Oakley Networks

About Oakley Networks

Founded in 2001 by Derek Smith and Ken Davis, Oakley Networks carved a niche in the cybersecurity sector, focusing on insider threat detection and data leak prevention (DLP). Smith, who served as CEO, later co-founded Shape Security, which was acquired by F5, and also served as a Senior Advisor for Cyber-Policy at the Pentagon, demonstrating a deep-rooted expertise in cybersecurity that shaped Oakley Networks' trajectory.

The Salt Lake City-based firm developed solutions aimed at the U.S. government and Fortune 500 companies, addressing the critical need to protect information technology assets from internal misuse and abuse. Its client base consisted of enterprises seeking to secure their most sensitive data. The company's business model was centered on selling its proprietary software solutions to these large organizations.

Oakley Networks' flagship product was SureView, a data leak prevention and risk management solution for PCs and networks. This platform provided real-time alerts on potential data leakage from vulnerable desktop applications such as email, webmail, instant messaging, and web browsers. It also monitored data transfers to external devices like USB storage and CDs/DVDs, as well as printing and encryption activities. SureView analyzed this event data against both predefined and custom policies to rapidly identify potential security breaches, with pricing for the solution ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 depending on the selected options.

A pivotal moment in the company's history occurred in October 2007, when it was acquired by Raytheon. Following the acquisition, Oakley Networks was integrated into Raytheon's Intelligence and Information Systems business and operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary named Raytheon Oakley Systems, Inc. This strategic move was intended to bolster Raytheon's information security capabilities for both government and commercial customers by combining Raytheon's software systems expertise with Oakley's enterprise monitoring solutions.