-set with advanced analytics, live alerts and audit functions.

 

A team of experts, including BAE Systems, were brought together to transform how the Royal Navy gained insight from data, known as Project Nelson. It was our role to develop an automated testing security approach to ensure software could be built and deployed quickly, allowing for rapid transformation in a highly secure environment.

 

Following the success of Goonhilly in 2018, we were awarded Lot 2 of the Seraphis framework by the Defence, Science and Technology Lab (DSTL) of the UK MOD to focus on the defence and security technologies within the space domain.

We launched The Intelligence Network, a global community of like-minded cyber and financial crime professionals and industry influencers committed to creating a safer society in the digital age. The Intelligence Network has identified seven crucial areas for change before 2025: Emerging Technologies and Risks, Tacking Cyber Fraud, Understanding Adversaries, Educating Digital Citizens and the Next Generation, Privacy and Trust in Business, Business Risk and Governance, and Digital Identity.

 

In the same year, we also partnered with Goonhilly Earth Station project for the use of our technology to track and control manned and electronic space missions to the Moon and Mars, and commercialise deep space communications.

We have been working with SWIFT since July 2016 to provide rapid insight, advice and solutions to SWIFT customers. In response to the significant evolution in the cyber threat facing the global financial industry, we co-produced a report that outlines attack techniques and counter measures. Available for download here.

We changed our name from BAE Systems Detica to become the Applied Intelligence business of BAE Systems, signifying a tighter alignment with the BAE Systems brand and strategy in protecting the converging physical and virtual worlds.

 

We opened our new Global Delivery Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to complement our existing delivery centres in the UK and Poland and enhance our global delivery capability.

 

Our success continued in the service management integration services (SIAM) market with new multi-year agreements with the Highways Agency and Skills Funding Agency.

A number of new additions were added to our product portfolio, including: CyberReveal™, an advanced cyber threat monitoring solution, MobileProtect™, a cloud-based service for securing smart mobile devices, and IndustrialProtect™, a military-grade solution to protect organisations’ industrial control systems.

 

We agreed the formation of a number of long term deals, including: a five-year strategic partnership with Vodafone to provide businesses with a range of advanced mobile communications security products and services; a five-year managed analytics service with CANATIC to detect auto insurance claims fraud.

 

We re-affirmed our close relationship with the UK government by signing a framework contract with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) to deliver service management integration services across the FCO’s global IT estate, over a five-year period. We also signed a framework agreement with Network Rail to provide IT solutions and systems integration over a four-year period.

Stratsec, the largest cyber security consultancy in Australia, was acquired, increasing our footprint in SE Asia and Australasia. We expanded into the US with NetReveal®, our advanced analytics counter fraud solution. Our Head of Forensics was elected Fellow of the International Association for Cryptologic Research and we sponsored the Cyber Security Challenge UK.

 

Our Security Operations Centre became fully operational, providing services to detect and remediate advanced cyber attacks. We were one of four companies selected by the UK Government to work in partnership on a new Cyber Incident Response pilot programme, a government quality-assured service that organisations can turn to when they have suffered a cyber security incident.

We boosted our capabilities and international presence through the acquisitions of Norkom, a leading specialist provider of financial crime and compliance software, and ETI, a cyber and intelligence company based in Denmark.

Our relationship with Vodafone was extended with an agreement to deliver payment card industry data security standards, and access control for their femtocell proposition. HSBC chose NetReveal® to provide a global counter-fraud solution across 86 countries and HMRC identified over £600m of tax fraud using a NetReveal-based system to identify and target tax evasion using advanced data analytics.

 

We were also selected as a key consortium member by the Highways Agency to provide consultancy services to the National Road Telecommunications Services project as part of a 10-year programme.

We [Detica Group Plc] were acquired by BAE Systems acquired on 25 September 2008.

 

This year also saw both RBS Insurance and HSBC select NetReveal® to help them in their battle against fraud. We were awarded the 2007 BT Supplier Innovation Award and entered the top 10 of the New Media Age Top 100 Interactive Agencies.

The acquisition of M.A. International (m.a.partners) complemented the Evolution business in capital markets, strengthening our financial services proposition. Our investigatory services propositions were reinforced by the acquisition of computer forensics firm Inforenz, and US staff numbers increased to nearly 300 with the acquisition of US homeland security specialist, DFI.

Expanding rapidly, the firm's reputation for management and analysis of large volumes of data started to grow in both commercial and government markets. The first of a series of strategic acquisitions, the purchase of Rubus Limited, brought a range of new clients, skills and capabilities. This was followed by the acquisition of CRM specialist consultancy Extraprise and Evolutions Consulting Group, signalling the start of expansion into capital markets.

A tumultuous time for the IT industry but the company's mix of business enabled growth to continue, with national security taking over a the growth engine of the firm. Renamed Detica in 2001, the company floated on the LSE in 2002, the only technology business to do so in the UK for a year either side of this date.

The first half of the 90's was categorised by further expansion in the public sector and a first foray into international markets. In 1995, Tom Black became Managing Director and led a strategic shift in positioning from research and development towards IT consultancy. This coincided with a move into commercial markets, focusing initially on CRM. A management buyout in 1997 saw the then named Smith Group evolve rapidly in both the commercial and government sectors.

Moving to the Research Park in Guildford, we grew steadily and led by Tom Black, started to diversify into non-defence areas of the public sector.

Exploiting system-engineering techniques developed on NASA's Apollo programme, Bruce Smith applied these to research and development projects in the UK defence industry. Starting out as Smith Associates, the reputation and relationships in the most sensitive areas of government were sown that have helped secure our future success.