An Orlando cybersecurity company has launched new tech that will help protect devices and networks of businesses and homes from hackers.
SubRosa Ventures’ new hardware, VigilantShield, is already in use at nuclear research facilities run by the Department of Energy.
It’s the latest evolution of cybersecurity technology being built by the company, which has its Orlando office at UCF’s Business Incubation Program.
CEO Alan Seymour said a major challenge of cybersecurity is staying ahead of those who would harm networks.
“You keep doing the same thing and expect a different result but the hard part is that the criminal is always paying attention,” he said. “Playing catchup isn’t the way to go.”
Sub Rosa Ventures’ hardware has been used to protect national and commercial interests. The company launched last year after Seymour, 52, left a previous company, Cleveland Electric Laboratories.
The departure agreement included the acquisition by Sub Rosa of several Cleveland Electric technologies, including VigilantShield.
Cybersecurity as an industry moves quickly, with attackers becoming more sophisticated even as those who defend networks learn how to defend specific hacks.
“They are attaining the information legally now,” he said. “I always tell people that it’s not if you get hacked now, it’s when.”
Seymour said one of the biggest ramifications for businesses is reputational harm.
That’s why it’s key, he said, to prepare ahead of time for the worst.
VigilantShield was developed in partnership with the Idaho National Laboratory.
The technology runs on physical hardware that can protect an entire office of devices without requiring any cloud connection.
The isolation means it can benefit sensitive facilities like those doing nuclear research.
Seymour said the cybersecurity industry’s increasingly collaborative nature means businesses sometimes need to focus on intangibles.
“There is competition to be better but, at the same time, there is a lot collaboration,” he said. “The differentiator sometimes is customer care and the response you give a client. You need to build good relationships.”
Shortly after Sub Rosa Ventures launched last year, Seymour connected with UCF’s Business Incubation Program.
It was there that he was able to connect with others in the region.
At the time, Seymour was interested in penetrating Orlando’s robust defense market.
“Compared to others I have worked with, they have been super responsive,” he said.
More specifically, the program provided a bridge to crucial resources in Orlando, like the Small Business Development Council, which helped Seymour navigate grant opportunities.
Seymour’s background is in psychology, specifically behavioral profiling. He said the skillset has come in handy as he builds his third company.
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