Tech Data, Abacode partner on cybersecurity services

The customer pool just got a lot deeper for Abacode, a Tampa company that that works with businesses to address cybersecurity and compliance risks.

Abacode is partnering with Tech Data Corp. (Nasdaq: TECD) to help Tech Data’s partners and their clients prepare for cybersecurity audits and certifications.

Michael Ferris, CEO, Abacode

Tech Data, a Clearwater-based IT distributor with global operations, will make introductions, said Michael Ferris, CEO of Abacode.

The services are critical as sweeping regulations take effect both nationally and internationally, he said.

“Most companies don’t know where to turn. They don’ t have the internal resources to handle it,” Ferris said. “We act as their cybersecurity liaison to implement those controls and solutions and prepare them for the audit or certification.”

Tech Data, the largest company by revenue in Florida and one of the largest IT and electronics distributors in the world, is ramping up its cybersecurity practice and was looking for partners to meet clients’ current and future demands, Ferris said.

“We rely on strategic vendor partnerships to help drive Tech Data’s brand and services forward, and Abacode is one of those companies that we are excited to collaborate with,” Alex Ryals, vice president, security solutions at Tech Data, said in a news release.

Abacode, with offices in Tampa and in London, serves all of North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Europe and the United Kingdom.

The international perspective is important. For instance, the European Union enacted General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, last year, and any company that’s doing business with a European company is required to meet the GDPR standard, Ferris said.

In the United States, government contractors have to comply with regulations from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

“They must implement solutions and protocols in their businesses to make sure they are secure. That way they don’t infect government systems,” Ferris said. “We help government contractors improve their cybersecurity posture and implement policies to help meet NIST requirements.”

The Tech Data partnership is the latest in a series of similar deals for Abacode, which has 50 employees and is growing rapidly, Ferris said.

Unlike some competitors, Ferris said Abacode addresses its customers’ needs from a business standpoint first, through consulting and other services to build a plan, then addresses products after that.

“One of the first validations of us as a business was when the Tampa Bay Lightning and Amalie Arena chose us for their own cybersecurity provider,” Ferris said. “The partnership with Tech Data is further validation that what we’re doing as an organization is correct for business.”