An excerpt from the IDC report Tall and Small – Smart of Cool, April 2013: An IDC Assessment of Security Ventures to Watch in Europe
See the original report (paywall) online here.
CovertiX
Headquartered in Israel, CovertiX (www.covertix.com) was founded by Tzach Kaufmann (CTO) in 2011 and has CEO Yoran Sirkis at the helm. Sirkis has over 20 years of experience in the information security domain, including data/physical risk management arenas. Sirkis previously held the role of managing partner of Comsec Innovation and CEO of Comsec Cyber Solutions, both parts of the Comsec Group. The company is privately held and backed by various bodies in the investment community, including the Office of the Chief Scientist of Israel, Maayan Ventures, and accredited angel investors.
CovertiX offers its SmartCipher product as a file-level rights management application that secures and monitors confidential documents and sensitive data, by traveling with the file, inside and outside the organization. SmartCipher automatically tags digital assets according to file location, content, and context, continuously tracking and securing these assets.
What’s cool about CovertiX’s new version is its robust ability to control and secure files anywhere, even beyond the network perimeter in the cloud and with third parties. The information owner can decide who can do what with the file at any point in time, monitor how the information is used, and by whom, and modify how a file is used even remotely.
Furthermore, it now supports web-based secure file consumption allowing sharing of the information on any mobile device and any OS (Android, IOS, Windows etc.) with no need to install endpoint client software. This allows for easy and secure collaboration and sharing of sensitive information with business partners, customers, and suppliers, which has traditionally been a tremendous challenge.
CovertiX SmartCipher cloud protection enables automatic control and protection of files uploaded to cloud repositories and applications such as Dropbox, SkyDrive, and GDrive. With Dropbox, for example, not only can the data owner control how files are used by group members and block unauthorized use at any point, it also encrypts the files so the cloud providers do not have access to the data (and provides an additional security layer in case the cloud provider itself has a breach).
SmartCipher has the ability to provide the full gamut of file protection, whether it is file at rest or in motion, beyond the perimeter as well as inside the organization. Internally it provides full monitoring and operations control (print/copy/paste/print screen etc.) with out-of-the-box connectors to SharePoint repositories and Citrix. With the growth in cyber threat and APT attacks, SmartCipher can identify and detect suspicious file activity and protect sensitive files even after the defense lines have been breached by an attack and data been stolen.
The solution operates in two modes, Active Mode and Shadow Mode. Active Mode is the protective, file-level enforcer of an organization’s rules and policies. It controls access to files, wherever they travel, and controls access whether files are online or offline. SmartCipher’s Shadow Mode performs file Tracking and file Surveillance, traveling with the file, tracking and monitoring file behavior at any point of use.
Implementation and management of the solution can be fully transparent to the end user. Business rules can be defined centrally in a consistent manner with the organization’s information security policy ensuring consistent and persistent protection. SmartCipher’s new version can also enable end users to protect files on an ad hoc basis easily and quickly.
IDC Opinion: It only took 5 minutes when talking to Sirkis to work out that he has something really “cool” here. It is always difficult to get a 360-degree view of protection on files, both when they are visible and also in archival and offline situations. Architecting keys to stay with files not only ensures correct accessibility but also addresses some of the concerns with retaining key management availability in the future.
