World-Renowned Experts Join Skyhigh Networks’ Cryptography Advisory Board

Board will provide expert oversight of encryption schemes for advanced cloud security, and deliver a boost to enterprise adoption of cloud services

CUPERTINO, Calif.--()--Skyhigh Networks, the Cloud Visibility and Enablement Company, announced an industry-first Cryptography Advisory Board to ensure advanced encryption algorithms applied to protect corporate data in cloud services meet the highest peer-reviewed standards. Composed of world-renowned cryptography researchers, the board will collaborate with Skyhigh Networks to leverage academic breakthroughs for more open, functional, and secure application of security principles required to enable the wider adoption of cloud services for mission-critical enterprise use.

Encrypting data with customer-owned keys in SaaS applications, without compromising application functionality such as search, sort, and format validation, is quickly becoming a must-have requirement as enterprises seek to address NSA concerns and comply with numerous regulatory requirements including PCI, HIPAA, and the EU Data Protection Act.

The Skyhigh Cryptography Advisory Board consists of:

  • Mihir Bellare, Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California, San Diego
  • Alexandra (Sasha) Boldyreva, Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science in the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Ari Juels, Professor at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, Cornell Tech
  • Kenny Paterson, Professor of Information Security and EPSRC Leadership Fellow, Information Security Group, Royal Holloway, at the University of London
  • Thomas Ristenpart, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

The board offers unique insight into function-preserving cryptography research, enabling significant advances in efficiency, functionality, and security for data encrypted at rest in the cloud. Collaboration between Skyhigh and members of the board has already led to advancements in order-preserving, format-preserving, and searchable encryption to services such as Salesforce and ServiceNow.

Board members have been at the forefront of tackling fundamental challenges in cryptography pertinent to cloud security for more than 20 years. Collectively, this board has pioneered work on techniques such as order- and function-preserving encryption, provable security, third-party trust models, and tamper-resistant protocol-level encryption with direct applicability to securing the cloud.

The board will provide guidance on Skyhigh Networks’ use of open encryption schemes and will also advise Skyhigh Networks’ customers on data security strategies pertinent to the cloud.

Comments on the News:

“The establishment of the Skyhigh Cryptography Advisory Board is a testament to our commitment to innovate and to adopt academically vetted, and open, cryptographic schemes so that our customers can more confidently secure their data in cloud services. We believe this collaboration is an important step forward for the industry to meet cloud security challenges and further accelerate the cloud economy.”
-Sekhar Sarukkai, co-founder and VP of Engineering at Skyhigh Networks.

“Skyhigh is leading the industry way with peer-reviewed, theoretically-sound, advanced cryptography based on symbiotic relations with the research community. The Skyhigh route provides higher assurance as well as new capabilities and services. It is exciting to be part of this synergistic effort.”
-Mihir Bellare, Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California, San Diego

“It is mutually beneficial when the worlds of academia and enterprise collaborate. The cross-pollination gives academics insight into the new problems enterprises need to solve, and our scrutiny provides enterprises with stronger solutions, translating to benefits for customers.”
-Alexandra (Sasha) Boldyreva, Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science in the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology

“Over the course of my career in academic and applied cryptography, Skyhigh is the first cloud security company I’ve seen assemble a Cryptography Advisory Board with an explicit commitment to implementation of peer-reviewed cryptographic algorithms. In so doing, Skyhigh gains access to cutting edge research in academia and the ability to validate and quickly deploy cryptographic innovations.”
-Ari Juels, Professor at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, Cornell Tech

The need for strong encryption schemes resonates with EU organizations sensitive to privacy concerns and regulations. Skyhigh’s commitment to openness in the arena of encryption should speak volumes to businesses looking for encryption solutions with third-party validation.
-Kenny Paterson, Professor of Information Security, Royal Holloway, at the University of London

“Getting cryptography right is incredibly challenging, and when the community hears vendors’ claims about advanced ‘commercially viable homomorphic encryption’ we get nervous. That’s why it’s refreshing to see Skyhigh take a leadership role in advocating for open, academically vetted applied cryptography. This will not only benefit their customers, but will help build tools useful to the broader security community and even help educate academia about the most pressing real-world challenges facing industry today.”
-Thomas Ristenpart, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

About Skyhigh Networks

Skyhigh Networks, the Cloud Visibility and Enablement Company, enables enterprises to embrace cloud services with appropriate levels of security, compliance, and governance. Over 200 enterprises including Cisco, DirecTV, Equinix, HP, and Western Union use Skyhigh to manage their “Cloud Adoption Lifecycle” with unparalleled visibility and risk assessment, usage and threat analytics, and seamless policy enforcement. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Skyhigh Networks is backed by Greylock Partners and Sequoia Capital. For more information, visit us at www.skyhighnetworks.com or follow us on Twitter @skyhighnetworks.

Contacts

Skyhigh Networks
Michelle Marin, 408-564-0278
pr@skyhighnetworks.com

Release Summary

Skyhigh Networks announced an industry-first Cryptography Advisory Board to ensure advanced encryption algorithms to protect corporate data in cloud services meet the highest peer-reviewed standards.

Contacts

Skyhigh Networks
Michelle Marin, 408-564-0278
pr@skyhighnetworks.com