Northrop Grumman, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Expand Cync Program to Drive Innovation in Cyber Technology

BALTIMORE, March 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Research Park Corporation (bwtech@UMBC) 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.

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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 successful business-incubation framework by offering a "scholarship program" for companies with the most promising cybersecurity ideas.

"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. "The Northrop Grumman Cync program is doing just that, building a global incubator of solutions that will help defend networks and speed innovative solutions to our customers."

Northrop Grumman funds the program and serves as a strategic partner, leveraging its resources and applying them in a focused way to cultivate companies to develop solutions to counter the global cyber threat. 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. 

"Our partnership with Northrop Grumman has proven very successful in attracting innovative cybersecurity product companies to bwtech@UMBC," said Ellen Hemmerly, president and executive director, bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park. "We are delighted to be welcoming three new companies into Cync, further elevating the prestige of the program."

iWebGate is developing a revolutionary 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. For more about iWebGate, go to www.iwebgate.com.

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 an innovator of behavioral analysis-based database security equipment, which is used as an effective countermeasure against advanced weaponized structured query language injection and database denial of service attacks. For more about DB Networks, go to http://www.dbnetworks.com/.

Light Point Security uses virtualization and the cloud to provide a secure web browsing solution to protect corporate networks from web-based malware. For more about Light Point Security, go to http://lightpointsecurity.com/.

The Cync 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. Companies focus their work on advancements in situational awareness/visualization, sensors, processing, workflow management, and modeling and simulation. The program offers an 18-month scholarship for high-potential, early-stage companies. Participants in the program draw on UMBC's research expertise and talented students as well as bwtech's experienced entrepreneurs and access to capital. For more, go to www.bwtechumbc.com

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cybersecurity, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation