From our roots at Linköping University to a trusted global brand, Sectra combines academic research with product development to contribute to a healthier and safer society.
Sectra’s success is attributable to the fact that we always put the customer first. We solve customer problems within our areas of expertise and help them become more efficient by developing a deep understanding of their daily processes and needs.
Torbjörn Kronander
President and CEO
Sectra was founded in 1978 by a team of researchers at Linköping University in Sweden. The founders’ vision—that Sectra would become an international information security and medical IT company—has become a reality. Hear three of the founders’ own stories of how it all started.
Sectra was founded in 1978 by a team of researchers at Linköping University in Sweden. The founders’ vision—that Sectra would become an international information security and medical IT company—has become a reality.
Data security became Sectra’s first niche area in 1978, when a team of researchers from the Institute of Technology at Linköping University were presented with the task of creating a security solution for banks. To take on the assignment, they formed the company Sectra (SECure TRAnsmission). Sectra’s ties with the research community remain strong to this day, and our history is characterized by innovation and business development that create significant customer value.
In the early years, Sectra was involved in many different areas, always looking for areas in which to apply the company’s core competence. One such area was image compression, in which Sectra built hardware for compressing and sending images. This solution was used during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles to send sports photos back to Europe. Other examples include smart heating regulation systems for apartment buildings and private homes, and communication systems for monitoring air traffic.
Sectra was a forerunner in the fight against cybercrime. In 1986, optimistic journalists reported that Sectra had discovered a vaccine to protect computers against viruses in the form of a new product that could detect access violations in file systems.
Guided by a keen interest in medical technology and a vision of digital radiology images, Sectra’s current President and CEO, Torbjörn Kronander, was recruited to Sectra, and the company began expanding into digital image management systems for radiology departments in 1989. In 1993, Sweden’s first film-free radiology department, using Sectra systems was opened in Mjölby. Imaging IT Solutions is now the company’s largest business area and a niche in which Sectra commands a world-leading position.
Sectra’s first subsidiary outside Sweden was formed in Norway in 1995. In 1997, Sectra opened an office in the US. Today, Sectra has offices in 14 countries around the globe. Our international journey also included plans to become a public company, and Sectra was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 1999. The listing enabled strategic acquisitions and access to financing for our continued expansion.
Sectra Tiger was approved for the classification level hemlig/secret and enabled the Swedish Defense Forces to become the first in the world with eavesdrop-protected mobile telephone communication for national secrets.
In 1999, Sectra became first in the world to offer digitized prosthesis modeling for orthopaedists. Sectra has continued innovating within this area and today, some of the most prestigious orthopaedic clinics use our systems for planning and follow-up of orthopaedic surgery to achieve better treatment results. Our systems also help to cut costs by reducing the amount of time spent in the operating theater. In 2018, Sectra launched a service that enables orthopaedists to understand post-operative chronic pain without performing surgery again.
In 2002, Sectra launched a digital mammography modality, Sectra MicroDose Mammography, in collaboration with Mamea Imaging AB. The system was based on an innovative sensor technology that made it possible to achieve the same high image quality as the film-based systems used at that time, at only one-fifth of the radiation dose. This product and business area were later sold to Philips. However, Sectra’s commitment to women’s health remains strong. Our imaging IT solution for breast imaging clinics is still used successfully by both national screening programs and prominent breast imaging clinics.
Sectra launched the Sectra Visualization Table, a multi-touch display for interacting collaboratively with real-size 3D images generated by CT and MRI scanners to gain a deeper understanding and insight into bodily functions and processes. This unique solution, developed in cooperation with Linköping University, the Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), Norrköping Visualization Center C, and The Interactive Institute, serves as a platform for medical education, clinical conferences and virtual autopsies.
Sectra acquired the UK company Burnbank. Burnbank was founded in 1988, and one of the company’s greatest accomplishments was to virtually connect all radiology departments in the country, allowing them to easily exchange images with each other. Since the acquisition, the solution has been refined and is now used to send all types of medical images between both healthcare providers and external users, such as patients, in several countries across the globe.
The focus on customer satisfaction had begun to pay off and in 2013, we received our first “Best in KLAS” award. US hospitals ranked Sectra as their number-one supplier in the independent customer satisfaction survey conducted by KLAS.
Samsung and Sectra entered into a technical partnership to integrate the Samsung KNOX™ platform with Sectra’s solution for secure smartphone communication, paving the way to Sectra’s mobile workplace offering of tablets and smartphones.
Sectra launched a solution for digital primary diagnostics in pathology, enabling pathologists to review cases digitally on a computer screen instead of using a microscope. This contributes to more efficient cancer care by enhancing collaboration and the sharing of images. The launch of services for security and risk management in critical infrastructure marked the beginning of a strategic partnership with a Swedish energy company. The partnership encompassed the development and testing of a monitoring service for supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems in energy distribution.
We celebrate 40 years of knowledge and passion for contributing to a healthier and safer society.
Following formal FDA approval, healthcare providers in the US can begin to use Sectra’s digital pathology solution for primary diagnostics and remote viewing.
Sectra ranks among the top four companies in Universum’s annual survey of Sweden’s best employers.
Sectra’s radiology module for enterprise imaging, Sectra PACS, has again won the prestigious customer satisfaction award Best in KLAS. It has has been ranked #1 in customer satisfaction by its users in multiple regions worldwide.
