HP Signs Up Security Startup

Security startup Trustgenix Inc. has got a leg up from software giant Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) in the burgeoning identity management market (see HP OEMs Trustgenix Techology).

Identity management technologies ensure that only designated users, both internal and external, can access specific systems and applications. With regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), businesses are under increasing pressure to turn their IT systems into Fort Knox, and a number of startups are already looking to exploit this (see Startup Looks to Solve Identity Crisis and Epok Embarks on Data Security Drive).

So, where does Trustgenix fit into the equation? The Santa Clara, Calif., firms flagship offering is IdentityBridge. The software essentially links different identity management systems, removing the need for end-users to re-key passwords and user names as they move across an organization’s different systems.

With firms’ data centers relying heavily on partner and supplier IT systems, single-sign-on, as it is known, is becoming more and more important -- so important, in fact, that HP has decided to OEM IdentityBridge.

The product, which will be rebranded as Select Federation, will now be offered as part of HP’s popular OpenView family of software products. This is a boon for Trustgenix, according to Scott Crawford, senior analyst at Enterprise Management Associates.”It’s certainly a leg up for their credibility, that’s for sure,” he says. “It’s a pretty big recommendation.” Crawford believes that forcing users and customers to constantly key-in passwords and other sensitive data is something that businesses should avoid at all costs.

”It’s an [unnecessary] effort, and it also poses some risk for the consumer by having their identity information spread across a number of places,” he notes.

So, who are the people behind Trustgenix? The company was founded just over two years ago by former VeriSign Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN) execs Atul Tulshibagwale and Greg Whitehead. The latter should know a thing or two about building a company. Prior to setting up Trustgenix, he co-founded Structured Arts Computing Corp., which was acquired by Signio in July 1999. The following March, Signio was in turn acquired by VeriSign.

Trustgenix is privately funded by angel investors, and Tulshibagwale refused to disclose any specific details to NDCF. However, he was a little more forthcoming on the company’s future plans. Trustgenix currently employs around 20 employees, although this figure is expected to grow to 50 during the next 12 months, he says.

There will also be a new product launch in the area of Web services early next year, he adds. And are there any plans to tap the VC community for additional funding? “I am afraid that I won’t be able to comment on that right now,” he says.But Trustgenix is not the only startup playing in this space. Denver-based Ping Identity Corp. also tackles the problem of single sign-on. Such is the growing importance of identity management that Ping recently joined forces with HP’s arch-rival IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM). (See Ping Identity Joins Forces With IBM.)

— James Rogers, Site Editor, Next-gen Data Center Forum