Purdue-connected startup Senteon launches cybersecurity solution, adds alumnus Sean Higgins as an advisor

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Senteon, a startup founded by Purdue University alumni, has created automated security software that improves small-to-mid-sized companies' compliance and cybersecurity while lowering labor and knowledge-intensive barriers.  

Senteon's solution centers around endpoint hardening. The process secures servers and workstations by enabling various security configurations and removing unused features to reduce the operating system's attack surface. Zach Kromkowski, co-founder and chief revenue officer, said Senteon's tool automatically determines and implements the most secure, feasible configurations based on user and system behavior.

"Our software continuously audits our customers' systems for deviations and automatically returns them to the determined baseline," Kromkowski said. "We then generate white-labeled reports for a comprehensive, granular overview of compliance and security."

Kromkowski said Senteon is focusing on solutions for small-to-mid-sized companies and managed service providers.

"Enterprise businesses are already hardening their systems to some extent," he said. "The rest of the market does not have the manpower to create a strong, hardened baseline or the tools to effectively deploy and reinforce various security settings."

Senteon will soon expand its cybersecurity tool portfolio.

"In the near future, we will include direct mappings to various compliance frameworks, including NIST, CMMC, PCI DSS and others," Kromkowski said. "This will give businesses the opportunity to pass audits easier and have peace of mind that their systems are in a secure state."

Sean Higgins, co-founder and chief technology officer at Herjavec Group, has joined Senteon as an advisor. Higgins also is director of security and hosting services at AT&T Canada. Higgins, a Purdue University graduate, has 35 years of IT experience, with 25 of those in cybersecurity. 

"I am privileged to be an advisor for Senteon," Higgins said. "First, I love mentoring young adults, especially young Boilermaker alumni. Second, I think Senteon is a unique solution in the security market. I have not seen another solution which takes the configuration of Windows operating systems to this level of security on a consistent basis across an environment."

Kromkowski said Senteon will grow stronger with Higgins as an advisor.

"Having Sean on the team brings expertise about building our business for the long term," Kromkowski said. "It truly sets us apart from other businesses to have one of the top security minds in the space to validate or critique some of our initiatives."  

Senteon is a client of Purdue Foundry, an entrepreneurship and commercialization hub that helps Purdue innovators create startups. Foundry has provided Senteon with the guidance and resources to jump-start its business development and client conversion skills. These resources helped Senteon develop the ability to properly and quickly determine potential product-market fits as well as effective market discovery. 

About Senteon

Senteon is a cybersecurity tool to help reduce your organization's attack surface and increase security compliance through intelligent, preventative system hardening that bridges the gap between audit and remediation. We make hardening systems understandable and streamlined for small-to-mid sized businesses and MSPs.

About Purdue Foundry

The Purdue Foundry is an entrepreneurship and commercialization hub whose professionals help Purdue innovators create startups. The Purdue Foundry is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

Writer: Steve Martin, sgmartin@prf.org 

Source: Zach Kromkowski, 504-445-8418, zkromkowski@senteon.co