Meet DB Networks, a next-generation cyber startup

DB Networks is the fifth graduate of Cync, a partnership between Northrop Grumman and the bwtech@UMBC Cyber Incubator created to support global cyber startups with an eye toward commercializing innovations for the federal marketplace.

By Northrop Grumman APRIL 17, 2015

A commitment to stronger global cybersecurity means investing in the ideas, technologies and people that will take the field ahead.

But moving promising technology into the hands of cyber defenders takes innovation and nurturing.

That’s why DB Networks’® graduation from the Northrop Grumman and the bwtech@UMBC Cyber Incubator’s Cync Program during the RSA 2015 Conference in San Francisco, Calif. is both a step toward building the nation’s cyber defenses and another success for an innovative partnership that has launched five start-ups to date.

“The Cync program is directly responding to a national need to cultivate innovation from all corners and speed the most promising ideas to the federal marketplace,” said Chris Valentino, director, strategy, Cyber Division, Northrop Grumman Information Systems and Cync Program Lead. “We are committed to advancing solutions and demonstrating the art of the possible to bolster cyber resiliency for customers worldwide.”

DB Networks, a continuous monitoring solutions provider, is driven by machine-learning and behavioral-analysis that non-intrusively and continuously detects database attacks. Its customers include the world’s largest financial institutions, healthcare providers, manufacturers and governments.  

“bwtech@UMBC greatly values the partnership with Northrop Grumman,” says Jennifer Reynolds, Director of Venture Creation, bwtech@UMBC. “Through this scholarship program, high-potential cybersecurity start-up companies have the unique ability to access resources and opportunities that would normally not be within their grasp.”  She further adds, “As a California-based cyber company, DB Networks is an excellent example of the reach of the Cync program.”

Since joining the Cync program, the DB Networks launched IDS-6300, an intelligent continuous monitoring product that “shines a light” on core networks. In October 2013, Info Security Products Guide named DBN-6300 a finalist for the 11th Annual Global Excellence Awards in six categories.

“The era of traditional techniques of identifying attacks through attack signatures is now over,” DB Networks CEO Brett Helm told CIO Review. “Today, understanding and creating a baseline of normal behavior is crucial to preventing future information security breaches.”

Instead of hailing a “silver bullet” strategy for defeating SQL injections, a widespread tactic that is estimated to be employed in vast majority of data breaches worldwide, DB focuses on alerting cyber defenders of suspicious intrusions, allowing them ample time to deploy a vast array of tools to block the attack.

DB Networks emerges from a Cync program that’s uniquely tailored to get technology into the hands of the intelligence and defense customers who need it most. 

Given the vastness and complexity of these communities, it is extremely difficult for start-up technology companies to navigate the federal marketplace, identify opportunities and commercialize technologies without the assistance of a large systems integrator like Northrop Grumman.

At the same time, many early-stage companies need the business incubation expertise and access to capital that bwtech and UMBC bring to the table.  

Cync graduates include KoolSpan, AccelerEyes (ArrayFire), Five Directions, and Oculis Labs.

Up next? OptioLabs, a Baltimore-based start-up focused on securing mobile data, will join the Cync cohort.

OptioLabs, the latest startup accepted into the program since its inception in 2011, develops security products for the mobile enterprise and embedded systems.  Leveraging innovations developed for national security protocols, OptioLabs has pioneered advanced security solutions for the world’s leading mobile platforms

OptioLabs will be joining three other occupants at Cync: iWebGate of Perth, Australia; Light Point Security of Baltimore, Md.; and Ayasdi, hailing from Palo Alto, Calif.

Located at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), bwtech@UMBC  is a 71-acre research and technology community. With more than 500,000 square feet of office and laboratory space, it is home to nearly 120 technology and life science companies at all stages of development. bwtech@UMBC offers collaboration with university faculty and students, and enjoys a strategic and convenient location, close to downtown Baltimore, BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and Washington, D.C. Its annual economic impact on the state is estimated to be more than $500 million.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.