No pitch, just proof: building a very trusted Canadian cybersecurity firm

With no sales team and no shortcuts, Iron Spear Information Security has quietly become one of Canada’s most trusted cybersecurity firms. IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES

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In a world where marketing hype often overshadows technical depth, Jason Grimbeek, founder and CEO of Iron Spear Information Security, has charted a different course, one rooted in trust, technical rigor and pragmatism. Since founding the company in 2011, Grimbeek has quietly built one of Canada’s most respected cybersecurity firms, earning national recognition not through sales tactics, but through consistent delivery of high-quality, actionable results. Today, we recognize Grimbeek as a true Canadian Cyber Champion. 

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A new way forward

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After more than a decade in a global consulting firm — one of the “big four” — Grimbeek grew disillusioned with the increasing focus on sales targets and client relationships at the expense of solving real cybersecurity problems. “As you move up in the organization, it became more about revenue and less about the work. I didn’t want to be a partner, I wanted to stay hands-on with security,” he recalls.

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In response, he launched Iron Spear Information Security with a mission to do things differently. “If a client has a problem, I want to solve it. I want to be the value they need,” Grimbeek says. That value-first mindset won over Iron Spear’s very first major client, Translink and set the tone for the company’s next chapter. 

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Built on pragmatism and trust 

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At Iron Spear, practicality trumps flash. Grimbeek stresses that cybersecurity should be understandable and usable by everyone, from executives to frontline technicians. “I got tired of generic reports that no one used. We write ours so that even the network guy reconfiguring the firewall knows exactly what to do,” he explains.

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This focus on delivering clear, honest and impactful advice, even if it means calling out issues from top to bottom, has become a defining feature of Iron Spear’s approach. “We don’t sugarcoat. We say what needs to be said, and clients appreciate that candor.” 

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Growing without selling 

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Perhaps Iron Spear’s most remarkable feat is its growth strategy, or lack thereof. The company has never had a formal sales team. Instead, its steady 46% year-over-year growth has come entirely through word-of-mouth and referrals. “What we deliver is the sales pitch,” says Grimbeek. “If you’re proud of what you hand over to a client, they’ll come back. And they’ll tell others.”

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This quality-first philosophy extends to every corner of the company. “If a report isn’t ready, we delay it. I’d rather call the client and say we need one more day than deliver something that’s not right.” 

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That integrity and commitment to excellence have fueled Iron Spear’s expansion from a solo operation into a 25-person firm with offices in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and now, Ontario. 

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Client-centric cybersecurity