Carmel Cybersecurity Firm Founded by Priya Desai Doubles Headcount in a Year

Priya Desai's Carmel-based cybersecurity consulting firm, Northgate Security, has doubled its headcount over the past year, growing from roughly 40 to more than 80 employees as demand for industrial cybersecurity work has surged across Indiana's manufacturing sector.

Desai founded Northgate eight years ago after leaving a cybersecurity role at a large manufacturing conglomerate, initially focusing on smaller commercial clients before winning a series of contracts with automotive and defense-adjacent manufacturers that now make up the majority of the firm's revenue. The company specializes in securing industrial control systems, a category of cybersecurity work that has become increasingly urgent as factories connect more equipment to the internet.

"We started out doing security assessments for local businesses that just needed help passing an insurance audit, and now the bulk of our work is protecting factory floor systems that used to be completely offline," Desai said. "The growth over the last year has really been about finally having the reputation and the past performance record to compete for bigger contracts."

The company's growth has been driven partly by increased customer requirements around supply chain cybersecurity, which has pushed many manufacturers to seek outside firms to verify their compliance rather than handling assessments internally. Desai said Northgate has had to significantly expand its recruiting efforts to keep pace with demand, competing for cybersecurity talent against much larger firms in Indianapolis.

Northgate Security reported approximately $14 million in revenue last year, up from roughly $7 million the year before. Desai said the company plans to lease additional office space in Carmel later this year to accommodate its growing staff.