A hundred million computer users in 180 countries around the world are protected by a Slovak company. They rely on its anti-virus programs. November 30 is dedicated to International Computer Security Day, an opportunity to present Eset’s story, Slovakia's most valuable international brand according to Forbes Magazine.

Though officially founded in 1992 in Bratislava, Slovakia, Eset’s history dates to 1987. 

Two of the company's founders, Miroslav Trnka and Peter Paško, detected one of the world's first computer viruses, dubbed "Vienna". This led both men to the idea of helping computer users protect themselves. They developed their first anti-virus program, NOD, to counter the threat. Working in their living rooms, they had named their program Nemocnica na Okraji Disku, meaning the Hospital at the Edge of the Disk, an allusion to a popular medical series at the time.

Its improved version later became Eset's flagship product. 

However, they first had to wait until the Velvet Revolution in 1989 to start their business, as private businesses were not allowed during the communist regime. Their effort culminated in 1992 when they launched Eset, named after the Egyptian goddess of health, marriage and love.

In 1998, Eset won its first Virus Bulletin Test award for malware detection, meaning the cyber security world noticed and recognized their product. In turn, this led to increased interest in Eset's anti-virus solutions and subsequent growth. 

In the ensuing years, Eset developed the program into a complex solution that protects users against viruses, and many other threats that arose with the arrival of the Internet: spyware, adware, Trojan horses, rootkits, worms and phishing attacks. 

Since then, Eset has grown into one of the leading cyber security companies in the world. Their solutions are based on cutting-edge technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Currently, the company employs more than 1,600 people around the world, with more than 900 in Slovakia. It also has more than 20 branches as well as 13 research and development centers.

Eset works alongside experts from the police along with other security and law enforcement authorities. For example, in 2018 the company partnered with a specialist Europol team that investigates cyber crime, and cooperated with Microsoft to target several notorious botnets: groups of connected devices used to perform attacks. Eset also cooperates with Google to protect the Google Play Store on mobile devices.

However, the company’s efforts go beyond cyber security. In 2019, it launched the annual Eset Science Award to promote Slovak science and outstanding scientists in the country, with an international jury comprised of Nobel laureates and other renowned experts.

Eset is regularly recognized as Slovakia's most successful company on an annual basis.