Brennan boosts sovereign SOC as demand shifts onshore

Brennan has completed the integration of cybersecurity specialist CBR Cyber as demand rises in Australia for onshore Security Operations Centre services.

The business added six new Security Operations Centre customers in the first quarter, taking the total number of organisations supported by its SOC to more than 50. CBR Cyber's staff and operations remain in Canberra, but the brand has been retired.

The integration creates a single operating structure for customers seeking managed infrastructure, systems integration and cybersecurity services, while strengthening Brennan's presence in the federal government market. It now supports six federal government agencies with a mix of sovereign cybersecurity and managed services.

Demand for local delivery has become more prominent in the Australian cyber market, particularly among government bodies, critical infrastructure operators, defence-linked organisations and industries regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. Brennan is also seeing interest from companies outside those categories as they review where cyber functions are delivered and who controls access to systems and data.

Dave Stevens, Brennan's managing director and founder, linked that shift to a broader reassessment of cyber risk and service models.

"As a result of being able to deliver on the growing demand for sovereign and secure services, we have experienced an uplift in services revenues of around 20 per cent," Stevens said.

He said the increase included new government business as Brennan expanded its customer base in Canberra and other parts of the country.

Stevens said, "This growth includes new government customers, with Brennan now supporting six federal government agencies with a combination of sovereign cybersecurity and managed services.

"While government, critical infrastructure, defence-adjacent sectors and APRA-regulated industries are driving the shift to onshore cyber solutions, we are seeing more organisations rethinking where and how their cyber capability operates.

He continued, "For many, even those not required by regulation, that means bringing it back onshore with a truly sovereign provider. Our full integration of CBR Cyber, to further embed sovereign cybersecurity into our managed infrastructure and systems integration services, is accelerating demand for our sovereign SOC model."

Onshore Shift

Concern over supply chain risk is increasingly shaping buying decisions beyond highly regulated sectors. Questions about data location, user access and incident response times have become more central as boards and executives pay closer attention to cyber resilience.

Stevens pointed to official cybercrime figures to illustrate the trend.

"The Australian Cyber Security Centre has reported a 13 per cent increase in cybercrime reports year-on-year, reinforcing the scale and frequency of threats facing Australian organisations," he said.

"There's far less tolerance for limited visibility and control. Customers want certainty around where their data sits, who has access to it, and how quickly they can respond to a threat. This reflects a broader move away from fragmented vendor environments, with organisations increasingly seeking a single provider capable of delivering integrated services with security embedded at the core."

Brennan said its SOC was built in line with federal government requirements and is used across government, healthcare, financial services, defence supply chains, utilities, universities and other sectors covered by the Security of Critical Infrastructure framework. The company described it as one of the larger sovereign operators in the local market after expanding over four years.

Brennan announced the acquisition of CBR Cyber last year as part of a broader push to deepen its cybersecurity offering and strengthen its position in government markets. CBR Cyber had built a profile in Canberra through work with public sector agencies and rapid revenue growth in the Australian IT channel.

Founded in 1997, Brennan now serves more than 1,700 business, enterprise and government customers from offices in Australia, India and Sri Lanka. Its latest cyber figures suggest local service delivery is becoming a stronger factor in contract decisions as organisations treat cybersecurity as an operational risk, not just a technical issue.

"Cyber is no longer just a technical layer - it's directly tied to resilience, compliance and trust. For regulated industries in particular, a locally operated SOC is quickly becoming the baseline," Stevens said.