Keep an eye on these guys

New Message Reply Date view Thread view Subject view Author view

From: B.K. DeLong (bkdelong@pobox.com)
Date: Thu Jan 06 2000 - 05:25:41 PST


Hi all-

Interesting new computer security consulting company....the L0pht merged
with startup @stake which includes heavy-hitters Dr. Daniel Geer (former
manager of systems development for the MIT Athena Project), Dr. Phil Tams
(formerly a senior manager at CTP), and John Rando (former Senior VP of
Compaq).

The L0pht would have NEVER merged with a company no matter how much money
they would be given unless they felt what they would be doing was superior.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/353999.asp
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000106/tc/hackers_hired_2.html

Contact: Marco Greenberg / Pamela Johnston
(212) 367-9600
NYPR
marco@nypr.com / pamela@nypr.com

Top Executives from Forrester Research, Cambridge Technology
Partners, and Compaq Establish @Stake; Specialized Internet
Security Services Firm

The L0pht, renowned 'hacker think-tank,' to join @Stake

Receives $10 million in Initial Backing from Battery Ventures

Cambridge, Mass., January 6, 2000 - A group of top Internet
executives announced today the establishment of @Stake Inc., a
specialized professional services firm that will provide a full range
of security solutions for the e-commerce operations of global
clients. @Stake represents the industry's only independent
security services provider.

@Stake also announced that renowned hacker think-tank the
L0pht has merged with the newly formed company. This
strategic move reflects the firm's commitment to build a
world-class team of professionals offering non-traditional,
e-commerce-age security solutions for clients.

In addition, the company disclosed that it has received over $10
million in initial funding from Battery Ventures, a leading high tech
venture capital firm whose other investments include Akamai
Technologies, InfoSeek, and Qtera. @Stake is the first company
spawned from Battery's newly created in-house incubator program.

"@Stake's independence and dedicated focus on Internet security
differentiate their approach from other providers," according to Tom
Crotty, general partner at Battery Ventures. "They have assembled
a diverse team of extreme talent from premier organizations
including Forrester Research, the L0pht, Cambridge Technology
Partners, and Compaq Computer."

The company will offer a full range of security services enabling
e-commerce for Global 2000 clients. @Stake will focus on planning
next-generation security platforms that achieve long-term
e-commerce objectives as well as securing clients' immediate
Internet needs. Key to the company's strategic approach is
building comprehensive security architectures to minimize the
impact of viruses, malicious attacks and other threats while
maximizing opportunity and competitiveness for firms engaged in the
Internet economy. The company's professional services span
infrastructure security, including VPNs and firewalls; content security,

such as anti-virus and e-mail scanning; application security, including
fine-grained application access control; and operations security, such
as intrusion detection and scanning systems.

@Stake's management team includes:

* Dr. Daniel Geer, Chief Technology Officer, formerly vice president
and senior strategist at CertCo and director of engineering at Open
Market. His tenure as manager of systems development at MIT's
Project Athena led to the creation of, amongst other innovations, the
X Window System and Kerberos.

* Ted Julian, VP of Marketing and Business Development, formerly
lead security analyst at Forrester Research and known for the
far-reaching impact of his reports, "Security Suites: Dead on Arrival"
and "Turning Security on Its Head."

* Mudge, VP of Research and Development, served as CEO/Chief
Scientist of hacker think-tank, the L0pht. Having appeared before the
Committee on Governmental Affairs of the US Senate to discuss
vulnerabilities facing technological resources, Mudge led the L0pht, a
group of 'grey-hat hackers' known for unorthodox, extreme technical
sophistication.

* Dr. Phil Tams, VP of Consulting and Operations, formerly a senior
manager at Cambridge Technology Partners and responsible for
restructuring IT systems and businesses to compete effectively in the
Internet economy.

* John J. Rando, Chairman of the Board, was previously senior vice
president and group general manager at Compaq. He is widely known
for his work developing software product services, pioneering new
delivery methodologies, and lifecycle service solutions in networking
and systems integration.

"@Stake helps clients address the most critical issue facing their
e-commerce initiatives: maintaining the highest levels of security while

maximizing openness," said Ted Julian, Founder and VP of Marketing
and Business Development. "Our strategic approach is based on the
premise that true security lies in enabling the entire enterprise,
rather
than locking down the system with unnecessary complexity and
control."

"By enabling Internet objectives, our security services unleash
enormous benefits for organizations building their e-commerce
operations," continued Julian.

According to IDC Research, the demand for network security consulting
and management services will reach over $1.6 billion in 2002. In
addition, in its November 29 brief, "exSourced Security Arrives,"
Forrester
Research "recommends the majority of businesses meet their security
needs with exSourcers ... third-party security service providers that
connect external constituents with internal processes."

"The opportunity to join the first and only independent 'pure play' in
the
field of Internet security consulting is perfect for the L0pht,"
according
to Mudge, now @Stake's VP of R&D. "@Stake's vendor neutrality,
combined with open lines of communication to the full spectrum of
people dealing with online security, allows us to remain true to our
roots - security research and execution which shatters industry myths
and builds a totally new standard."

@Stake executives will be participating in the major security trade
show, RSA 2000, scheduled for January 16-20 in San Jose.

With headquarters in Cambridge, Mass, @Stake is a specialized
professional services firm providing security solutions for the
e-commerce operations of global clients. More information can be
found at www.atstake.com @Stake, Inc. -- Securing the Internet
Economy(sm).
###

--
B.K. DeLong
Research Lead
ZOT Group

617.642.7149 bkdelong@zotgroup.com http://www.zotgroup.com


New Message Reply Date view Thread view Subject view Author view

This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Jan 19 2000 - 15:03:03 PST