Net safety software wins Esphion $500,000 deal

Auckland security system maker Esphion has landed a $500,000 deal with Hong Kong's PCCW, one of Asia's largest telecommunications companies, to provide software to protect it from internet attacks.

Allen Wong, PCCW director of product development and management, said his company had introduced Esphion's NetX neural intelligence system.

"At PCCW we have worked very hard to find a proactive, real-time security solution that we can deploy widely in our fast growing IP networks," said Wong.

A critical factor for PCCW was ensuring network security for its 500,000 broadband customers, said Wong, as many businesses depended on the carrier.

Speaking to the Business Herald from Hong Kong, Wong said the Esphion system was world class and beat all contenders for the business.

PCCW has 12,000 staff and is a major player in Asian telecommunications, especially in China.

Esphion's chief executive Greg Cross said the deal came just as the company had completed a $4 million round of venture capital funding.

It was proof that innovative small New Zealand companies had products that could foot it on the international stage.

He said the company's development and use of industry leading neural network analysis engines meant its customers had a real-time layer of security which was uniquely tuned to the IP traffic on its network at any time.

Cross said Esphion put a system into PCCW and showed the extent of the attacks on its system.

"Esphion's NetX neural intelligence technology provides real-time analysis of IP packets, identifying internet attacks and traffic anomalies - producing precise signatures of events that may be quickly applied to network and security elements," said Cross.

He said PCCW was surprised at the degree of attempted intrusion, which was something telcos and other organisations all over the world had to watch.

Cross said Esphion was also targeting Government and financial organisations in Asia.