The last thing anyone thinks about when they download music from the Internet is breaching national security. But it can and does happen.
Cranberry-based Tiversa is doing something about it.
Tiversa’s cutting-edge, “home grown” technology prevents data leaks from the hard drive that could result during peer to peer, or P2P, file sharing. Whether you’re downloading, streaming video or sending an instant messages, P2P can compromise the information on the hard drive and open it up to identity theft, fraud or, in some cases, a breach of highly sensitive information. In the higher echelons of national security—Tiversa’s clients—that could be serious.
“It's staggering how many individuals are letting criminals in to access very sensitive information,” explains Robert Boback, who co-founded the company along with Sam Hopkins in 2003.
Tiversa has inherited employees from several high profile Pittsburgh enterprises: FORE Systems, Marconi and Freemarkets. It currently employs under 30, plans to hire six, including account managers, cyberforensic engineers and software developers, and open a London office. And the company is growing, having enjoyed a 400-600 percent growth rate for the past four years, Boback says.
But beware. Tiversa’s office was built with the muscle of a bank vault. Employees need a card key and a retina and fingerprint scan to gain access.
“The company cut its teeth with customers from federal intelligence agencies such as the CIA and FBI,” says Boback, who admits that he has, on occasion, gotten the blindfold treatment when meeting clients. “Quietly and without much press we’ve managed to garner the attention of the most secure and highly sought after customers without anyone knowing what we are doing.” Its success has prompted investors to attempt to lure the firm away from Pittsburgh, but Boback says Tiversa’s here to stay.
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Robert Boback, Tiversa
Image courtesy of Tiversa