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Forcepoint – A Leading Provider Of Cybersecurity Services.

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Forcepoint is a human-centric cyber security firm that recognizes behavior and adjusts security enforcement and responsiveness to risk. Risk-Adaptive Protection is provided by the Forcepoint Human Point system to continuously ensure the trustworthy use of vital systems and data.

About The Company

Forcepoint is an Austin, Texas-based American multinational software firm that develops firewalls, data security, cloud security brokers, and cross-domain services and solutions. Originally known as NetPartners, Forcepoint was established in 1994 as a reseller of IT services. In 1999, the firm changed its name to Websense, and at the height of the dot-com bubble, in 2000, it went public.

forcepoint
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History

In 1994, Phil Trubey established Forcepoint as NetPartners in San Diego. The company started off as a distributor of network security products before creating software to regulate employee Internet access. In 1999, NetPartners became Websense. At the height of the dot-com boom in 2000, the company raised over $72 million through an IPO. On the first trading day, the stock price increased twofold. In 2006, Websense acquired the fingerprint security firm PortAuthority. In 2007, it acquired an email security provider SurfControl. In 2009, it bought Defensio, a social media-focused spam and virus startup. In 2011, Facebook used Websense to examine every link people posted on the platform. In 2013, Websense was acquired by Vista Equity Partners. That year, Websense’s headquarters were relocated to San Diego, then in 2014, they were moved to Austin, Texas. Raytheon bought the company in 2015 from Vista and merged it with RCP, a former component of its IIS division, to become Raytheon|Websense. In 2015, Raytheon paid $1.9 billion for an 80% stake in Websense. Stonesoft, a provider of network security, was purchased by Websense in 2015 from Intel. In 2016, the business changed its name to Forcepoint.In 2019, Raytheon purchased the remaining 20% of the business from Vista Ventures Partners. In January 2021, Francisco Partners acquired Forcepoint from Raytheon.

Controversies

Although Forcepoint has a stance against doing business with government agencies and ISPs that restrict the Internet, the company has come under fire for having a “perceived relationship to repression of freedom of speech and the transmission of knowledge”. In 2009, it was found that the Yemen government was utilizing Forcepoint’s products to track internet usage by the general public and to block applications that let people hide their online activity from the government. In response, Forcepoint disabled the country’s ability to access the company’s database updates. However, Yemen’s government continued to limit access to platforms like Tumblr, which many newsagents used to disseminate news. In 2009 due to one of Cisco Systems’ IP addresses being listed on a hacker website, Forcepoint briefly classed Cisco Systems’ website under “hack sites”. Later the IP was verified, and it was determined to be safe. Forcepoint announced in 2011 that it would join the Global Network Initiative, an organization dedicated to internet freedom and privacy. In 2014, the company however left this initiative.

Founder – Phil Trubey

Websense, Inc., which is now known as Forcepoint, was founded by Phil Trubey. The company is a market leader in defending businesses against data theft and cyberattacks.

CEO – Manny Rivelo

At Forcepoint, Manny Rivelo serves as the company’s CEO. As CEO of Forcepoint, Rivelo directs the company’s strategy to hasten the adoption by businesses and government organizations of a contemporary security paradigm that incorporates the newly developed Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) framework. Rivelo has over 30 years of expertise in leadership, corporate development, customer service, and sales roles. Rivelo previously worked as a Senior Operating Partner at the international investment company Francisco Partners Consulting.

Cylance

Cylance – A Billion-Dollar Cybersecurity Startup Founded By A Former Executive Of McAfee.

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Cylance is a cybersecurity software firm founded in 2012. It is a young company and has already reached a billion-dollar valuation. Cylance is a privately-held company as in 2019 it was acquired by BlackBerry Limited for $1.4 billion. Stuart McClure, a former executive at McAfee is the founder of Cylance and now product and service are under the brand name of BlackBerry. The company’s headquarters is based in Irvine, California, US. Cylance mainly develops antivirus software programs and other related computer software. When Cylance was an independent company it claimed that the company focuses on preventive software rather than malware detection.

Backstory of Cylance

Stuart McClure was a cybersecurity researcher and before founding Cylance he was the global Chief Technology Officer at McAfee. While he was working as the CTO of McAfee, he spend half of his time apologizing to the customers of McAfee for data breaches. And, McClure said mentioned that every breach seemed to be worse than the previous one. This defamed the company and each and every day McClure had a long conversation with top priority clients of McAfee.

Several clients asked him what are the types of software and the various layer of security system that is used by the company to prevent such data breaches. While going through this phase of constant questioning and allegations, he realized that there are no new ways of hacking a system. And if he can teach the computer to prevent such attacks that would solve the main problem. This was the beginning of Cylance and he started thinking of a new project.

Cylance
Image source: rackcdn.com

Early Days

Apart from McClure, Ryan Permeh, the former chief scientist of McAfee is also one of the main brains behind founding Cylance. McClure’s approach towards its customers was not in a conventional way that is used by most cybersecurity companies. For example, many big companies try to intimidate clients by saying that there are several ways that a hacker can compromise a system and that is why advanced solutions are required to prevent such attacks. But McClure was very honest and transparent at Cylance from the beginning. He said that there can be only a handful of ways through which a hacker can penetrate a company’s network. And if someone knows the way around their system then it becomes easier to understand how the mindset of the hacker and how that breach can be prevented.

Success

After Cylance was founded it was able to land many big reputed clients like Toyota, Panasonic, WWE, etc. In 2015, the company raised $42 million from funding rounds which included investors like CapitalOne, Dell, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and many more. In 2016, the company was able to raise another $100 million and the main investors were Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and Insight Venture Partners. The reputation of the company rose in 2016 when the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform reported the worst data breach and was fixed by Cylance. After it fixed a big data breach for the US government, Dell also announced that the company would incorporate Cylance in the machines sold to corporate customers. With more investors coming on board by the end of 2015, Cylance reached the mark of a $1 billion valuation. In the same year, the company also ranked 26th in Inc 5000, and the annual revenue of the company summed up to $11.1 million.

Awards & Recognitions

Cylance has been awarded several prestigious awards and also featured in many renowned magazines. Only four years after founding the company, Cylance was featured in Forbes in 2016 in the Forbes Cloud 100 list. In the same years, it was also named Orange County Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2017 the company was recognized by LinkedIn as one of the “Top Companies | Startups” of the year 2017 and next year it won the MSPWorld Cup Award.

Stuart McClure – Founder of Cylance

Stuart McClure is the founder and former CEO of the company until the company was acquired by BlackBerry. Before founding Cylance, Stuart McCLure was the EVP, Global CTO, and General Manager of McAfee. He also wrote a book on cybersecurity called Hacking Exposed.