Web hoster takes security to extremes

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-8436310.html?tag=mn_hd

By Larry Dignan
Staff Writer, CNET News.com 
January 11, 2002, 4:00 a.m. PT 

Web-hosting company Advanced Internet Technologies is big on security.

Not necessarily the firewall, virtual private network, virus detection
type of thing. More like the barbwire, munitions closet and
paratrooper type of security.

The Fayetteville, N.C.-based company has razor-wire fences, windows
painted black in some areas, and even a munitions closet with 12-gauge
shotguns and 9-millimeter Beretta pistols. Its data centers are
protected by 8-inch reinforced concrete and 24-hour guards. And those
precautions were taken before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"Unless we put in anti-aircraft missiles, there's not a lot more we
can do," said AIT CEO Clarence Briggs. "We don't screw around with
security."

Other Web-hosting companies have increased physical security,
installing bulletproof glass, posting guards and the like, but most
tend to stop at standard security measures such as limiting access to
authorized employees. None seems to have gone as far as AIT, analysts
said.

"This company is doing a lot more than others when it comes to
security," said Meena Almaula, a Web-hosting analyst at IDC.

At Atlanta-based Interland, which has physical security for its
servers and data centers, a representative said the Web-hosting
company considers its biggest threat to be hackers. AIT, of course,
makes use of security software to fend off enemies of that stripe.

Other defenses at Interland include palm-scanning biometric systems,
guards and video monitoring. Competitor Exodus Communications says it
uses video surveillance, security alarms and motion sensors.

Where every day is Veterans Day

For AIT, physical security measures are used to deter trespassers, but
mostly to foster a military culture where employees "like their guns
and meat," a company representative quipped.

In fact, 85 percent of AIT's staff has military experience, with many
serving at Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, just outside AIT's
headquarters. To most of AIT's military-bred employees, Briggs'
security measures may make the company almost feel homey.

Privately held AIT has three subsidiaries that provide Web hosting,
training for information technology professionals, and Internet
Protocol network services. It has 180,000 customers spread across the
globe.

The company is profitable, Briggs said, and is ranked No. 28 in
Deloitte & Touche's 2001 Technology Fast 500, which recognizes the
fastest-growing technology companies in North America and their
contributions. In its home state, AIT is the second fastest-growing
technology company with a five-year growth rate of 22,241 percent,
ahead of better-known Red Hat and RF Micro Devices.

In February, AIT plans to launch voice and data services over its
Internet Protocol network. When the network is complete, AIT will have
a metropolitan network built around Fayetteville that it will use to
market business and residential phone service and eventually video
services.

Although AIT's expansion into voice and data over IP services may seem
a bit of a leap from its core Web-hosting and training businesses,
Briggs seems confident it will pay off.

"We've spent the money, thrown our shoulder into it, and are putting
it up," he said.

Executives at AIT say one of the keys to AIT's success is its culture,
which revolves around military titles and structure. AIT is a place
where tech buzzwords such as Java and C++ meet military terms such as
"forward operator," jargon for an information gatekeeper on the front
lines.

The privately held company expects about $30 million in revenue for
2001, while other Web-hosting companies such as Exodus Communications
have struggled.

As far as tackling the tech sector in tough economic times, Briggs,
41, and his company aren't fazed. "In our previous lives we've all
done things significantly more difficult than this," he said. "We can
get in the weeds and make it happen."

Battle tested

If Briggs sounds like a military man that's because he served in the
U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division and is a veteran of Desert Storm.  
He also lists freestyle wrestling as a hobby, has security clearance
with the military, and dabbles in Mandarin Chinese.

Briggs cuts to the chase pretty quickly, and there's a good reason for
that: While many tech executives have only engaged in a war of words,
AIT's head honchos have actually been to war.

AIT's operating chief served in two wars and helped modernize the
armed forces of the Philippines. The CFO was an aero scout in the 82nd
Airborne and has more than 500 hours of flight time.

The company's chief of staff is fluent in Polish and holds a
top-secret security clearance with the U.S. government. And he's not
alone. Other execs at AIT are also battle-tested (literally) and
well-versed in just about everything imaginable, ranging from tae kwon
do to underwater search and rescue.

"The military is very bad at a few things, but it has the proper
methodology down cold," said Sean McCoy, owner of Netrophia.com, a
Brunswick, Ga., Web-design company and an AIT customer. McCoy said
AIT's approach to business is familiar because it's based on military
practices.

"It's easy to understand the chain of command," said McCoy, who served
in the Army. Other customers contacted by CNET News.com also said that
AIT's military-like style and operating methods are a plus for the
company.

Ken Marcus, owner of Precision Web Hosting in Vista, Calif., said that
AIT's enhanced security may not be necessary, but he finds it apropos
for a group of former military men. "It definitely fits with their
culture," Marcus said.

McCoy, who describes AIT's complex as a large facility with no
"elaborate furnishings," said AIT brings back a lot of military
memories. "There's a war room and a lot of military jargon being
thrown around," he said. "They've taken the coolest part of the
military and integrated it into their business."

Briggs admits that some customers are taken aback by the metal
detectors and other security precautions, but they come around pretty
quickly. "They realize that we don't screw around with their data."



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