Deep Nines

DeepNines Technologies, founded in 1999, was a network security provider that specialized in real-time, identity-based network defense for content and applications. The company was established by Sue Dark, a cybersecurity pioneer with a career spanning over 30 years who also holds many of the patents for the technology upon which the company's products were built. Her extensive background in directing both startups and mature growth companies was instrumental in her return as CEO and President in September 2010 to guide the company's next phase of expansion.

The firm focused on providing integrated network security systems to manage and control cybersecurity threats. Its client base included businesses, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, and government customers. DeepNines developed and patented unified threat management (UTM) technology, which enabled the protection and control of ports, protocols, users, applications, and content at firewall speeds. A key offering was the iTrust Security Platform, a device that worked in conjunction with an existing firewall, sitting between the internet and the network perimeter to stop attacks before they could reach the firewall. This platform also provided web content filtering and blocking of P2P and chat programs. Another significant product was the Internet Security Assessment (ISA), a tool launched in 2009 to provide administrators with comprehensive visibility into their internet traffic to identify vulnerabilities and policy violations.

The company's business model revolved around the sale of its security appliances and modules. For instance, the Frontline 910 base UTM started at $5,000, with larger models scaling up in price, and additional functionality modules could be purchased separately. Over its history, DeepNines raised $24 million in funding from investors including Altitude Capital Partners, Insight Partners, and Dawntreader Ventures. The company also made a strategic acquisition of Captus Networks in January 2007. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, DeepNines grew to have 200 employees. The company's journey concluded on February 11, 2011, when it was acquired by Netsweeper.

Keywords: network security, cybersecurity, unified threat management, UTM, content control, intrusion prevention, network defense, security appliance, web content filtering, real-time protection, identity-based security, Sue Dark, Netsweeper acquisition, Captus Networks, network traffic analysis, application control, protocol control, port control, threat management, IT security