DHS S&T licenses new cybersecurity tech

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced on July 7 that a network flow analysis technology that will help strengthen cybersecurity has transitioned to the marketplace through its participation in S&T’s Transition to Practice (TTP) program.

The Network FLOW AnalyzER (FLOWER), developed by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been licensed by zSofTech Solutions, an Atlanta-based woman-owned small business providing cybersecurity and information technology services. The company plans to incorporate FLOWER into its cloud computing and high-performance computing products.

FLOWER is a software application that performs deep Internet Protocol inspections in real-time to collect two-way network conversations between computers so it can detect and help network administrators mitigate cyberattacks. FLOWER provides insight into traffic patterns and identifies abnormal data flows that should undergo further analysis.

“The FLOWER transition is the second cyber product that S&T has commercialized during the past three months through its Transition to Practice Program, which identifies promising cybersecurity technologies for further development and transition to the commercial marketplace,” said DHS Under Secretary (Acting) for Science and Technology William Bryan.

FLOWER was selected for inclusion in TTP’s 2016 cohort for further development and validation to accelerate its commercial transition. The TTP program, which is administered by S&T’s Cyber Security Division’s (CSD), complements the S&T process of funding projects through the full research and development lifecycle and into the commercial marketplace. Each fiscal year, the TTP program selects eight promising cybersecurity technologies developed at federally funded laboratories, universities and research and development centers for the 36-month transition-to-market program.

These new technologies are then introduced to cybersecurity professionals around the country with the goal of connecting them to investors, developers, and integrators who can advance the technologies and turn them into commercially viable products. To facilitate these connections, TTP hosts “Demonstration Day” events around the country to showcase the technologies to companies, spur pilot opportunities, and start the technologies on the road to commercialization. Including FLOWER, TTP has successfully transitioned 10 technologies.

“By focusing on transition, the TTP program creates opportunities for promising technologies to turn into solutions that meet the needs of the private sector. The FLOWER transition validates TTP’s role in connecting technologies from federally supported labs, universities, and research and development centers with the cybersecurity professionals who need them to secure network environments,” says Nadia Carlsten, TTP program manager.

Source: DHS