One of the biggest challenges in cyber-security today is how the software in our operating systems and applications are full of vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. While traditional software makers have made headway in developing more resilient applications, embedded device and system makers lag behind in secure system design and development maturity. It's no wonder that top network equipment makers like Cisco, NETGEAR, D-Link and others have begun to understand the kind of threat that networks are susceptible to, and are actively opting for embedded software to provide their customers a secured networking product. And helping these companies achieve is none other than TeamF1.

Founded in 1998 by two college friends, Mukesh Lulla and Vinai Kolli, TeamF1, headquartered in Fremont, California, is a preeminent supplier of OEM-ready software to the embedded systems market. Understanding the importance of innovative product technologies, and how efficient project management techniques, well-honed software engineering processes and a robust "production-quality" test environment contribute to the making of user-friendly and solid customer products, the company develops software modules and turnkey solutions to secure connected devices used across different market verticals.

"With the most traction in this market, and a significant share of customers and units shipped worldwide for small-medium business security routers, we are not wrong to believe that we are a leader in our field. Our software today is an integral part of the networking devices developed by most Tier-1 networking equipment providers," says Vinai, Co-Founder and Vice-President, TeamF1.

The Eureka! Moment

Buddies since undergraduate school, both Mukesh and Vinai had etched a career of their own in system-on-chip software, and embedded OS & device driver technologies respectively. After years in the industry, both decided that it was time to strike it out on their own. It was at around this time in 1998, the duo noticed that while chip makers were moving to the concept of System-on-Chip by adding diverse complex functionalities on to a single chip and increasing their performance, software vendors of the time were trying to just stick with the lowest common denominator, rather than target the new functionality. And a major functionality was regularly underleveraged — Security.