computer science

SafeNet

SafeNet is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SafeNet rather than just read about it. In short: SafeNet, Inc. was an information security company based in Belcamp, Maryland, United States, which was acquired in August 2014 by the French security company Gemalto. Gemalto was, in turn, acquired by Thales Group in 2019.

Key takeaways

SafeNet belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SafeNet to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SafeNet from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SafeNet, Inc. was an information security company based in Belcamp, Maryland, United States, which was acquired in August 2014 by the French security company Gemalto. Gemalto was, in turn, acquired by Thales Group in 2019. The former SafeNet's products include solutions for enterprise authentication, data encryption, and key management. SafeNet's software monetization products are sold under the Thales Sentinel brand. SafeNet was notably one of the largest suppliers of encryption technology to the United States Government. On 8 August 2014, Gemalto announced that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the share capital of SafeNet from Vector Capital for US$890 million on a debt free/cash free basis. A subsequent acquisition of Gemalto by Thales Group was completed on 2 April 2019.

History

1983: SafeNet, Inc is founded in 1983 in Timonium, MD as Industrial Resource Engineering by two former NSA engineers, Alan Hastings and Douglas Kozlay. 1986: Anthony A. Caputo becomes a silent investor in the company. 1987: Anthony Caputo takes the helm of the company as CEO and changes the name to Information Resource Engineering. 1988: Lawrence Livermore Labs becomes IRE's first major customer. The company moves its operations to White Marsh, MD. 1989: IRE goes public in an IPO initially trading on the OTC pink sheets. 1989: IRE rapidly becomes the leader in banking communications security with seven of the top ten U.S. banks as customers and encryption devices used by SWIFT (global interbank transfer system). An end-to-end encryption system was developed that secured data over an X.25 public network, providing the world's first "virtual private network." Early adopters included the Bank of Montreal and Citibank. 1994: IRE acquires Connective Strategies, Inc., a manufacturer of voice and data ISDN products founded by its CEO, Charles Brown. October 1995: IRE acquires Swiss crypto manufacturer Gretag Data Systems for $4 million. 1996: MCI Communications launches the first commercial VPN service using SafeNet VPN technology developed by Charles Brown of SafeNet and Vinton Cerf of MCI. SafeNet is adopted by thirteen of the top fifteen U.S. banks within two years. 1997: IRE stock plunges 50% in one day on the announcement of the restructuring of the MCI contract. July 1998: Major shareholder fails in a hostile takeover attempt of IRE. 2000: IRE is renamed SafeNet, Inc. after the VPN product line. 2001: Company co-founder Doug Kozlay leaves SafeNet to form Biometric Associates, a technology company focused on biometric-based authentication and identity solutions. 2002: SafeNet acquires a Dutch company Securealink. With the collapse of the tech "bubble," SafeNet, as a public company with a strong sales channel, was able to acquire a series of promising security companies at deep discounts. February 2003: SafeNet acquires Cylink and Raqia Networks October 2003: SafeNet acquires the OEM business of SSH Communications Security November 2003: SafeNet moves its corporate offices to Belcamp, MD. March 2004: SafeNet acquires Rainbow Technologies. December 2004: SafeNet acquires Datakey, Inc April 2005: SafeNet acquires DMDSecure B.V. June 2005: SafeNet acquires MediaSentry December 2005: SafeNet acquires Eracom Technologies AG 2006: SafeNet was involved in the options backdating controversy. As a result, both the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer resigned, and in 2008 the company's former CFO was sentenced to six months in prison for manipulating employee stock options. April 2007: California-based financial company Vector Capital buys Safenet for $634 million, making it private April 2008: SafeNet acquires Ingrian Networks, Inc. May 2008: SafeNet acquires Beep Science AS April 2009: SafeNet sells MediaSentry to ArtistDirect December 2009: SafeNet acquires Assured Decisions, LLC December 2012: SafeNet sells its Government Solutions business unit to Raytheon August 2014: SafeNet announces it is to be acquired by Gemalto by the 4Q of 2014 February 2015: SafeNet Assured Technologies is launched as a fully owned subsidiary of Gemalto to provide high-assurance data security products and technologies to the U.S. Government. April 2019: Thales Group closes the acquisition of Gemalto. Thales Cloud Protection and Licensing were formed to serve the global community, and SafeNet Assured Technologies, the entity serving the U.S. Government, becomes Thales Trusted Cyber Technologies.

Current and former subsidiaries The former Rainbow Technologies subsidiary SafeNet Government Solutions, formerly SafeNet Mykotronx, is still based in Torrance, California with offices in Irvine, California and Columbia, Maryland. The company was founded in 1979 as Myko Enterprises. It changed its name to Mykotronx, Inc in 1987 and merged with SafeNet as part of the SafeNet merger with Rainbow in 2004. SafeNet Government Solutions, LLC has been operationally merged into SafeNet and the lines between the two organizations have been intentionally blurred due to financial reasons. SafeNet Government Solutions is no longer considered a subsidiary. SafeNet Government Solutions provides information security and communications security technology for the US government. The firm has an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for its KIV-7 line of commercial off-the-shelf cryptographic devices that provide protection for digital and voice communications through TOP SECRET, used by agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA) and the National Reconnaissance Office. Other products include the KOV-14 Fortezza Plus PC card which was developed as part of the NSA's NSSI program and is used on Secure Terminal Equipment. They previously developed the Clipper chip. In 2009, Vector Capital acquired Aladdin Knowledge Systems, and placed it under SafeNet with the annotation of 'under common management'. In 2010, the two companies were officially merged.

References

External links Official website U.S. Subsidiary Website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SafeNet

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SafeNet claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SafeNet before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SafeNet ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SafeNet

In research: SafeNet appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SafeNet in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SafeNet is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1983 establishments in Maryland, 2014 disestablishments in Maryland, 2014 mergers and acquisitions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SafeNet outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SafeNet in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SafeNet means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SafeNet out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SafeNet in simple terms?

Why does SafeNet matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SafeNet?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SafeNet.