Another Promising Foundstone Spin-Off: Special Ops Security, Inc.

I previously blogged how fellow ex-Foundstoners Kevin Mandia launched Red Cliff Consulting and Clinton Mugge started C-Level Security. I just learned that my friend Erik Birkholz, author of the excellent Special Ops Security book, started his own company: Special Ops Security, Inc. His press release contains the following:

"Specialized security firms Foundstone, @Stake and Guardent were acquired in late 2004 by large, product-only vendors McAfee, Symantec, and VeriSign, creating a void for highly customer-focused security players in the industry. Special Ops Security meets that growing demand for specialized information security knowledge by blending consulting, training and technology into a new hybrid breed of educational solutions for our customers. With the combined talent of Erik Pace Birkholz, Steven Andrés, and Chip Andrews, the company, with a unique all-CISSP certified management team, is committed to delivering tactical and strategic solutions that optimize the people, processes and technology that protect customer data."


I think Erik has a point. If a customer goes to McAfee, Symantec, or Verisign for security consulting, they will end up with a pitch for each company's products or services. In world where best-of-breed security solutions tend to not all come from a single vendor, I think it is useful to have independent security consultants with a view of the "big picture."

The Special Ops books page also mentions three future books on "Tactical Host And Network Security," "Strategic Security," and "Operational Host And Network Security." Good luck Special Ops team! If I need to contact you, I'll be sure to call your number: 888-R-U-OWNED (for real).

Comments

Anonymous said…
You know the big three will pitch their other products. Once I had a problem with my cell phone's bluetooth connection to my computer. I called the company to get some help. Of course they couldn't tell me what the problem was, but they sure wanted to tell me about their desktop software for $29.95 that would take care of the problem and guarantee sync between the my phone and the computer. I later discovered, on my own, that my desktop had stored the MAC address of the bluetooth adapter in the registery, and would not reset the value associated with it. Not a problem with the phone, but with the adapter. What is my point? Small and mid size companies can't afford to be nickel and dimed to death by the big three security giants. The little guys need the most bang for the buck and someone who will help them understand the security of their network. Not to mention explaining where their money is going to secure the network. On the other hand, the little guy/gal may not care about how the network is secured, just as long as it is for the least amount possible. I believe the independent security consultants can offer cheaper bids based on availability of used equipment if the customer agrees to it, and a myriad of hardware/software combinations that big companies can't/won't offer. I'm a new guy to the business, so I may be way off. Let me know if I am.
8:01 PM
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