Our current research includes:

► Creating a Cyber Asset to Missions and Users Model (Camus) to model, discover and visualize relationships between cyber assets and the critical missions and users that depend on them

► Depicting the Cascade of interdependencies between information systems and the critical infrastructures upon which they depend

► New techniques for training the next generation of cyber warrior through engaging, game-like visual simulation (SimBLEND)

And, of course, we continue to push the boundaries of the products that have grown out of our prior work.

We are driven to give our users the tools they need to succeed, from the corporate data center to the cyber battlefield. That usually means solving problems that have never been approached before, and that is the core of our research and development activities.

Research Areas

The focus of our research is to improve the effectiveness of those responsible for information network and critical infrastucture protection by giving them increased situational awareness of their security state through visual analytics. We present complex information in a visual environment enabling users to comprehend and interact with their information in ways that are reflective of how they work, and how they view the world.

End-User Focus

Whatever problem domain we are addressing, our research is always focused on real users struggling with real-world problems. From corporate security offices to cyber warfighters, our mission is to ensure that the work we do today will meet their needs and improve their effectiveness now - not ten years down the road. We achieve this by simply making them part of the entire process, from the very start through successful transition:

• ► We begin each research effort by developing a deep understanding of the needs and work patterns of the people who will be the beneficiaries of our work. We achieve this through a formal process known as a Cognitive Task Analysis, or CTA.
• ► We establish close relationships with end-users, and obtain their commitment to review and evaluate our technology as we develop it. Incremental releases are either informally evaluated or deployed into formal exercises, and results of those activities are fed back into the development cycle as early as possible.
• ► We are experienced in transitioning our technology into operational use, and we maintain a supportive relationship with our users post-transition to ensure they are realizing its full potential, and that it not end up as "shelfware."

Our commitment to the research community is embodied in our support for vizSEC.org, a community-driven web site for the sharing of knowledge among the Visualization for Computer Security community.