Successful cybersecurity firm Seccuris continues to grow with NRC-IRAP support

There's a saying that goes "If you can dream it, you can do it," which is exactly what Michael Legary did when he and his partners founded Seccuris Inc., a cybersecurity consulting and managed-services firm, in 1999. Legary had big dreams for the company and set out to shape Seccuris into a premium provider of business-driven enterprise security solutions.

To achieve this goal, as any smart entrepreneur will do, Legary sought advice from various sources on the best methods for achieving his goals. One of these sources was National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) Industrial Technology Advisor (ITA) George Ortega, who he met some 14 years ago at a cybersecurity event. The strategic opportunities that Legary and Ortega discussed at that meeting formed the foundation of their continued business relationship, and it's one of the key influences that helped launch Seccuris on the road to success.

"When I first spoke to Michael Legary, his company was purely a service provider for information security," says Ortega. "They had no true technology or IP at that time. In business, it's a well-known fact that if you really want to succeed, you have to come up with a product that people will buy. So I suggested Seccuris begin researching and developing products that would solve the critical security issues facing most enterprises."

Introduction led to productive partnership

In 2008 Ortega helped again by putting Legary in touch with TRTech (formerly TRLabs), leading to a meeting with TRTech research associate Dr. Paul Card, who later joined Seccuris as Director of Research and Development. With NRC-IRAP's support and TRTech's collaboration under Card's direction, Seccuris designed intellectual property that helped Seccuris continue its planned path for expansion.

One of these properties was the OneStone™ Information Assurance Portal, a cloud-based platform that protects clients from external and internal threats through reliable 24/7 remote monitoring and cybersecurity management that's easy to deploy and provides immediate benefits. Backed by a team of security professionals and analysts armed with a robust and automated threat monitoring capability and a sophisticated Security Operations Center, OneStone helps guard companies against increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks. Since its launch, OneStone has continued to provide a cost-effective solution to Securris's clients, which has helped the company maintain a substantial growth rate every year.

In addition to acting as the catalyst for Seccuris' decision to look into building an R&D capability, NRC-IRAP also helped Seccuris formalize it with valuable advice, linkages, and financial support. "The backing we received from IRAP enabled us to engage TRTech and other research institutes," says Legary. "As a result, we were able to push ahead of our competitors and continue to do so."

Leading edge of international cybersecurity knowledge

Seccuris has grown so much that it's almost unrecognizable from the small company that started years ago. Today, it's the North American leader in Enterprise Security Architecture and Information Assurance Integration. The company provides clients with business-driven security solutions through consulting, risk management, and managed security services. Seccuris now has almost 100 employees working in offices throughout Canada and the United States.

"We help clients of all sizes, including a number of provincial governments, Internet providers, financial firms, educational institutes, gaming companies, and oil and gas corporations," says- Michael Legary, Seccuris Inc. Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer. "Because of the work we're doing, and with the assistance of our projects with IRAP, we're able to provide security solutions to clients when and where they need it most."

Currently, Seccuris is working on a new IRAP-supported project to help protect organizations from insider threats. Although most threats to an organization originate from outside, insider threats currently have no existing solutions. Seccuris's new project will develop research algorithms to alert human analysts to risks posed by insiders. That way, the risks can be contained proactively before they become an actual threat.

Moving forward, Seccuris will continue to meet the information assurance challenges of security risks that impact organizations and their customers throughout the United States, Canada, and around the world. Legary said they will expand the company's R&D abilities too, under leadership of Christian Peron, their new Director of Research and Development. By remaining on the leading edge of international security knowledge, Seccuris can help clients protect their organizations more effectively — now and in the future.