Meet the 9 cyber security startups that showcased their innovative product ideas at AISS

NASSCOM’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI) chose 9 startups for the Most Innovative Product of the Year at the Annual Information Security Summit 2017 to provide impetus to budding security product companies.

The Indian industry is riding high on the wave of entrepreneurial traction in the domain of cyber security and security product development with over 50 security product companies emerging in the last few years.

Though currently at a nascent stage, these organisations are enjoying robust sales traction and moving forward with the concern of being recognised in the global world.

To provide impetus to the growth of the Indian cyber security market, NASSCOM’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI) is working towards contributing and building a favorable ecosystem for growth-led, sustainable business segments of security product and services companies in the country.

Many initiatives and activities have been undertaken by DSCI to encourage indigenous product development, providing a platform to startups to connect with the key stakeholders of the ecosystem.

One such initiative is the NASSCOM-DSCI Excellence Awards for Product companies, comprising two categories. The Security Product Company of the Year is for companies that have developed Information Security/Privacy product, while the Most Innovative Product of the Year (Innovation Box) is for startups.

The competition comprised an evaluation process by an jury comprising Vishal Salvi, Chief Information Security Officer and SVP, Infosys; Shivkumar Pandey, Chief Information Security Officer, BSE; Sanjay Bahl, Director General, Cert-In; Venkat Vallabhaneni, General Partner, Parampara; and Bindu Dey, Secretary, Technology Development Board.

After jury evaluation along with live audience polling, Lucideus Technologies and Security Brigade were announced winners and AppsPicket occupied the runner-up spot at the Awards Night during the Annual Information Security Summit 2017.

We take a closer look at the companies:

The winners & runner-up

Lucideus Technologies: Launched in 2012, Delhi-based Lucideus Technologies is a complete cyber security solutions provider that enables clients to secure web-based resources. They assist clients eliminate the risk of unauthorised access to key systems, files or databases by identifying vulnerabilities in web spaces. They also organise ethical hacking and web-security based workshops and seminars.

Security Brigade: Founded in 2006, Security Brigade is an information security consulting firm based out of Mumbai that specialises in delivering high quality services through expert-driven manual testing. It offers Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Assessment, Web-application Security and Source Code Security Audit. The company won the award for its flagship product - ShadowMap. Using internet-wide scanning, big data analysis & machine learning ShadowMap continuously identifies and maps an organisation's Shadow IT and infrastructure.

AppsPicket: Launched in 2015, AppsPicket’s mission is to bring advanced cryptography to all businesses, whether small, medium or large. The startup, based out of Delhi and London, works in the Strong Authentication (2FA) and Cloud Security domain. It aims to use advanced cryptography to solve real-world security problems with its range of products, including Cryptopass, Developer SDK and Authportal. The brand’s next-generation Two Factor Authentication - I2FA - is making adoption of strong user authentication simpler and frictionless.

The other finalists

Adoroi Tech Ventures: Launched in 2006, this Mumbai-based venture helps companies increase their ROI on offline/online advertising, generate high quality leads, intelligent geo-call patching and routing, provides high security layers for existing financial processes and offers internet-less banking for the rural masses using its proprietary technology platform.

Block Armour: Harnessing the potential of Blockchain and emerging technology, Mumbai-based Block Armour, launched in 2016, aims to disrupt cybersecurity. Blending cybersecurity insights, IT security best practices and emerging technologies, Block Armour aims to provide a base for a new breed of identity management, data/information integrity, and IoT-related security solutions.

HaltDos: Launched in 2015, Noida-based HaltDos is an AI-driven website protection service that secures websites against cyber threats. Its comprehensive offering provides DDoS protection, Web Application Firewall and Load Balancing features in a single solution and is available on the cloud as well as on-premise appliance.

Instasafe: Bengaluru-based InstaSafe is a cloud-based security solutions provider, that helps mobile and remote workers securely access enterprise apps, email and web on a SaaS model. Launched in 2012, InstaSafe offers hardware-free, zero configuration, self-service style, fully redundant Security-as-Service which can be deployed in minutes with comprehensive reporting.

Kratikal Tech: Launched in 2016, the Noida-based startup provides end-to-end cyber security solutions. It offers a complete suite of vulnerability assessment and penetration testing services as well as security auditings like PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR and ISO 27001. Kratikal Tech’s product People Risk Assessment (PRA) Engine claims to access the real-time threat posture of an organisation from a people point of view, reducing the cyber risk to up to 90 percent.

Primeauth: Hyderabad-based Primeauth provides easy, reliable, scalable and user friendly Two Factor (2FA), Multi Factor Authentication (MFA). It also specialises in areas of SSH (Secure Shell) authentication, Cloud, Identity & Access management, aimed at eliminating the need for expensive traditional hardware token or OTPs.

Promoting innovation in the cybersecurity space

DSCI’s objective is to act as a catalyst for startups working in the cybersecurity space to come up with more innovative product ideas and address real risks, build resilience, increase trustworthiness and create a conducive environment for businesses.

The initiative is an attempt to provide support to product companies in various aspects by bringing these new players nearer to established security leaders, innovators and other stakeholders on a common platform for idea sharing, guidance and collaboration.