Press Releases
Security Innovation Executives Named
Microsoft Most Value Professionals
Drs. Herbert Thompson and James Whittaker Recognized for
Exceptional Contributions
to Microsoft Technical Communities as Security Visionaries
WILMINGTON, Mass.—July 27, 2005—Security Innovation,
the independent industry leader in application security testing,
research and training, today announced that Dr. Herbert (Hugh)
Thompson, chief security strategist, and Dr. James Whittaker, chief
scientist and founder, were recognized as Microsoft® “Most Valuable
Professionals” (MVPs) in the category of Developer Security. Two of
only 18 individuals worldwide to hold this prestigious honor, Drs.
Thompson and Whittaker are among a select group of active and
credible experts in the online and offline technical communities
that demonstrate a passion to share their expertise. They have
inspired excellence while helping people through their practical
expertise and willingness to share with peers in Microsoft technical
communities.
“On behalf of Microsoft, I am pleased to recognize Dr.s. Thompson
and Whittaker as Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals,” said Sean
O’Driscoll, global director of MVP and technical communities at
Microsoft Corp. “MVPs represent the voice, strength and value of the
Microsoft customer – the true spirit of technical communities. They
possess an infectious enthusiasm that inspires others.”
About Dr. Herbert Thompson
Chief Security Strategist at Security Innovation, Dr. Thompson is a
world-renown expert in application security. He earned his Ph.D. in
Applied Mathematics from Florida Institute of Technology and is
co-author or editor of 12 books, including The Software
Vulnerability Guide (Programming Series) and How to Break Software
Security: Effective Techniques for Security Testing (with James
Whittaker of Security Innovation). Dr. Thompson has over 50 academic
and industrial publications on software security and frequently
writes for industry magazines including: Dr. Dobbs Journal, IEEE
Security & Privacy, Journal of Information and Software Technology,
ACM Queue, and Better Software Magazine. At Security Innovation, he
leads research efforts on software security and trains security
testers at some of the world's largest software companies including
Microsoft, HP, IBM, Symantec and SAIC.
“Both Hugh and Jim inspire others to learn and grow through active
technical community participation. Through their teachings and
writing, they share a true passion for technology and a willingness
to help others,” said Ed Adams, CEO of Security Innovation. “Their
ground-breaking research and technical vision have played a vital
role in how Microsoft, and other companies, have evolved software
security to meet customers’ needs and expectations.”
In its 11th year, the Microsoft MVP program has recognized more than
2,600 Microsoft experts in the technical community across 81
countries, 32 languages and 75 Microsoft products and technologies.
The MVP Award is a way to recognize amazing individuals for their
outstanding contributions in a wide range of community activities.
MVPs actively participate in a variety of Microsoft online and
offline technical communities in which a worldwide network of people
communicate, support and provide feedback about Microsoft products,
technologies and services with each other as well as Microsoft.
-more-
These men and women span from 18 to 80 years old and include a
diverse group of backgrounds and professions ranging from authors,
artists and technology enthusiasts to professional developers and
business managers working in small, medium-sized and enterprise
businesses. More information about the MVP Program and related news
can be found at http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/. More information
about Microsoft Technical Communities can be found at
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/.
About Dr. James Whittaker
Founder of Security Innovation, James Whittaker, Ph.D., is a
professor of computer science at the Florida Institute of Technology
and is recognized in business, government and academic circles
around the world as a leading authority on software testing and
security. He has written more than one hundred papers and articles
on software development and computer security, and is a frequent
keynote speaker for industry and corporate conferences. His six
pioneering books on various aspects of software engineering and
security, including How to Break Software Security (with Dr. Herbert
Thompson of Security Innovation), regarded as the definitive text on
application security testing techniques.
Dr. Whittaker holds patents on various inventions in software
testing and defensive security applications and has attracted tens
of millions of dollars in funding, sponsorship and license
agreements while a professor at Florida Tech. In 2001 he was
appointed to Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Academic Advisory
Board and was named a “Top Scholar” by the editors of the Journal of
Systems and Software based on his research publications in software
engineering.
His research team at Florida Tech is well known for its development
of exploits against software security, including cracking
encryption, passwords and infiltrating protected networks via novel
attacks against software defense. Dr. Whittaker also serves as a
software testing and security consultant to various U.S. government
agencies, as well as to some of the world's largest software
companies including SAP, IBM and Symantec.
About Security Innovation
Security Innovation, Inc., is the leading independent provider of
application security services. Dozens of leading organizations,
including Aladdin, Harris Corporation, IBM, ING, Microsoft, SAIC,
SAP, Symantec, VeriSign and a number of government agencies, rely on
Security Innovation’s expertise in application security testing and
training to develop, evaluate and deploy more secure applications.
More than 60% of the company’s staff holds advanced degrees in
computer science with 30% at the Ph.D. level. The company is
headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., with technical labs in
Melbourne, Fla. and Bozeman, Mont., and offices in Seattle, and
Amsterdam, The Netherlands. For more information about Security
Innovation, visit www.securityinnovation.com or call +1 (978)
694-1008.
Contacts:
Davida Dinerman/Tom Bain
Schwartz Communications, Inc.
(781) 684-0770
sisecure@schwartz-pr.com
