New Security Firm Draws On Global Experience

4FrontSecurity, based here, was launched earlier this year by a small group of consultants with global IT experience. Christopher Parker, co-founder and CEO, has 25 years of experience in sales, management, marketing and business development in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Most recently he was CEO of Saztec International, a Boston-based company specializing in database design, construction and maintenance.

Co-founder and Chief Security Officer Steve Crutchley has more than 30 years of experience, including deploying secure IT systems in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He previously was a founder and director of eTechSecurity, an IT security consultancy based in the Mideast.

In the U.K. and elsewhere outside the United States, companies put a higher priority on information security and security awareness is higher, Parker said.

4Front focuses on taking a business approach to security, he said.

"We help organizations align their thinking of security from a business perspective rather than technology," he said.

The company's consulting usually includes assessing clients' security requirements and steering them through the plethora of security products to help them build the right protection for their organizations, executives said.

4Front also focuses on building security awareness of senior-level executives. Other services include implementation of security technologies, network forensics, and development of security policies.

Despite the slow economy putting the squeeze on IT spending, Parker said the timing's good to start a new company.

"If you launch when the market's up, you're battling everyone for space," he said. "It's a good time to launch. The market's going to come back."