ARDACO
Ardaco is a Bratislava-based information and communication security software company developing the NATO-certified Silentel secure mobile communication platform and the eIDAS-compliant QSign qualified electronic signature portfolio, serving government, defense, and enterprise customers in over 20 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersBratislava
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ARDACO does
Ardaco, a.s. is a privately held Slovak information and communication security company headquartered in Bratislava, founded in 2001, that develops and markets proprietary software for secure mobile communications and qualified electronic signatures. The company's portfolio centers on two product lines. Silentel is a certified secure mobile communication platform providing voice, data, and messaging across iOS, Android, and Windows, holding NATO Information Assurance Products Catalogue listing (the first worldwide in its category), national security authority certifications in Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Bulgaria, and Ministry of Defense approval. QSign is a complete qualified electronic signature portfolio compliant with EU eIDAS regulation, including QSign 6 desktop software, QSign Mobile for Android/iOS remote signing, QSign eInvoice for PDF document signing, QSign Docs signing portal, QSign Archive and QSign e-Registry server solutions, and qualified timestamp packages; Ardaco has been an eIDAS certification authority since 2021. The proprietary stack is complemented by PDMark, a patented electronic paper protection technology also available on mobile.
Ardaco monetizes through a hybrid commercial model combining enterprise field sales for Silentel to government, military, and police customers with direct sales for QSign, alongside a self-serve e-commerce store at store.ardaco.com where QSign licenses (€5.90–€173 per seat), subscription signing services (€9.84–€98.40 per seat), qualified timestamp bundles (€15.50–€332.10), and professional services (€73.80–€123) are sold online. Distribution is extended through a network of 16 Silentel channel partners across Europe, Asia, and the Americas and 8 QSign partners in Slovakia. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; headcount is reported in the 11–50 range, and the company has remained privately held since a 2006 $3.65 million investment from the Slovak American Enterprise Fund, supplemented by over €3.15 million in EU FP7 research grants across six completed projects. Customer reach spans over 20 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
ARDACO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ARDACO
- Legal name
- Ardaco, a.s.
- Website
- https://ardaco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ardaco is a Bratislava-based information and communication security software company developing the NATO-certified Silentel secure mobile communication platform and the eIDAS-compliant QSign qualified electronic signature portfolio, serving government, defense, and enterprise customers in over 20 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ARDACO industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Secure Communications & Electronic Signature Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Secure/Encrypted Messaging (BPAMACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Authentication (MFA/Passwordless/Biometrics) Platforms (BPAMAEAE)
Keywords
Where ARDACO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bratislava
Offices1 record
Markets served
ARDACO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licenses: One-time software licenses for QSign products including Desktop applications with various validity periods (30 days, 1 year, 2 years). Licenses are bound to single computer and enable electronic document signing.
- Subscription Services: Recurring subscription-based revenue from QSign Docs signing portal and QSign Mobile remote signing services with monthly or annual billing.
- Timestamps: Qualified timestamp packages sold in bundles (100 to 10000 units) for document timestamping requirements.
- Professional Services: Installation, training, and technical support services for QSign applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | QSign Desktop 30-day license |
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | QSign Desktop 1-year license |
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | QSign Desktop PLUS 1-year license |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | QSign Desktop 2-year license |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | QSign Desktop PLUS 2-year license |
| Subscription | Monthly | QSign Docs 30-day subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | QSign Docs 1-year subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | QSign eInvoice Standard 1-year license |
| Subscription | Annual | QSign eInvoice Premium 1-year license |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Qualified Timestamps (QTS) |
| Professional services/ project-based | One time/ perpetual license | QSign Installation service |
| Professional services/ project-based | One time/ perpetual license | QSign Training service |
| Professional services/ project-based | One time/ perpetual license | QSign Installation and Training package |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
ARDACO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ardaco develops and sells proprietary information and communication security software through two main product lines: Silentel, a certified secure mobile communication platform providing encrypted voice, messaging, and data on iOS, Android, and Windows; and QSign, a complete portfolio of qualified electronic signature products (desktop, mobile, web portal, and server solutions) compliant with EU eIDAS regulation. It also offers PDMark, a patented electronic paper protection technology, and related services such as installation, training, qualified timestamps, and trust services.
Product overview
ARDACO offers two core product lines: Silentel (secure mobile communication platform) and QSign (qualified electronic signature solutions). Silentel provides secure voice, data, and messaging communication for iOS, Android, and Windows with NATO and military-grade certifications. QSign encompasses a complete portfolio including QSign 6 desktop application, QSign Mobile (remote signing on Android/iOS), QSign eInvoice for PDF document signing, QSign Docs signing portal, QTS qualified timestamps, plus server solutions for archive and e-registry. Additional offerings include PDMark electronic paper protection technology. The company serves government institutions and businesses in over 20 countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Silentel®: Secure mobile communication platform providing voice, data communication and messaging. Worldwide proven and certified solution for iOS, Android and Windows platforms.
- QSign™
- PDMark®
Products and services
- Silentel Worldwide-proven and certified secure mobile communication platform providing encrypted voice transmission, data communication, and messaging on iOS, Android, and Windows. Designed for government institutions, military, police, and crisis management organizations requiring NATO and national-security-grade mobile communications.
- QSign Desktop Desktop software for creating and verifying qualified electronic signatures (QES) compliant with EU legislation and the Slovak Republic, available in 30-day, 1-year, and 2-year single-computer licenses (Standard and PLUS batch-signing variants).
- QSign Mobile Remote qualified electronic signature solution that enables legally binding signing from Android and iOS mobile devices, eliminating the need for a desktop computer.
- QSign eInvoice Application for signing PDF documents such as electronic invoices and delivery notes with an electronic signature, available in Standard (single-document) and Premium (batch-signing) 1-year licenses.
- QSign Docs Subscription-based signing portal for sharing documents with multiple signers, tracking signing status, and managing document workflows, available in 30-day, 1-year, and 2-year subscriptions.
- QTS Qualified Timestamps Qualified electronic timestamp issuance service packages (QTS 100 to QTS 10000) for legally compliant timestamping of electronic documents.
- QSign Services Professional services including on-site installation of QSign client applications, end-user training, and technical support delivered via phone, video, or AnyDesk remote access.
- QSign Archive Server solution for processing qualified electronic signatures and long-term preservation of electronic records, designed for enterprise and government document archives.
- QSign e-Registry Server-based solution for electronic registry management with qualified electronic signature support, enabling organizations to maintain compliant electronic records and workflows.
- PDMark Patented electronic paper protection technology for protecting physical documents from unauthorized copying and scanning, originally developed for desktop use and extended to a mobile-compatible version in 2016.
Quantifiable outcome
- First worldwide secure mobile communication solution listed in NATO Information Assurance Products Catalogue
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use ARDACO
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ARDACO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
ARDACO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
24 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Blue Sky Pacific Pte. Ltd.minorSilentel partner based in Singapore serving Southeast Asian markets.
- Cimcoop Holding Ltd.minorSilentel partner based in Bulgaria serving Central/Eastern European markets.
- EAGLE SHARK A/SminorSilentel partner based in Denmark serving Scandinavian markets.
- e-signature s.r.o.minorSilentel partner based in Czech Republic.
- General Comunicaciones y Seguridad S.A.minorSilentel partner based in Spain serving Spanish-speaking markets.
- Geocompass LdaminorSilentel partner based in Portugal.
- Global Interactive Group S.R.L.minorSilentel partner based in Argentina serving South American markets.
- ICSL GmbHminorSilentel partner based in Austria serving Alpine markets.
- Kabtel DooelminorSilentel partner based in North Macedonia.
- NautelminorSilentel partner based in Portugal.
- Net & Web Services, s.r.o.minorSilentel partner based in Slovakia.
- Orbicom Ltd.minorSilentel partner based in Norway serving Nordic markets.
- Orion Global Technologies LtdminorSilentel partner based in Great Britain serving UK market.
- Pelta s.r.o.minorSilentel partner based in Slovakia.
- Privatas B.V.minorSilentel partner based in Netherlands.
- SecuritNor ASminorSilentel partner based in Norway.
- b1, s.r.o.minorQSign partner based in Prievidza, Slovakia.
- BACKGROUND s.r.o.minorQSign partner based in Bratislava, Slovakia.
- Dokument Logistik, s.r.o.minorQSign partner based in Bratislava, Slovakia.
- Gavalieri s.r.o.minorQSign partner based in Piešťany, Slovakia.
- IT partner, s.r.o.minorQSign partner based in Komárno, Slovakia.
- LEGUS s.r.o.minorQSign partner based in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia.
- Matej Súkeník MTS SoftwareminorQSign partner based in Uhrovec, Slovakia.
- RoTurSoft, s.r.o.minorQSign partner based in Levice, Slovakia.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ARDACO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Cryptomathic: Cryptomathic provides cryptographic key management, e-signature, and PKI infrastructure for banks, governments, and enterprises, partially overlapping with Ardaco's eIDAS-aligned trust service and signature offerings.
- InfoSec Global (Cryptovision): InfoSec Global (including acquired Cryptovision) provides cryptographic libraries and trust services for government/enterprise compliance, comparable to the more specialized eIDAS-qualified trust service provider niche that Ardaco occupies.
Broad incumbents
- IDEMIA: IDEMIA is a global identity, biometric, and secure credentialing vendor serving governments and enterprises. It overlaps with Ardaco on eIDAS-aligned identity and trust-service capabilities and defense/secure-document use cases.
- Adobe Sign: Adobe Sign is a major e-signature and document workflow offering bundled within Adobe's Document Cloud, often competing against qualified e-signature providers like QSign in regulated European markets.
- BAE Systems (Applied Intelligence): BAE Systems delivers defense-grade cyber and secure communications products to governments and military organizations globally, sitting in the same procurement cycles and certification regimes as Ardaco's Silentel.
- Thales Group (Defense & Security): Thales is a broad defense-and-security incumbent offering crypto-certified mobile communications, encryption, and identity solutions for governments, NATO, and critical infrastructure. Overlaps with Silentel on certified secure communications and QSign on trust services.
Direct peers
- DocuSign: DocuSign is the global leader in e-signature and agreement workflow software and directly competes with QSign across SMB and enterprise segments, though with very different scale, brand, and platform breadth.
- Silent Circle: Silent Circle provides enterprise secure communications (Silent Phone, Blackphone) for government and enterprise customers. It is the closest analogue to Ardaco's Silentel product in terms of secure mobile voice/messaging targeting regulated sectors.
- BlackBerry (Secusmart/AtHoc): BlackBerry's Secusmart and AtHoc secure communications and crisis-management platforms serve defense, government and enterprise customers with certified crypto-grade mobile solutions, directly comparable to Silentel's offering.
Others
- SecurEnvoy / Cyxtera / TrustWave: Trustwave (and similar MSSPs/crypto vendors) offer secure communications-adjacent services and identity/encryption tooling for enterprises and governments, serving as adjacent ecosystem players to Ardaco's certified mobile-security stack.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ARDACO social profiles
Digital presenceARDACO compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
ARDACO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ARDACO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
ARDACO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ARDACO M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ARDACO
What does ARDACO do?
Ardaco develops and sells proprietary information and communication security software through two main product lines: Silentel, a certified secure mobile communication platform providing encrypted voice, messaging, and data on iOS, Android, and Windows; and QSign, a complete portfolio of qualified electronic signature products (desktop, mobile, web portal, and server solutions) compliant with EU eIDAS regulation. It also offers PDMark, a patented electronic paper protection technology, and related services such as installation, training, qualified timestamps, and trust services.
Is ARDACO a public or private company?
ARDACO is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was ARDACO founded?
ARDACO was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ARDACO based?
ARDACO is headquartered in Bratislava.
How does ARDACO make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses are the primary driver. The others are subscription Services, timestamps and professional Services.
Who are ARDACO's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Cryptomathic and InfoSec Global (Cryptovision). Broad incumbents are IDEMIA, Adobe Sign, BAE Systems (Applied Intelligence) and Thales Group (Defense & Security). Direct peers are DocuSign, Silent Circle and BlackBerry (Secusmart/AtHoc). SecurEnvoy / Cyxtera / TrustWave is listed as an others.
Does ARDACO have an API?
No public API is recorded for ARDACO.
What industry is ARDACO in?
ARDACO's product category is Secure Communications & Electronic Signature Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMACAG, Secure/Encrypted Messaging, with a secondary code of BPAMAEAE, Authentication (MFA/Passwordless/Biometrics) Platforms. Its NAICS code is 513210.