13. It is here that K4 DIGITAL took shape, and came into being in September 2020, forged from both old talent and new. “The extraordinary and outstanding success of K4 since the start in 2020 was created by all these people together. One of my most important personal experiences, also from many difficult years before, is: Above all, success depends on the team, the right players in the team and the framework in which they can act. With K4, we have taken the opportunity to work in a completely new organizational form since its founding. Everyone is involved in decisions, but also in responsibilities. The good news: something like this works when the right people come together. The security business, especially industrial/OT Security, has a lot to do with trust. If you want to be successful in this business, it is important to win the customer's trust right from the beginning and to continuously confirm this trust with high authenticity, good value systems and professional competence.” “I perceive that an increasingly important aspect of success in the cooperation with our customers is the factor that we have transformed the classic consulting approach (“the consultant knows what is right!”) into a coaching approach. We work out solutions together with our customers at eye level, moderate them through the process and bring in expertise where it is necessary. This usually leads to the customer identifying his solution himself and making his own decision at the end of the process.” Today, K4 DIGITAL remains a formidable presence through its coaching and consultancy, achieving real, observable results for its clients. With the demand for industrial security only continuing to rise, the company is well positioned to experience further, meteoric, growth moving forwards. For Michael, the key will be ensuring the high standards remain, and the solutions stay best in class. “Together with the right allies is the key to success. The demand for industrial security support in the market is continuously increasing. While this is also due to the regulatory aspect, fortunately companies are also increasingly recognizing that they need to do more in this regard. On the other hand, we see that the already serious shortage of skilled workers and specialists will continue to increase over the next few years. We therefore urgently need to further automate the handling of security. K4 is facing up to this further development when dealing with security with new platform concepts, services and research projects. “We have taken the opportunity to work in a completely new organizational form since the founding of K4. This Team of Teams approach is for us an important key to mastering the transformation of cybersecurity & digitalization in times of increasing complexity and dynamics. Interacting together in cross-functional dynamic teams within the company and beyond the company's boundaries makes it possible to find and establish suitable answers for overcoming the transformation challenges. Important for success is a trusting cooperation with guiding principles that regulate the interaction. Nothing is set in stone - not even the guiding principles, as these may also only be an answer to the current valid solution or challenge.” But what does Michael’s future entail? How does he plan to capitalise on his expertise and experiences moving forwards? The answer is: further development, further pursuits, and further promotion of his talent. “K4 DIGITAL was deliberately set up to be self-organizing and we are sure that we will further optimize this going forwards. We have great people in the company who live these thoughts and approaches operationally and take responsibility. Thankfully, this model will give me more freedom to create new topics in the future. Currently, all my K4 activities, from sales, business development, operational projects with customers, coaching challenges, knowhow transfer, research, being able to work with great people give me so much positivity that I don't want to miss it. I could very well imagine offering my expertise in "My personal and professional experiences" as a coach to startups, for example. Besides that, I plan to write at least one book.” As for the company itself, 2023 looks to be an exciting time when it comes to building on K4 DIGITAL’s R&D, as Michael concludes in his closing comments. “In 2023 we will expand our research and development activities on cybersecurity automation. With our collaborative platform “trust4mation” we will introduce new business and service models to the market and try to establish them. Our mission in the context of "Digital Trust" to develop sustainable solutions and concepts together with our customers is a daily process that accompanies all other activities.” Name: Michael Krammel Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.k4.digital Address: Alfred-Nobel-Allee 38, 66793 Saarwellingen, Germany Telephone: +49 6831 6879 0 “This approach generates far more sustainable successes and results.”
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