NGage Vendor Sessions: S2E1 - Morten Kjaersgaard (Heimdal)

In the first episode of Season 2 of NGage: Vendor Sessions, recorded live at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow, host Craig Atkins (1Fix) sits down with Morten Kjaersgaard, Founder of ‪@Heimdalcompany‬ for a fascinating discussion on cybersecurity, AI, data sovereignty, compliance, and the rapidly changing future of the MSP industry. Morten shares the remarkable story behind Heimdal Security, from its humble beginnings as a bootstrapped startup built around DNS security and vulnerability management, through to becoming a global cybersecurity platform serving thousands of customers and MSPs worldwide. What started with just a handful of security modules has evolved into a comprehensive platform spanning privileged access management, endpoint protection, ransomware defence, patch management, email security, threat hunting, and SOC capabilities. The conversation explores what it takes to build and scale a cybersecurity business in an increasingly competitive market and how Heimdal has positioned itself against some of the industry's largest players. Morten provides unique insight into the challenges and opportunities facing cybersecurity vendors, MSPs, and end-user organisations alike. One of the key themes throughout the episode is data sovereignty and the growing concern around where customer data is stored and who ultimately controls it. With geopolitical uncertainty, changing regulations, and increasing scrutiny of global cloud providers, Morten discusses why businesses are paying greater attention to European-hosted solutions, infrastructure resilience, and the concept of “kill switch” protection. Craig and Morten also dive deep into the evolving threat landscape. Drawing on intelligence gathered through Heimdal’s security operations teams, Morten explains how modern cyberattacks are becoming faster, more sophisticated, and increasingly automated. The discussion covers nation-state threats, attack infrastructure operating within Europe, and the challenges security vendors face in working alongside authorities to disrupt cybercriminal activity. Of course, no cybersecurity conversation would be complete without discussing artificial intelligence. The pair explore the emergence of advanced AI models and what they mean for both defenders and attackers. Morten explains why AI is currently giving threat actors significant advantages, how automated attacks are accelerating, and why defensive AI will become a critical component of future cybersecurity strategies. The episode also examines one of the biggest opportunities available to MSPs over the coming years: compliance. From Cyber Essentials to CAF and emerging regulatory frameworks, Morten believes MSPs have a major opportunity to move upmarket, deliver higher-value services, and help customers navigate an increasingly complex compliance landscape. Looking ahead to 2027, Morten shares his predictions for the MSP sector, the growing role of AI-driven security, and why providers must adapt quickly to remain relevant in a market that is evolving faster than ever before. Alongside the serious discussions, listeners will also discover why Morten is passionate about arm wrestling, how cybersecurity and competition share surprising similarities, and why European technology vendors may be entering one of the most exciting periods in their history. Whether you're an MSP leader, cybersecurity professional, technology vendor, or simply interested in the future of AI and digital security, this episode is packed with valuable insights, practical takeaways, and thought-provoking perspectives. 📍 Recorded live at the Hilton Hotel, Glasgow 🎙 Hosted by Craig Atkins (1Fix) 🎧 Guest: Morten Kjaersgaard (Heimdal Security) Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for future episodes of NGage: Vendor Sessions.