Identity Engines was founded in early 2004 to solve a pervasive enterprise problem – the growing identity gap between network access control and user directories. Its mission is to "develop highly reliable, scalable, identity-based solutions for securing enterprise networks." The company’s Ignition™ platform provides enterprise-grade authentication, authorization and auditing services for distributed network infrastructures.
From the beginning, the plan for Identity Engines was to deliver its products as appliances. The ability to make complex security policy decisions based on user identities is a critical core function for the operation and security of an enterprise network, so any products in this area must be secure and highly reliable. Appliances address the problem of software/hardware compatibility by allowing the software to run on a single, supplied hardware platform. They provide better performance per dollar by allowing the software to be more tightly coupled with the hardware, taking maximum advantage of the specific hardware resources available on the supplied platform. The appliance form factor can provide physical security features such as tamper detection, console security and environmental monitoring that software alone cannot deliver.
Because of the technical challenges that would be involved in designing and building the hardware as the software was being developed, management at Identity Engines was looking for more than a simple vendor to manufacture their appliances. They felt they needed a partner that had the expertise to make informed recommendations, respond to changing needs in a dynamic environment, and help them meet an aggressive schedule for the development of the product. This situation was made even more challenging by the electrical engineering backgrounds of several key players on the Identity Engines team and the demanding, market specific product requirements. In short, this project would not be for the faint-hearted.
To start the search, Identity Engines' manager of operations Gary Hasenfus sent out RFPs to a dozen server/appliance manufacturers. Among those was MBX Systems, which he discovered through an Internet search.
It became immediately apparent to Hasenfus that MBX wanted the business more than anyone else. The company responded quickly to the initial RFP, and demonstrated its flexibility and technical expertise as the selection process deepened. "They did what they said they'd do at every step," Hasenfus says. "From the beginning they acted like a partner rather than a vendor."
Once MBX was selected the real work began. Hasenfus began to lean on MBX to provide recommendations on key components for the hardware portion of the appliance. For example, he would state that he needed a certain type of processor that could operate at a specific speed and temperature, and MBX would come back with several options. MBX provided a choice of several suitable motherboards, thereby expanding design possibilities as well.
As part of the overall branding package, MBX helped Identity Engines create a unique, instantly recognizable custom chassis for its appliances. The downside was that it would take 12 weeks to build the first ones – time Identity Engines could ill afford to lose in the product development process. MBX's solution was to use one of its off-the-shelf chassis as the base for pre-production units. Electrically, they were the same, they just didn’t share the form factor. MBX built 12 such units in order to allow Identity Engines to develop its software on real working target hardware, eliminating the need to change platforms once the production hardware became available. MBX also supplied two final prototypes with the custom chassis to use in final testing and regulatory certification before moving into production.
While Hasenfus said there were the inevitable glitches in the process, he was extremely pleased with MBX's response. "There are always little fires to be put out," he says. "What was nice about MBX was that they worked with us instead of against us to make the fixes. It was nice to work with a company we felt shared our goals and were as concerned about our success as we were."
Although design and manufacturing was the initial focus of partner selection, Hasenfus says he has availed himself of a number of other MBX services as well. The company has assisted Identity Engines with developing early outbound marketing materials and photography, designing the packaging and the internal foam for shipping, creating instruction sheets and supply chain management of the component parts. When Identity Engines had a problem with one of the product certifications, MBX stepped in and resolved the problem in two days, allowing Identity Engines to maintain its first ship schedule.
"My job is to make sure that hardware is not an issue for our customers," Hasenfus says. "The primary value of the products is in the software. MBX has helped us make sure that the hardware does what it's supposed to, which keeps our focus on the software. I've been extremely impressed with their dedication to every detail at every step of the way."
Identity Engines was able to get off to a fast start in 2005, with sales exceeding original projections. Hasenfus attributes this being on time to a growing market with a quality product in a reliable and secure appliance form factor. In addition the company has been able to establish a unique brand identity in a short period of time, partially due to the easily identifiable look of the products and partially due to the testimonials of its customers about the features and performance.
As the program has grown, MBX has been able to adjust and grow with it. Hasenfus finds this remarkable, as often times when a program such as this begins expanding rapidly the troubles usually expand with them. That has not been his experience, however.
"To me, there are two real measurements of a manufacturer's ability," he says. "Repeatability is one. MBX excels here. Every time I receive a shipment of appliances from them I find the list of things I need to address gets shorter. In fact, they're usually checking with me to make sure there isn't anything else. They truly understand and value continuous improvement.
"The second measurement is acumen. In any complex environment problems will inevitably occur. It's how you respond to problems that counts. If I bring something up, MBX doesn't fight me or try to deflect blame somewhere. And I don't have to convince them it's a problem. They dig in with me to help solve it. That's the real difference between a vendor and a partner. MBX defines what a partner should be."
Founded in 2004, Identity Engines develops scalable, identity-based solutions for securing enterprise networks. The company’s solutions provide comprehensive identity services such as authentication, authorization, and auditing to distributed network devices while enabling centralized administration and policy management for improved access control and compliance. For more information, visit http://www.idengines.com.
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