Internet Security Systems began as a program a Georgia Tech student wrote to find holes in networks. By 1998 companies were connecting to the internet faster than they could secure themselves. Firewalls kept some threats out. Few tools could find weak spots inside or spot an attack in progress. The Atlanta company sold both. Its scanners checked networks for known holes, and its RealSecure product watched traffic for signs of attack. It went public in March 1998 as ISS Group.

Security Never Finishes

Christopher Klaus wrote the first version of Internet Scanner while he was a student at Georgia Tech. He founded ISS in 1994. The bet was that security would become a constant process instead of a one-time setup. ISS built a research team that tracked new vulnerabilities and updated its products to find them. That team, later called X-Force, became one of the best-known names in security. Customers included banks, government agencies, and large corporations.

X-Force Joins IBM

ISS priced its offering at $22 a share in March 1998, and its stock rose through the internet boom. The company grew into one of the largest pure security vendors and added managed security services. In 2006 IBM bought ISS for about $1.3 billion, or $28 a share in cash. ISS became part of IBM's security services business. IBM kept the X-Force research service running for its customers.

Cover: Armored Guardian, Unknown artist. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for an armored guardian (security).