Leveraging security offerings
Network World
Leveraging security offerings
May 26, 2003
By: Robin Vasan
As security becomes more than just firewalls and antivirus
software, network managers need to look beyond the usual list of
security providers. Answers to security problems increasingly can be
found in savvy start-ups that are leveraging their security expertise
in today's insecure world.
Security has a much broader meaning today than it did just a few years
ago. In the area of IT security, government mandates about the levels
of security in a number of areas have grown significantly. The Patriot
and Homeland Security Acts and other antiterrorism legislation have
placed numerous requirements on service providers to support law
enforcement. Such IP surveillance and intelligence gathering is a
challenging problem that companies are just beginning to address.
Companies also are faced with privacy and confidentiality issues
regarding personal data. Healthcare providers must comply with the
recent Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which
requires that all individually identifiable healthcare information be
protected to ensure privacy and confidentiality when it is
electronically stored, maintained and transmitted. The rising demand
for sophisticated high-technology surveillance systems is affecting
physical security.
In the venture business, we see smart start-ups redrawing their
business models, leveraging their security components to take advantage
of current trends. This certainly is true of several companies in which
Mayfield has invested - Narus, Pixim and PostX.
Narus' interactive mediation products help telecom carriers collect and
analyze detailed information about their customers' service usage.
Government agencies also can use the technology for lawfully authorized
Internet surveillance.
Pixim's silicon and software technology, known as the Digital Pixel
System (DPS), vastly improves the way digital cameras capture and
process images, making it possible to produce superior pictures under a
variety of lighting conditions. DPS is ideal for security cameras,
where picture quality is critical but lighting is problematic.
PostX started out developing a secure way for consumers to receive
bills and statements online. However, the company soon realized its
technology also could be used for securing the delivery of network
communications among a company's customers, partners and employees.
PostX has found a market for its platform, PostX Enterprise, among
financial service companies and healthcare providers, which are under
pressure to secure communications that contain their customers'
personal information. In the near future, as security cameras begin
delivering digital rather than analog video, the distinction between IT
security and physical security will begin to blur. Longer term, robust
IT products will have to be applied to securing streaming video as it
flows over networks.
Security is clearly a growth market. As a result, in the upcoming
months expect to see even more start-ups beginning to showcase their
unique security products and leveraging their security expertise.
Vasan is a general partner with Mayfield, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, Calif. He can be reached at rvasan@mayfield.com .
