History & Milestones

Tofino Security was formed in 2006 after the company acquired the technology that Eric Byres, CTO, developed while working as founder and head of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Critical Infrastructure Security Centre.

Eric’s background as a controls engineer has resulted in cyber security technology that approaches security from a different perspective, i.e. from the perspective of what works in rugged, 24/7 process control environments that are managed and maintained by process control specialists.

The technology developed in the BCIT labs was commercialized and the Tofino product line was launched in January 2008. The Tofino Industrial Security Solution has received very positive reviews from media, analysts and end-users.

Tofino Security has partnered with:

Honeywell incorporating Tofino industrial security solutions into Honeywell PKS control systems

Honeywell, which has incorporated Tofino technology into three products for the Honeywell Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) control system


Belden / Hirschmann manufacturing and selling new Tofino industrial security products

Hirschmann/Belden , to manufacture, sell and support the Eagle Tofino Series of industrial network security products for the manufacturing, automation, marine and process control industries


Invensys Operations ManagementInvensys, which uses Tofino technology in its Triconex Tofino Firewall for OPC to protect Triconex safety systems


MTL Instruments manufacturing Tofino industrial security solutionMTL Instruments, to manufacture, sell and support Tofino products worldwide

 

 

 

 

 Milestones

2012  

Jan

  • Industry veteran Frank Williams joins the Tofino Security team with responsibilities for strategy, platforms and sales channels.  His addition is part of a company initiative to ramp up development and sales as part of the Belden organization.

 

2011

 

Sept

Jan

 

2010

 

Oct

  • Stuxnet Central is created to provide a hub for the information that Byres Security has created regarding Stuxnet, along with links to key industry material.

Sept

Aug

  • The Practical SCADA Security blog is started as a result of the detection of the game-changing Stuxnet malware.  Its goal is to provide SCADA and Automation professionals with clear, simple guidance on making their systems as secure as possible.

 May

 April

 Jan

  

2009  

Nov

Oct

Sept

Aug

May

March

 
  • Another Byres company, Byres Research, Inc. merges with exida, to form the world’s first company offering functional safety and security certification and consultation.

 

2008  

Oct

April

  • Honeywell ships the Honeywell Modbus TCP Firewall based on Tofino Technology.

Jan

  • The Tofino Industrial Security Solution is released to the market.

 

2007  

Oct

 

2006  
 
  • MTL and Byres Security Inc. announced a cooperative agreement to develop, manufacture and distribute a revolutionary new product for securing both new and legacy SCADA and process control systems.

  • Byres Security is incorporated, with the goal of providing practical and effective industrial network security solutions to the process control industries.

  • Eric Byres and Joann Byres found the Control System Security Certification Organization (CSSCO). They co-author three whitepapers on standards and compliance in security which later becomes the foundation of the ISA Security Compliance Institute in 2007.

 

2001  
 
  • Eric Byres founds the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Critical Infrastructure Security Centre and shapes it into one of North America’s leading academic facilities in the field of SCADA cyber security.