A founding member of b<>com, Secure-IC is a Rennes-based company specializing in cyber security. We met with Sylvain Guilley, CTO, to discuss this fruitful collaboration.
Could you tell us a little about Secure-IC?
Like b<>com, Secure-IC is an ambitious, growing company. Created in 2010, Secure-IC is a spin-off of Télécom ParisTech and benefits directly from the results of 15 years of research conducted by the best scientists in the field of embedded cybersecurity. Secure-IC currently has 100 employees and a presence in 20 countries. Our business focuses on the end-to-end security of integrated circuits. We provide protection technologies, embedded security elements, and security IP for securing connected objects. We cover the entire chain; from the chip to telecommunications networks to the edge to the local service to the cloud.
Our solutions address many vertical markets, both public and private: Sovereign public infrastructures, smartphones, smart homes, smart meters, connected cars, and more. They make it possible to configure, control, diagnose, secure and detect anomalies or malicious activities, remotely, on all the electronic chips integrated into the products. If we take the example of connected cars, the job we do is essential to guarantee the safety of drivers and passengers.
At the same time, we also test software and certify the product as a whole, which is necessary to enter certain markets where regulations are strict.
Why did you become a member of b<>com?
Innovation is in the very DNA of Secure-IC. Today, the field of cybersecurity is constantly changing. There are many attacks every day, standards are evolving very quickly, and continuing to innovate is vital for us. With this in mind, being a member of b<>com offers us the opportunity to open our horizons, to rub shoulders and co-innovate with people who are experts in their field. On our side, we bring our own expertise to create value together.
Moreover, innovation is good but it is not a self-sufficient activity. In order to enter the market, products must be mature and protected by an effective patent policy. Thanks to b<>com's valuation structure, b<>com Licensing, we have a gateway to commercialize our work.
Finally, as we are very attached to the Rennes region, we are keen to establish partnerships with local players, like universities, grandes écoles, and academic labs; we are also a member of the Cyber Excellence Pole.
What is the status of your collaboration with b<>com?
We have just completed a joint project. For the past 3 years, our teams have been working together to identify and replicate vulnerabilities on IoT systems. b<>com has state-of-the-art infrastructure on which our engineers have been able to experiment, and we are very proud of the results and teamwork on this collaboration.
Building on this success, we have just re-upped our commitment with b<>com for two new projects that fit perfectly with our roadmap. We currently have 3 people working in the b<>com office. On the first project, we are continuing the work begun in the initial project. On the second, we are working on security issues on private 5G networks and beyond.
After several years of collaboration, we can say that the partnership between Secure-IC and b<>com is win-win.
