In this Entrepreneur Spotlight, we are highlighting Attila Security located in Fulton, MD with Datatribe. 
Attila Security is the leader in portable IP security. Their award-winning GoSilent technology was originally developed at NSA designed to protect government and enterprises from advanced cyber attacks, zero-day threats, and data theft. Built for the cloud world where traditional network perimeters have disappeared, GoSilent helps global enterprises protect their most precious asset— DATA —wherever it resides. By providing visibility, control and threat defense across physical, virtual, and cloud applications, Attila protects connected devices from the tidal wave of cyber activity estimated to cost the global economy more than $400 billion annually. Their people, products, and partners are committed to protecting the nation state.
For this feature, we interviewed Gregg Smith, a cyber industry veteran who previously led several cybersecurity companies including OptioLabs and Silent Circle on how they got their name and how they have been so successful at having their technology adopted.
- We love the Gorilla – tell us a little bit about Attila and how you came up with the name.
LOL—We love the gorilla too. These days it is so difficult to come up with a company name and logo that is unique. We started with a different company name in mind and based on that name a designer created the gorilla. We soon realized that our original idea for a company name was too close to that of a potential competitor. The founding team loved the gorilla logo, so we searched for a name that would resonate… someone mentioned Attila the Gorilla, and so we became Attila Security and fortunately, AttilaSec.com was available.
- Mike Janke was quoted saying that your technology is “so far ahead of current generation security tools…I have never seen a technology platform be adopted in the Fortune 1000 space as quickly and easily as Attila has..” What’s driven this adoption?
Chief Security Officers work long hours and have limited budgets which are always under scrutiny. In addition, they often lack adequate resources. With this in mind, we developed the first truly portable enterprise-grade firewall and VPN secure enough to be used for the most sensitive communications. GoSilent is easily set-up and deployed by non-technical users and creates an immediate ROI with lower administrative costs and time investment.
- What most surprised you about the users of your technology?
We have been lucky; we started the company with just a few simple use cases. It’s no surprise that a highly portable security solution like GoSilent (it fits in the palm of your hand) would be interesting to anyone in our marketplace. Our early adopters expanded our use cases without modifying our product feature set. Customers then began to pay for product enhancements to bring our offering to other areas of their enterprises., We have been successful by listening to our customer’s needs and by being nimble. We value customer input.
- Gregg, as a serial entrepreneur in cyberspace, what is the most helpful tip you have been given or “hack” you have learned along the way?
I was given two ears and only one mouth for a reason—I try to listen more than I speak.
- What are some key milestones you are hoping to achieve in 2019?
We have 4 keys milestones for 2019: 1) Obtain NIAP certification stating our product solutions may be used to allow any IP-enabled device to connect to U.S. government networks (over any network, including public WiFi, 2) grow our Maryland employment base by 100%, 3) increase our enterprise deployments and 4) further expand our use cases.
