Maryland expands Northrop partnership program, adds to cyber defense economy

Binary matrix with glowing security lock

Maryland is continuing its push to become the national leader in the cyber economy. Northrop Grumman Corporation, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Research Park Corporation have expanded the Cync program, a cybersecurity technology incubator initiative, to include three additional companies, among them the program’s first international cyber provider. iWebGate of Perth, Australia, joins DB Networks of San Diego and Light Point Security of Baltimore as the latest companies to participate in Cync. The announcement follows another made earlier this year that the state would be offering tax incentives for cybersecurity companies to come to the state.

The Northrop Grumman Cync Program is a partnership between Northrop Grumman and bwtech@UMBC, aimed at commercializing technology to help provide protection from a growing range of cyber threats. The program builds on bwtech@UMBC’s business-incubation framework by offering a scholarship program for companies with the most promising cybersecurity ideas. The program’s aim is to identify, develop and commercialize cyber solutions that meet the needs of the departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice, as well as the intelligence community.

Northrop Grumman funds the program and serves as a strategic partner. Cync is part of the bwtech@UMBC Cyber Incubator program on the campus, a research and technology community that is home to nearly 100 technology and life science companies. Current participants in the Cync program include AccelerEyes, Five Directions, KoolSpan, Oculis Labs and Spotkick (formerly Rogue Networks). Several of these companies have earned Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Fast Track awards and signed agreements with information technology providers.

iWebGate is working on a new network capability called Software Network Architecture. Part of the innovation deploys a multitenant, security tested network between private networks and the Internet – called a “Ghost Network.” This change in network architecture provides more security and adds capability to existing information and communication technology infrastructure. Northrop Grumman selected iWebGate to participate under their global supply chain’s Australian Collaboration Team initiative. Through this initiative, Northrop Grumman will identify opportunities for iWebGate to compete as a supplier across its whole product range.

DB Networks is a developer of behavioral analysis-based database security equipment, which is used as a countermeasure against advanced weaponized structured query language injection and database denial of service attacks.

Light Point Security uses virtualization and the cloud to provide a secure web browsing solution to protect corporate networks from web-based malware.

“As the cyber threat continues to evolve, we need to invest in emerging technology and business ventures to support development of new global network defense capabilities,” said Jim Myers, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s Cyber Solutions division.