Keyavi Data announces public launch of the company and its leadership team

Keyavi Data, a data security technology company that embeds protection directly into the data, announced the public launch of the company and its leadership team.

Keyavi’s data intelligence technology, which is currently open to a limited number of early access customers, enables data owners to maintain full control of their data for as long as they want. Independent of platform, transport or application, Keyavi protection works wherever that data travels or how it is stored, no matter the data type or format.

“Over time, identity management, physical security and loss prevention tools have proven that they are not enough — data must be intelligent and self-aware so that it can self-protect no matter where it is located or how it is accessed, based on any criteria the owner sets for it,” said CEO and chief architect Elliot Lewis who has led protection programs for some of the world’s most sensitive data in government and Fortune 100 companies.

“Businesses must accept that in the era of remote work, collaboration, a global economy and highly sophisticated threats, they can no longer effectively control their data. Instead, their data must be able to protect itself when out of their possession, whether from theft, loss, or simply sharing data to both enable and innovate in business. The vision of changing the fundamentals of security to protect data at the data level – the one universal denominator across all of information technology – has not been achieved until now.”

With a name inspired by the Italian word for key, Keyavi is laser-focused on providing companies the power to eradicate the threat of data loss or intrusion.

The company’s technology uses a unique combination of industry standard tools and proprietary methods and protocols, which allows data to stay under the owner’s control no matter where it goes in the world or who possesses it at any given moment.

Proven throughout an extensive beta testing period, the company’s data intelligence technology embeds itself and “wraps” data in multiple, independent encryption layers. Unlike DLP or other data protection solutions, no layer of the technology can be compromised without triggering protection mechanisms in the surrounding layers.

Unless all access requirements are satisfied per the data owner’s specifications, the data will be inaccessible. If the data owner wants to change those requirements or remove access entirely, they can simply change permissions or revoke access immediately on their computer or device.

Keyavi will sell directly to select enterprises initially and through multiple distribution channels and OEM partners moving forward to bring this technology to the widest range of customers. The company will reveal additional details about its technology and products shortly.

The company is conducting its most recent seed round for existing and new cybersecurity investors, which is expected to close in early Q2.

Keyavi is led by CEO Elliot Lewis. Elliot has more than 25 years’ experience in data security including as chief security architect at Dell, director of security and identity at Cisco, CISO at Merrill Lynch and senior security architect at Microsoft’s Security Center of Excellence.

Elliot did extensive work with federal agencies and military defense and civilian contractors prior to his private sector career.

Other security experts on the company’s management team include:

• Chris Chiancone, chief information and technology officer, brings more than 25 years’ experience in strategic planning, technological innovation, IT architecture, and data security to his role at Keyavi. Chris served as CIO of the City of Plano, Texas, a member of Dell’s Presidential Advisory Board, and a senior director of security and government solutions at Info-Tech Research Group.
• Sean Thurston, chief information security officer, has more than 20 years’ experience in infrastructure, networking, IT strategy, data centers, system deployment governance risk, and secure cloud enablement. His prior experience includes serving as executive director for technology and information risk at Morgan Stanley, director of innovation and architecture at Bank of America, and senior director for the security research practice at Info-Tech Research Group.
• TJ Minichillo, vice president of cyber intelligence, has more than 25 years of leadership and management experience specifically helping to detect and thwart many of the world’s most significant cyber threats. Previously, he was head of threat intelligence for National Grid, senior vice president for Citi’s Cyber Intelligence Center, and a senior special agent for the U.S. Department of Defense. He has served for a decade on the Intelligence Committee for the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center consortium.