Technology Executives Team Up for Terrorist Attack Planning
Go2 Expands Wireless Directory; Ernst & Young Offers Executives a Lesson in Hacking
TECHNOLOGY
by Andrew Simons
If there’s ever a terrorist attack or major disaster in Orange County, technology businesses hope to be ready.
At least that’s the gist of a new disaster preparedness program spearheaded by the Orange County arm of TechNet, a Bay area-based group of tech executives including notables such as Cisco Systems Inc.’s John Chambers.
The OC group hopes to bolster communication among tech companies so businesses can stay up and running in the event of an attack or natural disaster.
“One of our responsibilities after Sept. 11 is that we need to be aware of a whole new understanding of disaster recovery,” said Dick Salvi, a vice president with Western Digital Corp., a major participant in the effort.
While many OC tech companies are taking part, the effort is being led by Matt Massengill, Western Digital’s chief executive, and Ted Smith, the former chairman of Costa Mesa-based software maker FileNET Corp. The group met in October and talked about problems companies could face if there were an attack here.
While plans for dealing with earthquakes already are in place at most companies, officials said they want to coordinate their efforts for planning responses to a potential terrorist attack.
For now, details are scarce about what TechNet members expect to do in the event of an attack. But the group is slated to meet in a month to talk about options. The group plans to organize its plans with city and county officials.
TechNet’s intention seems almost counter-intuitive in the highly competitive tech world: Why would a company want to help out a rival in the event of a disaster?
“This becomes more of an economic issue than a competitive one,” Salvi said.
Go2 Expands Directory
Irvine-based go2 Systems Inc., a maker of software that allows users to order and locate services via their mobile phones, said it doubled the number of chains available on its directory service in the fourth quarter.
Go2 teams with fast-food chains and retailers to put their locations on the phones of go2 subscribers. The company projects the market for such wireless directory services will hit $11 billion by 2005.
The number of outlets on go2’s service grew nearly six times to more than 80,000 in the fourth quarter, the company said. Go2 partners include Burger King Corp., ChevronTexaco Corp., Phillips Petroleum Co.’s Tosco and Howard Johnson International Inc.
As a result of the new partnerships, “Consumers can obtain the most current and relevant information about a local merchant when they need it,” said Lee Hancock, go2’s founder and chief executive.
E & Y; Hacking Away
The Orange County office of Ernst & Young International is holding an “Extreme Hacking Course” this week for corporate tech whizzes.
At the five-day course, which the organizers call “boot camp,” participants are given a laptop and all the everyday tools used to break into corporate networks. That way, corporate techies can see their networks from the hacker’s point of view.
About half the class is spent doing hands-on exercises using hacking techniques. At the end of the course, participants are shown ways of defending against hacker attacks.
Datum Downward
Irvine-based Datum Inc. recently revised downward its outlook for the first quarter. Sales are projected to be about $17 million with a loss of about 30 cents a share, the company said.
In the year-ago quarter, Datum’s sales hit a record $32.3 million. For the fourth quarter, the company’s sales were $23.2 million.
“Our current expectations are softer than previous projections due to a convergence of factors that impacted each of our businesses during this quarter,” said Chief Executive Erik van der Kaay. “During the last few weeks of the quarter, a major wireless division customer pushed out delivery of a significant order.”
The company says it is working on managing its cash, which will result in paying down an additional $750,000 in debt. Datum makes high-precision timekeeping devices, frequency products and test and measurement gear. Its products synchronize networks in the telecommunications industry.
Lantronix names VP
Irvine-based Lantronix Inc., a maker of computers that serve data to remote terminals and devices, recently hired David Wolff as vice president of its systems management division. He’ll be responsible for directing product marketing and worldwide sales for Lantronix’s systems management division. He reports directly to Fred Thiel, the company’s chief executive.
“David is an exceptional leader with a proven track record,” Thiel said.
Wolff comes to Lantronix from El Camino Resource International Inc., a computer leasing firm he co-founded.
Simulation Sciences’ New Gear
Brea’s Simulation Sciences, part of Britain’s Invesys PLC, recently unveiled new software that allows users to model processes at petroleum, refining and petrochemical manufacturers. The software is called ROMeo 2.0, for rigorous online modeling.
