AlphaGuardian was awarded a Phase III contract to further develop and deploy its innovative cybersecurity technology for critical national infrastructure. By enhancing the protection of essential systems against cyber threats, AlphaGuardian’s work supports national security and strengthens the resilience of infrastructure critical to daily life. This Phase III achievement underscores the value of public-private partnerships in accelerating solutions to urgent defense needs.
Background: When Bob Hunter launched his company a decade ago, industry leaders did not believe that operational technology (OT) systems, like those utilized in water treatment plants or power grids, were truly vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks.
Flash forward to 2021. Hackers took the Colonial pipeline offline, causing national gas shortages, and bringing the OT issue to the forefront.
But even before the issue made headlines, Hunter and his team at AlphaGuardian Networks were developing technology to protect these vulnerable systems. And they tapped the Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment (APEX) to assist in pursuit of a SBIR to take their tech to a new level.
Hunter and his team developed a technology called a Zener Data Diode. Electric diodes are electronic devices that only allow current to flow in one direction. Data diodes make use of this architecture for secure data transport by encrypting data and sending it one-way without fear of nefarious data coming back to infiltrate the system.
But using a data diode has traditionally required two pairs to establish back-and-forth communications, making it a costly and expensive system to implement. But Hunter’s team again looked to electric diodes for the solution to this expensive system. There exists a device known as a Zener electric diode that allows current to reverse when a threshold voltage is applied. AlphaGuardian used this concept to change the data diode game by allowing an authenticated request on a data diode to allow a response communication, making bidirectional communications possible with a single device. They call this device, appropriately, a Zener Data Diode. The advantage over traditional data diodes is complete encrypted security while adding two-way communications. This system works well for securing Operational Technology (OT) systems which need to be monitored 99% of the time but occasionally need to send a command in response to monitoring data, such as Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), Power Distribution Units (PDU), Generators, Switchgear, Power Meters, etc.
After connecting with APEX, AlphaGuardian secured a Direct to Phase II (D2P2) $1.25M SBIR award to advance its technology. Within a month, Hunter's contacts at the Department of the Air Force recognized the potential for additional applications, leading to two subsequent contracts with the DAF. These contracts are accelerating the development of critical infrastructure protection solutions and advancing AlphaGuardian’s technology towards market readiness.
During their work on CyberGuardian®, the company also developed a related product, Site Radar®, which is a scanner product that constantly analyzes network traffic for OT systems to provide early warning signals for potential impending attacks. The software is designed to protect water systems, electric power plants, solar power plants and wind power plants. The product has been commercially available and in use at several water systems since earlier in 2024.
CyberGuardian® is the now moving toward commercial scale with its Phase III contract. AlphaGuardian has been granted a Pathfinder Pilot status for its product to manage and protect power systems at a large Air Force Base. With success in this project, the company hopes to be on track to have CyberGuardian available to the U.S. Military and commercial markets in 2025.
Hunter would never have pursued working with the DAF to develop these critical infrastructure products without encouragement from his APEX contacts, he said.
“We had no familiarity in this space of SBIR or government work,” Hunter said. “Military speak is so different. In a 5-minute conversation with someone from the Air Force, they’ll use 20 different acronyms, and when I get off the phone, I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”
But APEX walked him through what actions to take each step of the way.
“They know the ins and outs, and if there’s something they don’t know, they find out. And they know the language to use to hit the right buttons,” Hunter said. “We’re very excited about that partnership, and it has really only come about because of that SBIR,” Hunter said. “I really appreciate the support from APEX. It has just been instrumental in what we’ve been doing.”
AlphaGuardian is Hunter’s third company, having founded and successfully sold NetBrowser Communications and TrendPoint Systems.
As of October 2024, APEX has helped 600 small business compete for SBIR/STTR awards, 360 of which won funding. To find out more about APEX and how the program might be able to help your innovative technology or your team, visit apex-innovates.org.
About Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment (APEX)
APEX cultivates innovation by expanding the American research enterprise for the Department of the Air Force by engaging, connecting, and enabling innovators across academia, industry, and the Department of Defense. utilizes data analytics to identify transformational operational defense solutions in academia, industry, and government sectors; provides process navigation services for academic teams and small businesses and enhances cross-sector engagement by providing direct connections to the technology needs of multiple Department of Defense programs. To learn more about APEX, visit www.apex-innovates.org.
About AlphaGuardian
AlphaGuardian Networks is a leading cybersecurity company dedicated to protecting critical infrastructure and operational technology (OT) systems from cyber threats. Founded by Bob Hunter, AlphaGuardian specializes in developing innovative solutions for sectors where OT cybersecurity is paramount, including water treatment facilities, power grids, and other essential services. With groundbreaking technology like the Zener Data Diode in CyberGuardian® —a diode allowing secure bidirectional communication—and products like Site Radar®, AlphaGuardian provides early warning systems and enhanced security measures to protect against emerging cyber risks. Through partnerships with the Department of the Air Force and leading industry manufacturers, AlphaGuardian continues to advance its mission of safeguarding national infrastructure, ensuring resilience, and strengthening security across the public and private sectors. For more information, visit www.alphaguardian.net.