Sectra in brief

Driven by knowledge and passion, our vision is to contribute to a healthier and safer society

Our customers operate in some of society’s most critical functions. Our job is to help them become more efficient, and to give them the tools to make peoples’ lives healthier, safer and more secure. Driven by knowledge and passion, our vision is to contribute to a healthier and safer society. Sectra develops and sells cutting-edge solutions in the expanding niche segments of medical IT and secure communications. The Sectra Group has some 1200 employees worldwide, and customers in over 60 countries.

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 having a deep understanding of their daily processes and needs.

Torbjörn Kronander, President and CEO

Boy and teddybear in bed, with teddy bandaged

For a healthier society

The world’s population trend is creating a demand for increased and more efficient care. To maintain a high quality of care despite today’s population trend, the healthcare sector is being forced to accomplish more with the same or fewer resources. Sectra helps hospitals across the world to become more efficient, enabling them to care for more patients and save more lives.

Learn more about our medical IT operations

For a more stable and secure society

Modern means of communication are making society more vulnerable and require increased security. Eavesdropping, unauthorized access to data, and disruptions in communication systems and critical infrastructure could result in serious negative consequences for society and the individual. Sectra helps critical social functions, government officials and diplomats to use modern technology to exchange information securely, thereby contributing to a more stable and secure society.

Learn more about our security operations

Quick facts

  • Founded in Sweden in 1978 and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm
  • More than 1,200 employees in 15 countries
  • Customers in over 60 countries
  • Net sales of SEK 2,9 billion in the 2023/2024 fiscal year
  • Average age of employees is 38
  • Some 20 patent families in the group
  • Co-worker gender representation: approx. 33% women and 66% men
  • 27% female members of the Sectra Board, 50% in the Management Group and 37% of line managers
  • 10–15% of consolidated sales invested in R&D every year
  • “Career Company of the Year” award in Sweden in 2024, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2015
  • Among the top six employers in 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2019 in the annual survey of Sweden’s Best Employers conducted by the company Universum. In the survey, the company’s own employees rated their employer based on different criteria
  • In 2020, with an innovation score of 90.03%, Sectra was named by the Swiss investment analysis company ALPORA as a leader in innovation, characterized by a particularly high level of innovation efficiency

40 years of knowledge and passion

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.

1978
The early days
1978
Roots in research and security

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.

Exploring innovative ideas

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.

1986
Sectra is credited with the invention of a “vaccine” for computer viruses

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.

1989–1993
Expansion into medical IT

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.

Late 1990's
International expansion

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.

The listing provides the company with financial opportunities, attention and credibility and enables Sectra to look forward to augmenting the company’s organic growth through strategic acquisitions in the future.
Jan-Olof Brüer, former President and CEO of Sectra AB
1998
Approved crypto phone

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.

1999
Improving patient care in orthopaedics

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.

2000–2014
Committed to women’s health

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.

2010
Platform for medical education

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.

This is an example of how our close cooperation with research centers allows us to apply the latest technology in solutions that facilitate daily work for our customers.
Torbjörn Kronander, President and CEO of Sectra
2012
Image sharing connects healthcare providers and patients

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.

2013
First ‘Best in KLAS’ award

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.

2015–2020
2015
Technical partnership with Samsung

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.

Digitizing pathology & expansion into critical infrastructure

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.

2018
40-year anniversary

We celebrate 40 years of knowledge and passion for contributing to a healthier and safer society.

Given the fact that customer confidence is a critical success factor, we have always prioritized stable, long-term growth over rapid, high-risk expansion.
Torbjörn Kronander, President and CEO of Sectra
2020-
2020

Following formal FDA approval, healthcare providers in the US can begin to use Sectra’s digital pathology solution for primary diagnostics and remote viewing.

2021

Sectra ranks among the top four companies in Universum’s annual survey of Sweden’s best employers.

2023
A decade of excellence – ten consecutive years of Best in KLAS customer satisfaction awards

Sectra’s radiology module for enterprise imaging, Sectra PACS, has again won the prestigious customer satisfaction award Best in KLAS. It has been ranked #1 by healthcare providers for ten consecutive years in the US, four consecutive years in Canada, and two consecutive years in Asia/Oceania. Additionally, Sectra is ranked #2 in Global PACS (Europe) and Digital Pathology (non-US). The attention we have received for customer satisfaction has boosted our growth in the Imaging IT Solutions operating area.

I am incredibly proud that we have consistently maintained high customer satisfaction in numerous markets for so many years. Our products and services are designed specifically to facilitate the important role of enterprise imaging within the health system. Receiving these awards is a clear indication that Sectra’s motivated and highly skilled employees are doing the right things for our customers.
Marie Ekström Trägårdh, President of Sectra Imaging IT Solutions