Narus

Narus Inc. was established in 1997 by Israeli founders Ori Cohen, Stas Khirman, and Oren Ariel. Initially, the company focused on creating tools for internet service providers to analyze IP network traffic for billing purposes, a system designed to prevent what was termed "revenue leakage". A significant pivot in the company’s strategy occurred after 2001, shifting its focus towards developing network intelligence and surveillance software for government agencies globally. This strategic change positioned Narus as a key vendor of big data analytics for cybersecurity.

The company's trajectory includes several major corporate milestones. After operating independently and raising $94.7 million over four funding rounds, Narus was acquired by The Boeing Company in July 2010. This acquisition was part of Boeing's strategy to enhance its cybersecurity offerings. Narus operated as a wholly owned subsidiary within Boeing's Network & Space Systems division. Later, in January 2015, the Narus business was sold to Symantec, which absorbed its engineering and data science teams while Boeing retained the intellectual property and licenses.

Narus's core product was the Narus nSystem, a real-time network traffic analytics platform. This system was designed to capture and analyze 100% of data packets flowing through a network, offering deep packet inspection capabilities. The technology provided clients, primarily large enterprises, carriers, and government entities, with the ability to identify, predict, and characterize advanced cyber threats. Its software was engineered to provide visibility into network activity, helping to detect security threats like worms and denial-of-service attacks, and was also marketed to governments for surveillance and law enforcement purposes. The business model centered on selling this high-tech surveillance and security software and hardware.

Keywords: network traffic analysis, cybersecurity, deep packet inspection, government surveillance, big data analytics, network security, threat detection, real-time analytics, intelligence software, IP traffic