Daniel Ford, D.Sc. has been appointed as Chief Security Officer at SGP Technologies, the Switzerland-based joint venture of Silent Circle and Geeksphone. Dr. Ford will draw from over fifteen years of information security and risk management experience to ensure that SGP Technologies’ Blackphone platform is able to remedy the security threats and vulnerabilities associated with mobile devices. Dr. Ford’s background includes running security programs within the U.S. federal government and start-ups focused on the mobile security industry.
“Dan perfectly fits the profile for what we need in a CSO,” said Toby Weir-Jones, CEO of SGP Technologies. “He’s an accomplished and published researcher on mobile security. He’s a skilled practitioner for operational security and incident response. And he’s a personable, approachable expert. Our customers will see a lot of Dan as he ramps up our incident response and vulnerability management practices, and I’m sure they’ll soon realize they’re in great hands!”
Before Blackphone, Dr. Ford worked at Fixmo, where he led security teams and programs. Specifically, he invented new methodology to detect malicious activity on mobile devices and led Fixmo to receive their FIPS 140-2 certifications (#1996 & #2087).
Dr. Ford also worked at McAfee, Nominum, BAE Systems, and SRA, and he held the position of Director of Network Security on the ITMS program at Unisys. His career accomplishments include creating the first approved Enterprise Security Architecture and strategy for eAuthentication for the U.S. Department of Energy and re-architecting the security system for a logistics program within the U.S. Army. Dr. Ford is a graduate of Capitol College, where he earned a Doctor of Science in Information Assurance, having focused his dissertation on the risks associated with smartphones in the enterprise.
“In today’s world we are quickly losing our ability to keep sensitive data private and secure,” said Dr. Ford. “Since 2007, with the introduction of the modern day smartphone our lives became even more connected. Blackphone’s mission to enable users to take back control of their personal data is one that is more than needed in our always-on connected society.”
