History & Milestones

Byres 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. Tofino has received very positive reviews from media, analysts and end-users.

Byres Security has partnered with:

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

Hirschmann / Belden , to manufacture, sell and support the Eagle 20 Tofino Series of industrial network security products for the manufacturing, automation, marine and process control industries

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

MTL Instruments, to manufacture, sell and support Tofino products worldwide

Milestones

2010
May	Frost & Sullivan Names Byres Security the 2010 World Award Winner for Industrial Network Security Solutions. The honor marks recognition for the Tofino™ Industrial Security Solution and for the company’s focus on enhancing the value its customers receive.
April	Release of the new Triconex Tofino Firewall from Invensys Operations Management. This firewall protects Triconex safety systems that use the OPC Classic communications protocol, the world’s most widely used industrial integration protocol, against network attacks and accidents.
Jan	Release of the new Tofino Argon Product Series from Byres Security Inc. for flexible, functional industrial network security

2009
Nov	Belden releases Hirschmann Eagle 20 Tofino Plug-n-Protect product line based on Tofino technology Release of Tofino Event Logger module for reliable logging of SCADA security events and alarms
Oct	Tofino architect and Byres Security Chief Technology officer Eric Byres awarded rare ISA honour
Sept	Byres Security demonstrates advanced IF-MAP technology with Juniper Networks
Aug	Honeywell releases second product that is based on Tofino technology Belden announces that it is working with Byres Security to develop rugged industrial security products
May	Release of the Tofino VPN modules for secure remote SCADA communication
March	Boeing and the Trusted Computing Group demonstrate the Tofino Industrial Security Solution
	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	Release of the Tofino Modbus TCP Enforcer Loadable Security Module for regulating Modbus network to a level of detail that has never before been possible
April	Release of the Tofino Secure Asset Management Loadable Security Module for identifying network devices and creating firewall rules Honeywell ships the Honeywell Modbus TCP Firewall based on Tofino Technology Yokogawa selects Tofino as its first approved industrial firewall
Jan	The Tofino Industrial Security Solution is released to the market

2007
Oct	The Tofino Industrial Security Solution is released to the market for beta trials

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.