Biodata Information Technology AG, a Germany security vendor, is beefing up its distribution network before an initial public offering next year. Lichtenfels-based Biodata sells firewall and encryption software across ten branches worldwide. The IPO, scheduled for the first half of 2000, will raise cash to set up offices in New York, Paris, Stockholm in Sweden, Utrecht in Holland and Dubai in the Middle East. Apart from saying that its revenue is around the $5m mark, Biodata declined to reveal any details of the IPO. Biodata has 50 resellers across 35 countries and aims to double that figure through its Distribution Partner Program.
The privately-held company, which started life as a supplier of medical software, has been selling its Bigfire+ firewall into the corporate market, but it has started to shift focus to target smaller firms by introducing a scale of prices. The Bigfire+ Enterprise edition costs 50,000 DM ($25,000) and includes 25 licenses, client software letting remote users build an encrypted connection to corporate firewalls, Biodata’s Bali network management tool along with a sophisticated firewall.
The firm’s strategy is to grab users at the bottom end of the company chain with the basic Bigfire+ Office edition, costing 3,000 DM ($1,500) for 25 seats, and sell them more software as they scale upwards. The company has developed even cheaper firewall technology aimed at remote laptop users. Sphinx, costing around $50 per seat, will be unveiled at CeBIT next year.
