Build a new model
Although FireEye’s founder Ashar Aziz had created a security “appliance” — a mixture of hardware and software that detects intruders by running suspicious code or emails in a virtual environment — the company needed a multi-faceted solution and a global presence to combat modern threats.
“Most security companies provide anti-virus software or firewalls but those tools won’t stop malware or targeted attacks such as advanced persistent threats,” DeWalt says. “Today, intellectual property theft is the biggest threat and the attack comes from cyberspace.”
Even state-of-the-art tools aren’t enough, DeWalt says. He cites Target’s recent siege as proof that it takes an army to thwart a modern attack. “We identified Target’s breach but they didn’t know how to fix it,” he says.
“I then envisioned a comprehensive solution that utilizes people, processes and technology to provide defense, detection, incident response and remediation.”
To that end, DeWalt has enhanced the company’s original offerings with newer technologies such as an intrusion prevention system, endpoint security and secure email gateway products. He acquired and launched a consulting division and outsourced security monitoring services to meet the needs of small and midsize organizations.
In an effort to accelerate production, he compressed development time by initiating continuous engineering and rapid innovation cycles. Altogether, FireEye has launched dozens of new services and upgrades since DeWalt took the reins.
He’s also extended FireEye’s global reach and research capabilities by opening development centers in several countries.
“Ninety-five percent of our customers were in the U.S.,” DeWalt says. “Yet, the biggest threats emanate in China, Russia and the Middle East. One of my first goals was to expand our operations and create a global brand.”
FireEye’s revolutionary approach to crime-fighting includes formation of a unified front. In a nutshell, the company’s threat intelligence cloud prevents attacks by pooling auto-generated data from FireEye’s customers.
While the currently average time from infection to discovery is 243 days using standard industry products and 32 days to resolve the problem, DeWalt wants to decrease the time from discovery to fix to just 10 minutes.
Despite a rash of high profile breaches involving marquee companies like American Express, Michaels and eBay, businesses are often slow to embrace new practices such as sharing information. As a strategy to encourage new behaviors, DeWalt took the approach of pelting the arena with chilling data.
