Hermann Nøstdal is Sales Manager Private Sector at Sicra, responsible for further developing the sales organization and the company’s commercial direction. He has a background from Bluetree and has spent several years working with complex technology environments, consultative sales, and the implementation of solutions for organizations with high security and availability requirements.

Hermann has experience across the entire process, from needs assessment and complex solution sales to implementation projects, deployment, and further development of customer relationships. With a background in networking and operating secure infrastructure in the Norwegian Armed Forces and Telia, combined with experience in cybersecurity and commercial work, he particularly enjoys working at the intersection of technology, people, and business. Hermann also has technical cybersecurity expertise and is, among other things, certified as a Zscaler Digital Transformation Administrator.

At Sicra, Hermann is working to build a more structured and effective sales organization while remaining closely involved in larger and more complex customer engagements. A particular focus going forward is developing consulting sales and strengthening Sicra’s NOC and SOC services, both by bringing in new customers and developing existing customer relationships.

What do you work with at Sicra?

I have overall responsibility for sales at Sicra, both strategically and operationally. It is about creating structure and direction within the sales organization while remaining closely involved with customers and larger sales processes.

An important part of the job is getting better at selling our expertise and services, particularly our consulting business and NOC and SOC services. The goal is to make it easier for customers to access the right expertise and services while building long-term customer relationships.

What does the role of Head of Sales involve in practice?

It is a combination of people, commercial work, and leadership. I work with everything from sales methodology, pipeline, and forecasting to developing salespeople and engaging in specific customer dialogues.

At the same time, I remain close to the market. I think it is important to be involved in customer conversations and understand what customers are actually dealing with. That provides a better foundation for developing both our sales efforts and our services.

You have worked with both project management and major solution sales. How does that relate to the sales role?

I think it is a major advantage to have experience from the entire journey, not just the sale itself. At Bluetree, I worked on implementation projects and complex solution deliveries where technology, people, and the organization all had to work together.

That means I have a better understanding of what it actually takes to succeed after the contract has been signed. A good sale is not just about winning the deal – it is about understanding what the customer wants to achieve and making sure we can actually deliver it.

What characterizes a good sales process in cybersecurity?

Starting with the customer, not the technology.

Cybersecurity is a complex field, and customers often have many tools, vendors, and specialist environments to deal with. We therefore need to understand their situation, risks, and objectives before we start talking about specific solutions.

To me, good security sales is about making complex issues understandable and translating them into something that creates value for the organization.

What does the merger between Bluetree and Sicra mean for customers?

The merger allows us to combine two strong specialist environments and provide customers with a broader and more cohesive security offering.

To me, the most important thing is making that breadth relevant to the customer. Customers should not need to understand how we are organized internally. They should experience that we understand their situation and can put together the right expertise and services to solve it.

How does the sales work relate to Sicra’s security triangle?

The security triangle describes much of how we think about customer delivery. We have expertise in security management, consulting and OT, and operational monitoring through SOC/NOC.

In sales, it is about seeing these areas as a whole. Some customers primarily need advisory services, while others need technical expertise or operational capacity. Often, it is the combination that creates the greatest value.

What motivates you in the role?

The combination of people, technology, and results.

I like building things. It might be a sales process, a team, a service, or a customer relationship. What motivates me most is when you can take something complex, create structure around it, and make it work in practice together with the customer.

What do you emphasize as a leader?

Clarity, responsibility, and collaboration.

People should know what is expected of them, but they should also have the freedom to find the best way to get there. I believe good results come from combining clear goals with trust and an environment where people want to contribute.

What is the biggest challenge in the market right now?

Many organizations have built up their security over time through individual solutions, vendors, and initiatives. At the same time, both technology and the threat landscape are changing rapidly.

The challenge is therefore not necessarily a lack of security technology, but getting expertise, technology, and operational processes to work together. That is also one of the things I find exciting about Sicra – helping customers see the bigger picture.

What should organizations do to succeed with security?

Start with the organization and its risks, and then build security around that.

The most important thing is to have a clear direction and make sure that strategy, technology, and operations actually work together. Security is not a project you finish, but something that needs to be continuously developed.

Is there anything else fun we should know about you?

Even intimate shaving can be as-a-service.

While studying finance at BI Norwegian Business School, I bought a small business that sold intimate shaving products for men on a subscription basis. I ran it as a side gig alongside my studies before later selling the business while I was working at Bluetree.

It may not have been the most obvious route into cybersecurity, but it gave me early experience with sales, customer journeys, subscriptions, and running a small business. And perhaps that was where my interest in service-based sales really started.