5 Security Startups You Should Know

Here are five emerging security vendors that, in a short time, have won over the hearts and minds of many solution providers with their compelling technology and partner savvy.

1. BioPassword
The U.S. government is mandating that financial services firms have two-factor authentication in place by the end of the year. Startup BioPassword is giving companies a way to achieve this requirement.

The Issaquah, Wash.-based authentication specialist's technology validates users not by passwords but by their unique typing pattern, through the use of biometrics analysis. The technology already is paying off for companies bogged down with help-desk calls for lost password requests or firms whose employees often share passwords.

2. Consentry Networks
Many startups in the network access control (NAC) space are focusing on removing the complexity from NAC. One of the hottest in this space is Milpitas, Calif.-based Consentry Networks, whose strategy is to consolidate the disparate functions of NAC into one box.

Consentry's NAC solution leverages current systems and ties into identity stores such as Active Directory to simplify deployment. VARs say Consentry gives them a way to deploy NAC solutions without making any changes to existing infrastructure. And VARs that have traditionally focused on perimeter security find that Consentry's solution gives them an inroad to the corporate network and a chance to position their services for new customers.

3. Palisade Systems
As larger content security vendors continue to raise their prices, companies are gravitating toward less expensive options. Palisade Systems is giving companies a cheaper way to meet their content analysis, bandwidth management, application security, and URL filtering needs.

Even better, the West Des Moines, Iowa-based security vendor recently stamped out all remnants of direct sales and now drives 100 percent of its business through the channel.

4. 8e6 Technologies
Another startup that's shunning its direct sales roots is 8e6 Technologies, a maker of Internet filtering, monitoring and reporting solutions.

The Orange, Calif.-based vendor has trained its territory sales staff to work closely with its VARs. And its Web filtering appliances scale from 500 seats all the way up to 30,000 seats -- and at a far better price than the big players in this security segment, according to many solution providers.

5. Bit9
Whitelisting technologies are another rising trend in security. The technology identifies applications permitted to run on a machine and blocks those that aren't. The main benefit of whitelisting is that it uses fewer system resources and is more effective than traditional antivirus software.

Cambridge, Mass.-based Bit9 is making noise in this space with its Parity offering, which monitors the network and allows only authorized applications to run on PCs. Besides cutting down on the time companies spend on patching and installing virus updates, Parity serves the additional function of preventing employees from using non-work-related applications, such as iTunes.