Darktrace hopes to profit from window in market

Cambridge-headquartered security vendor says it uses cyber-defence akin to the human immune system

Darktrace, the cyber-security vendor backed by British software doyen Mike Lynch, is looking to exploit a "window of opportunity" before competitors begin to move into its space.

The Cambridge-headquartered company provides enterprise immune system technology, which it says operates in the same way human bodies detect viruses or colds and catches them by detecting anomalies by using mathematics and machine learning.

Gary Szukalski, chief marketing officer at Darktrace, told CRN that while the company holds a "standalone" position in the market, it won't be long before competitors emerge and begin to operate in the same space.

"We are out there quite frankly beating the drum, leading the message in terms of next-generation solutions like ours and it's getting the attention of a lot of people, and as a result those people are saying there is an opportunity here and you are going to see a lot more investment and plays in this area," he said.

"We do not see competition today, but I'm sure we will soon because people will come to understand that what we do is an unmet requirement and is the future of cyber [security]."

Szukalski said that whereas many other cyber-security firms operate by "trying to keep the bad guys out", Darktrace works by assuming that threats are going to penetrate the security barriers and then responding to these "much more sophisticated threats".

Darktrace was founded in September 2013 and has very close connections with government intelligence agencies such as MI5 and NSA. The former MI5 director general Lord Jonathan Evans is on Darktrace's board, and many of its directors previously worked at MI5, GCHQ and NSA.

The company was founded with the backing of Mike Lynch, with the former Autonomy boss investing $20m (£13.24m) in September 2013 from the Invoke Capital fund.

Szukalski said the reputation of Lynch, who operates in an advisory role, gives Darktrace a "1,000 per cent boost" to the profile of the company, among investors and partners.

He also commented that the privately held company is looking to double its headcount, currently at 60, and its revenue in the next 12 months.

Darktrace's chief executive Nicole Eagan recently met with David Cameron and Barack Obama to discuss cyber-security in Washington.

The security vendor, which has offices in London, Milan and New York, among others, has 30 partners worldwide and recently signed up distributor Exclusive Networks in the UK.

Szukalski said Darktrace is looking to expand its UK, and global, partner base and bring more VARs on board. However, the company would focus on value and quality of partners over quantity, he said.

Szukalski also said that at the centre of Darktrace's strategy is its use of Cambridge University mathematicians and placing them at the heart of its security technology.

"The company is unique in that it has these really sophisticated mathematicians from Cambridge University who are delivering these leading mathematical solutions, but we also have these intelligence analysts from GCHQ and MI5 who bring government surveillance expertise, and then we have people like Mike Lynch and Nicole Eagan, who bring the execution of a software enterprise," he said.

"It's like a three-legged stool where everyone delivers value and it makes us unique in the industry because we have a very well-constructed thought-out plan that involves intelligence guys, tech mathematicians and the senior management guys together."