Cybersecurity company ESET is celebrating the ten-year anniversary of its Canadian operations, which dates from August 13, 2015. The Canadian sales and marketing operations in Toronto are strengthened through collaboration with the ESET Research Centre in Montreal, a key contributor to the company’s global threat research and regional threat detection capabilities. including the city of Markham ON, home to its Canadian head office. The vibrant technology sector and collaborative business environment of Markham make it a strategic base for ESET’s continued engagement coast-to-coast.
“We don’t have an exact customer count from 2015 or earlier, as historic CRM data is no longer available,” said Bob Bonneau, Country Manager of ESET Canada, who has been Canadian Country Manager for ESET North America for over five years, and who is responsible for overseeing the sales operations, business development, and customer service for the Canadian market, both in the B2B and B2C segments. “However, the Canadian business has experienced significant growth in both customer base and market share over the past decade. Today, ESET Canada serves more than 15,000 businesses and organizations nationwide.” In addition to supporting more than 15,000 Canadian businesses, ESET helps safeguard households and individuals across the country with their protection for smartphones, laptops, and connected homes.
ESET Canada now has approximately 23 staff members, with representation in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. They are supported by ESET’s global network of over 2,000 employees across 11 R&D centres and 23 offices worldwide, providing expertise in threat intelligence, research, product development, and customer support.
“This global backing ensures Canadian customers benefit from a broad, coordinated cybersecurity infrastructure,” Bonneau said.
“The Canadian team is proud to mark this moment – not just as a reflection of how far we’ve come, but as a launchpad for where we’re going,” Bonneau added. “Our presence here has allowed us to deepen relationships with partners, customers, and communities, while helping Canadian organizations thrive with world-class security in an ever-evolving threat landscape.
“As an advocate for cybersecurity innovation in Canada, ESET has forged strong ties with leading tech ecosystems, including the city of Markham, home to its Canadian head office,” Bonneau continued. “Markham’s vibrant technology sector and collaborative business environment make it a strategic base for ESET’s continued engagement coast-to-coast.
Over the past decade, ESET Canada has grown its presence through strong reseller partnerships, a focus on key verticals such as education, manufacturing and critical infrastructure, and expanded services to meet the evolving threat landscape.
The ESET Research Centre fulfills an important role.
“Research has been at the core of ESET since the company’s inception in 1987, when its co-founders uncovered one of the world’s first computer viruses, “Vienna,” and developed a program to detect it,” Bonneau stated. Today, ESET operates 11 global R&D centres, including including one of its largest in Montreal. “The Montreal team specializes in advanced persistent threat (APT) research and threat intelligence, uncovering and analyzing some of the world’s most sophisticated cyberattacks, including campaigns linked to groups such as Mustang Panda, Sednit (APT28), Gamaredon, and Sandworm,” Bonneau said. Alongside hubs in Europe, Latin America, North America, and Asia, and regional offices in 195 countries and terrorities, researchers identify, monitor, and respond to global cyber threats, publish in-depth threat reports, contribute to cybersecurity standards, and support law enforcement in disrupting cybercrime operations.Today, more than 51% of ESET Canada’s endpoint customers are on the cloud, surpassing the national average of 48.1%.
The Canadian operations relocated to Markham, Ontario, in 2022 and has sales and technical teams across the country. ESET has increased support and engagement in Western Canada through dedicated tech, sales, and customer-facing roles, and secured the company’s first major league sponsorship with the Calgary Flames. In Canada, ESET has strong adoption in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia, with ongoing growth in the Prairies and Atlantic Canada.
Globally, ESET operates in more than 195 countries and territories, with regional headquarters in Bratislava (their global HQ), San Diego, Singapore, and Buenos Aires, and additional offices in major cities such as Montreal, Prague, Sydney, Tokyo, and Milan.
ESET competes with other global cybersecurity providers, including Sophos, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender, Trend Micro, and Bitdefender.
ESET runs a partner-first mode using a robust partner ecosystem, with 95% of revenue flowing through the reseller channel. ESET Canada has a partner network of over 275 active channel partners, with the total rising to over 400 when including managed service providers (MSPs). They have recently achieved consistent double-digit growth in MSP sales, driven by strong partner enablement, scalable offerings, and growing demand for flexible, subscription-based cybersecurity solutions.
“Establishing a local team in Canada gave us the ability to be more responsive to the needs of Canadian businesses and consumers,” said Ryan Grant, Leader of ESET North America. “We’ve built a strong foundation here, and we’re energized for the next decade of innovation and growth.”
The services in the ESET expanded portfolio includes Managed Detection and Response (MDR), Extended Detection and Response (XDR), advanced threat intelligence, endpoint and server security, encryption, multi-factor authentication, and cloud security solutions. Focused on key verticals such as education, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure, ESET’s MDR service provides 24/7 threat hunting, monitoring, and incident response, helping organizations detect and contain attacks – often in four minutes or less. MDR is now ESET Canada’s fastest-growing service.
“ESET’s mission to deliver cutting-edge, unobtrusive protection really resonates in Canada,” said Pavol Balaj, Chief Business Officer, ESET. “This anniversary is not only a celebration of the past, but a bold step into the future.”
ESET has also maintained a consistent top 8 market position in the Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) according to Gartner, in a rapidly shifting vendor landscape. They also achieved a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 54, far above industry benchmarks and a clear sign of customer trust.
“An NPS of 54 is considered excellent in the technology and software industry, where the average typically ranges from 30–40,” Bonneau said. “NPS measures customer loyalty by asking how likely customers are to recommend a company’s products or services. ESET Canada’s score exceeds the industry average and outperforms many of our top competitors in the cybersecurity space.”