Wanted: Your IT For Secret Agent Program - Page 3

Breasting The CIA's Cards
With In-Q-Tel being such an overt operation, is there and inherent risk to divulging the CIA's next move? Louie says no.

"The reality is that everybody needs the tools," he said. "What is secret is the data and the tools in terms to enable them. A word processor is not a Class-5 technology but the memo I write on it may be."

In fact no company In-Q-Tel has invested in (Browse3D and its three dimensional views; Graviton's wireless management solutions; Traction, which has tools that integrate e-mail, attachments, and other data sources into an easy to read newspaper format) has technology that is completely impossible to copy. Instead, the agency will look at the technology as it pertains to the big picture.

Overall, In-Q-Tel says the current trend towards XML is an important one because it helps power the next generation of technology especially if it is combined with transparent security. The long-term picture is a little more ambiguous, but Louie says that companies that can deal with multiple media types should be getting a call.

Louie's best advice for companies is to support security certificates early on and put it as a high priority in the first version of the products as opposed to creating security in version 2 or 3.

The difference is that the CIA will tweak the product to suit its own needs, as it did with SafeWeb.

SafeWeb: A Case Study
Emeryville, Calif.-based SafeWeb's commercial product let Internet users surf the Web anonymously and securely. The CIA thought it was a great idea, but the agency had other plans.

"Their focus was more commercial with a SCA device in their VPN . They were on the right track though," said Louie. "Quick and easy VPNs are in demand, but as far as their product was concerned, we found it an interesting point of view but not exactly what we were looking for, so they worked with us and tweaked it."

Because of that, in August 2001 the company made headlines when it teamed up to basically smuggle Western news into Communist China with the help of the Internet Broadcasting Bureau, which also oversees the Voice of America.

The partnership gave SafeWeb $5 million from Congress on top of its In-Q-Tel money to undermine the Chinese government attempts at blocking certain URLs from the West.

In that case, SafeWeb came out with a product they didn't anticipate. But Louie says some companies try too hard and focus only on something that the CIA may be interested in, but not really commercially viable. The problem there is that a product that is government unique has the danger of only getting revenue form the government.

The better solution, he notes, is to prepare a commercially viable product first and then look to tailor it to the CIA's needs. The product must not only be secure at its core, but able to withstand the market long term and avoid an orphan situation.

"There are some special cases that require just a 2 percent modification," said Louie. In those cases, companies should let the agency figure out how the technology fits in with our plans.

This may be why in investment circles, In-Q-Tel is less likely than other VCs to take risks on fringe technologies.

"We get tips from other VCs, but we don't think like they do," said Louie. "Because we are a non-profit, we tend to support a product as a strategic venture and focus on its survivability and mobility.

As for the company's next big venture, Louie says you'll have to wait and see what happens.