Symbio Technologies Meets President's Challenge on Cyber Security

NEW ROCHELLE, NY, June 10, 2009--Cyber security is the challenge of the twenty-first century.

That's the message from President Obama whose Cyberspace Policy Review "called for tough new standards for cybersecurity."

As Symbio Technologies' CTO Gideon Romm told a group of security-concerned IT professionals in a California school district this week, it's a challenge that Symbio Technologies' (www.symbio-technologies.com) unique, stateless approach to computing was designed to address. The company is the only solution provider that offers a government-certified hardware appliance that can convert existing PCs, embedded thin clients, or diskless clients into stateless desktops.

"The guiding principle behind stateless computing is that the desktops themselves store nothing," said Romm. "They serve merely as viewing devices. That's why stateless systems maximize the security of any network. Simply put, a desktop device with a hard drive or other persistent storage is a security liability," continued Romm.

The Computer as an Appliance

As Romm explained to the IT audience, there is a growing trend towards cloud computing, the centralizing of all applications and data to a center to which an authorized user can gain access from a simple, secure device. The computer desktop model is evolving into more of a television model, in which the user's device is stateless, simple, and reliable - a mere access device to tune in a desktop delivered from the "cloud."

Romm noted that most companies transitioning to a centralized computing environment have identified a common set of needs:

--Data and network security

--Rapid deployment of desktops

--Near-zero desktop maintenance

--Minimizing TCO

--Simplicity

Difficult economic times have made the ability to use existing desktop hardware as thin clients a must. The drive to green technology has also increased the demand for lower-power desktops with longer lifespans that minimize carbon footprints and reduce waste.

Getting it Right the First Time

Romm quoted Army Brigadier General John Davis, deputy commander of Joint Task Force Global Network Operations, who noted, "In the last six months, we spent more than $100 million reacting to things on our networks after the fact. It would be nice to spend that money proactively to put things in place so we'd be more active and proactive in posture rather than cleaning up after the fact."

"Symbio Technologies starts by thinking of the computer as an appliance, like a television set, that simply provides a way of viewing information," explained Romm, who is working with the district on installing a stateless network that can reuse existing hardware.

"If we start with the hardware and work up from there," concluded Romm, "we should be able to meet Brigadier General Davis' expectations."

About Symbio Technologies

Symbio Technologies reduces the cloud computing revolution to a plug-and-play, appliance-based solution. Certified and accredited by the US Department of Energy, the security-hardened Symbiont Boot Appliance makes network deployments simple, consistent, reliable, and secure. With this technology, organizations can reuse existing equipment, connect to the cloud through numerous protocols, and meet their security objectives. Symbio's products are available worldwide through a network of distributors, value-added resellers and integrators in Australia, Canada, Chile, Egypt, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, and the U.K., as well as throughout the U.S.