Fretting about complex technology? Turn to Minneapolis-based New
Boundary Technologies for some straightforward
insight on IT management and remote monitoring. CEO and president Kim
Pearson talks about technology, islands, and swimming against the
current.
How did New Boundary Technologies get started?
We were pioneers in using PCs to monitor and control devices for medical
research, developing software to help researchers better understand how
the human brain develops and how pain functions. One of our most
rewarding projects was working with Harvard University doctors to
dramatically reduce the symptoms of late-stage Parkinson's disease.
When computer networks emerged in the '90s, we saw the opportunity to
develop network software to manage the configuration of PCs remotely.
Over the last 15 years, we've developed a number of products that make
it easy to install and configure software and manage the security of
desktops, laptops and servers in organizations of all sizes.
Why do you feel there's a need for what you provide?
The Internet connected computers on a global scale, so computers are no
longer the islands they were in the '80s. Users have access to an
incredible amount of information, but the cost is eternal vigilance. In
the connected world, securing computers is critical.
We provide powerful but easy-to-use products that automate computer
security. Traditional network security takes a fortress
approach--building a strong defense perimeter to keep threats outside.
That's important, but it's not enough. Our approach is to configure
every computer on the network for maximum security, like giving everyone
inside the fortress a suit of armor.
What makes your company unique?
New Boundary Technologies is unique because we've had 20 years of
profitable growth without any outside investment. During the tech boom
of the '90s, we made a decision to stay private and focus on product
quality and customer service. So during the dot-bomb era when thousands
of tech companies failed or downsized, we maintained double-digit,
profitable growth. We were swimming against the current, but our
decision positioned us for greater long-term success. We are also unique
in our customer focus. It's pretty common for customers to tell us we
provide the best customer support they've ever experienced--from any
company, for any product.
What kind of challenges does your company face?
One challenge is that the rapid advances in technology create more
opportunities than we can pursue. We always have to prioritize which
opportunities we go after. The upside to that is we tend to focus on
what we do well, so we can set the quality bar very high. And because we
have to do our homework, we're pretty successful when we enter a new
market.
What does Policy Commander add to the marketplace? How will it
benefit customers?
Policy Commander is the first product to make it easy to keep thousands
of computers secure at the system level--automatically. Today, most
companies have no way to tell if their computers are secure. Companies
also have a new need to ensure the privacy and integrity of electronic
information to comply with regulations like Sarbanes Oxley and HIPAA.
Policy Commander shows users at a glance when computers are not
compliant with security policies, and automatically fixes them.
do you know a local company we should cover? Let us know about it.
Send your local profile candidates to emillard@computeruser.com.
