Reprivata developed a cybersecurity solution which could fundamentally change how companies create private, trust-based interconnections with their third-party business partners. Now, how do they attract the right “early adopter” to implement it?
John “Tripp” Hardy, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Reprivata, sat in the San Francisco airport waiting for his flight to Washington, DC. Tripp, an investment banker by training, had been approached by one of Reprivata’s founders, Scott Yeager, to join the young company and help it to productize its cybersecurity solution.
Tripp and Scott had known each other since 2014. Scott was a visionary in the networking field who had helped start Metropolitan Area Exchange – East (MAE-East), one of the first commercial and largest of the Internet Exchange Points (IXPs). By 2013, Scott, along with his partner David Cox (an expert in both networking and application development), had turned their talents to developing a cybersecurity solution to allow companies to build a Community of Trust (CoT). This CoT would enable the members to communicate and collaborate securely amongst themselves on business and cybersecurity issues. While addressing this problem, Scott and David had come to three conclusions. First, a technology was needed that would allow the businesses to securely communicate and collaborate over the Internet. Second, a generally-accepted cybersecurity standard was required to provide a methodology for businesses to mature their cybersecurity programs. Third, the business network connections between companies needed to be governed by legal language, similar to the Master Service Agreements that had been written in the 1990s for IXPs and ISPs to link their networks. With those three design elements in his mind, Scott and David had set to work.
After years in development, Scott had shown Tripp the initial solution. Excited about its potential and the opportunity to work with Scott to build Reprivata, Tripp decided it was the right time to join the company and help it take the CoT solution to market. As Tripp first began to present the Reprivata CoT solution to his Financial Services contacts, there was a significant amount of interest in the CoT concept. However, none of the organizations were willing to implement Reprivata’s solution and show its worth. As Tripp reviewed his upcoming schedule of meetings in Washington, DC, he thought, “How do we overcome just one organization’s reluctance when they clearly see the value of our solution?”
Authors: Ed Fulford
Link: https://doi.org/10.28945/4112
Cite as: Fulford, E. (2018). Implementing a cybersecurity community of trust: Reprivata seeks an “early adopter”. Muma Case Review 3(7). 1-20. https://doi.org/10.28945/4112