From a single man and his dog, the Guardsman Group has built a regional security empire. Now it’s adding cyber-intelligence to its portfolio, responding to rising demand in a market estimated to be worth at least US$250 million ($40 billion) locally.

On Wednesday the company officially launched its Cyber Intelligence Security Operations Centre (SOC) in Kingston, a 24/7 facility offering digital threat detection, penetration testing and dark web monitoring to businesses and public agencies across the Caribbean.

The security giant has repurposed a building it owns at 14-16 Balmoral Avenue in St Andrew to serve as the hub for its new line of business.

“We’ve invested over US$2 million ($320 million) to date,” Managing Director David Whittaker told the Jamaica Observer. “And we are building the infrastructure to scale further in the coming months.”

SOC is already operational, with a team of analysts working in three rotating shifts around the clock. Kenneth Benjamin, executive chairman and founder of the company, said the centre currently has 12 employees per shift and is hiring as client demand grows.

The move into cybersecurity reflects the group’s broader shift toward technology-based security services. Long known for its guard services, armoured transport and alarm monitoring, the Guardsman Group has been steadily modernising operations.

Its digital arm now offers a range of services including penetration testing for networks, application and mobile devices. Penetration testing, or pen testing, is a simulated cyberattack performed on a computer system to identify security vulnerabilities. It’s essentially an authorised attempt to exploit weaknesses in a system, allowing organisations to see how a real attacker might try to break in.

Other services offered by the new company span compliance training; anti-phishing simulations; and threat intelligence scanning on the dark web. Further, the company is also offering real-time threat monitoring as a service, run entirely from Jamaica, a service it boasts no other local provider currently delivers.

“Historically, companies were either outsourcing cybersecurity overseas or they tried building out a division internally,” chief technology officer for Guardsman Cyber Intelligence, Omar Edwards, told the BusinessWeek during the round-table interview with the executives. “Both models had some drawbacks, including the high costs that came with outsourcing and limited responsiveness. We saw a clear opportunity.”

The SOC operates to international benchmarks, built on ISO 27001 standards and running infrastructure including Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard or PCI-DSS as commonly called, which is a globally recognised set of security requirements developed to protect cardholder data and reduce credit card fraud for organisations that handle payment card information.

Edwards said its capabilities align with what’s referred to globally as a Level 4 SOC—a designation just below the highest classification used by governments and intelligence agencies.

Already, the centre has begun exporting services, securing contracts with two Caribbean governments for penetration testing and advisory work. Still, Guardsman is focusing primarily on local growth for now, targeting companies that are legally required to protect customer data under Jamaica’s Data Protection Act.

“Any business that holds client information — particularly financial institutions, health providers, and manufacturers—has exposure,” deputy executive chairman and son of Kenneth Benjamin, Nicholas Benjamin, said.

Guardsman indicated that with 97 victims per hour, cybercrimes are expected to cost US$10 trillion ($1.96 trillion) globally in 2025 and locally, 70 per cent of data breaches caused significant business disruptions. Digicel Business in partnership with Symptai Consulting is one of the few regional players already offering cyber solutions, but Guardsman believes there is room for more than one operator, particularly given the scale of the market and growing demand from small and medium-sized enterprises.

To keep costs manageable, the company is tailoring service tiers for different client sizes — from small businesses to large enterprises — an approach the company sees as key to broadening access.

“Everyone needs some level of cybersecurity,” Nicholas Benjamin said. “It’s like electricity. How much you use depends on your operations.” While the company declined to disclose the number of active clients, Benjamin said they span banking, manufacturing, aviation, logistics, and government.

Locally, Guardsman Group of companies was the SOC’s first client. The group, which operates in seven countries and employs roughly 8,000 people, has been integrating AI and surveillance technologies into its traditional guard and patrol services.

Where once a guard might be stationed overnight to watch a fence line, for example, Guardsman now uses AI-enabled video systems that detect motion and alert a response team — freeing staff for more active roles. Edwards said the same principles apply in cyber: automated systems scan for anomalies, and analysts then investigate and respond.

The company is also developing a local talent pipeline. Its cybersecurity team includes a mix of university graduates and industry professionals who were recruited and trained over two years. Guardsman is now in talks with a local university to formalise a partnership for talent development as the business scales.

“We can’t say the name just yet but those discussions are ongoing,” Whittaker said.

The company is also developing a local talent pipeline. Its cybersecurity team includes a mix of university graduates and industry professionals who were recruited and trained over two years. Guardsman is now in talks with a local university to formalise a partnership for talent development as the business scales.

In parallel, Guardsman has opened discussions with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), and the national Cyber Emergency Response Team (CERT) on how its operations might support public security.

“There’s strong interest in collaboration,” Nicholas Benjamin said. “Whether that’s building out their own capabilities or sharing threat intelligence, we see public-private partnerships as essential going forward.”