US Tech Company Behind Super Bowl And NASCAR Comms Launches Video Conferencing Platform For UK Corporates

A highly secure, encrypted video and audio-conferencing product for businesses and organisations, based on technology already trusted by many law enforcement agencies around the world, has been launched in the UK. Secured Communications, based in the US, has introduced Mercury to the UK corporate sector. The technology behind the product has already been successfully used in the US during major events including the Super Bowl, NASCAR, the Stanley Cup playoffs and many more security operations.

Headquartered in San Francisco, Secured Communications operates a fully secure private cloud platform based entirely in the US. Former UK police chief and head of counter terrorism, John Parkinson OBE, is president of the company and is leading the UK launch of Mercury.

Mr Parkinson, who works across the world as a global security and counter terrorism adviser, said: “The shift to work-from-home in the corporate world during the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for secure, reliable communication. There is a great demand for a videoconferencing platform that allows users to meet securely without running the risk of disruptions or hackers obtaining sensitive data. Business leaders need to protect their most sensitive communications and stay in control of vital information.

He added: “Secured Communications has been providing encrypted communications solutions to law enforcement agencies and counter-terrorism professionals worldwide for several years, and now we have created Mercury which is specifically designed for businesses large and small to fulfil the critical need for a secure meeting solution for internal communications.”

Mercury allows users to host video conference meetings privately and securely via web browser or mobile device without disruptions or leaks of sensitive information, helping businesses to minimise the risk of losses through information hacking, reputational damage and data breach.

To ensure a level of enhanced security and quality of service, Mercury is not openly available to the general public. This is to protect it from being used for criminal or unlawful purposes. Corporate clients will undergo a compliance process which incorporates expert leadership teams comprised of former senior law enforcement and technology leaders.

A recent survey conducted by Forcepoint in partnership with WSJ Intelligence revealed that 71% of global CEOs said they were losing sleep over the prospect of their company’s next security breach, and less than half (46%) regularly reviewed their cybersecurity strategy.

Axiom International is one of the first UK based companies to sign up to Mercury. The company works in some of the world’s most challenging situations, in the fields of strategic capacity building programmes, institutional and public sector reform, peace-building and national security development.

Axiom International managing director, Chris Gregg, said: “In our field of work we need to be able to trust the technology that we use to provide secure communications across the globe, be that through video conferencing, messaging or file sharing. We are impressed by what Mercury offers us. As a company, being able to have confidence that our systems are as robust as they can be against hackers and cyber-attack is paramount.”

Mr Parkinson added: “Unlike other companies, Mercury will never harvest and share user data or trade our clients’ privacy protection for a larger user base. Mercury offers similar features to other applications, but none can match it for its security through end to end encryption and enterprise level of support from the company.

“We know how important it is for businesses to have the reassurance that their information is protected and to conduct remote meetings in private, knowing that anything discussed or shared is not overheard or captured by anyone else.”