It’s in the frontline of cybersecurity protecting over 110 million users worldwide.

Software company ESET operates across 200+ countries and territories.

And an 11-strong technical team, working from the third floor of a Bournemouth office block, play a critical role in the constant battle against malicious attackers.

Indeed, the team – part of a 70-strong workforce at the UK office of ESET – is literally top of the world.

It has the quickest rectifying results in relation to answering customer queries compared with the company’s other offices around the globe.

Visiting the Holdenhurst Road office, Pavol Holeczy, ESET’s President of EMEA region, said: “They’re by far the best in the world.”

Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor with ESET, added: “The team is exceptional at understanding customers in their time of need.

“Things have just hit the fan so what do I do? I desperately need help.

“Our team are on it quickly, Friday night, Sunday morning, whenever it happens.”

Founded 31 years ago in Bratislava, Slovakia, ESET is now one of the top global cybersecurity companies.

It has 13 research and development centres around the world employing hundreds of experts, both anticipating new threats and ensuring ESET’s new protection is ready for the next step of progress in technology.

Pavol, who looks after 38 territories across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the need for protection against attacks was now widely recognised.

He said: “It’s always been essential but now it’s better understood.

“That’s because we’re trying to educate the world about the dangers.

“Less fortunately is that we’re learning by experience.

“Attacks are generally unpleasant things that go public and do quite a lot of harm.

“They’re well covered by the media.

“It’s became more of a daily topic.

“The number, the size and the quality of the attacks are rising.”

ESET’s UK operation, which moved to its current home in 2021, took on an extra eight staff last year.

Pavol, who is relocating to Bournemouth with his family on May 5 for five months, said that while the UK business was built on solid foundations there was much more to be done.

He said: “It is very important to experience the market myself and better understand our team here and to make conscious decisions for the future.

“We would not be shy to invest the money if it makes sense.

“But at the moment we’re really focusing on the quality.

“How to be better and how to make sure the majority of our customers are using the best products that we have.

“This is a huge opportunity for us in terms of numbers and also in terms of the quality of the service.

“We want to give the best protection to all our customers.

“We are perceived as being for home and small offices but that’s definitely not true.

“We’re very strong in business.

“More than 65 per cent of our billings regionally are coming from business, from 25 users to infinity.

“We have governments, including those of every country of the EU, as well as local government and multi-nationals.

“We understand where the room for improvement is.

“The business is growing very reasonably and nicely for quite some time.

“But there can be a lot of inspiration from other markets and we would like to bring that experience here.

“We are definitely not starting from zero but from very great foundations.

“We see the potential and we want to use it better than we are at the moment but I am convinced we are heading in the right direction.”

Jake, pictured, spent 14 years with Dorset Police, latterly as Cybersecurity Advisor, before joining ESET in 2018.

He has become the ‘go to’ expert for commenting on cyber and digital security stories and loses no opportunity to extol the benefits of living, and working, in Dorset.

He said: “All the other cybersecurity companies are around London, or in central London.

“Pre-Covid everyone thought that being down here was weird.

“Post Covid they think: ‘Wow, you lucky devils’.

“I interject cybersecurity and the beach in social media and it really works.

“I love the fact that we’re in Dorset.

“It doesn’t stop us from being one of the best cybersecurity companies in the world but why not use it to our advantage?

“Our resellers love coming to the office.

“So many times they say to me ‘I used to go on holiday in Bournemouth and it’s like coming on holiday to come and see your office’.

“It’s a real nice little touch as an opener and then we get down to business.”

• eset.com