India approves Ontario company to do counter-intelligence

Electronics Warfare Associates-Canada ready to sweep for spyware.

A small Ontario information-technology-security firm is poised to take a giant sales leap as a result of new protective measures in the world's fastest growing telecom market. "This is a huge opportunity," says Dennis Weiss, vice-president of Electronics Warfare Associates-Canada (EWA), a global leader in the war against cyber crime and Internet sabotage.

The opportunity arises from the Indian government recently developing new anti-spying and anti-sabotage regulations that apply to telecom equipment purchases. The Indian government has designated EWA-Canada as a security consultant to check new telecom equipment for spyware and viruses before it can be introduced to the marketplace.

EWA-Canada hopes to achieve its first Indian sale on the heels of an Ontario-sponsored trade mission that culminates in India Telecom, the industry's showcase trade show, in New Delhi from December 9 to 11. "It's a real honour to be part of this Ontario mission," says Weiss. "The Indian market is huge, and the telecom environment is forever changing because products are developing so quickly."

He adds: "The province has been extremely helpful in lining up contacts and interviews with key industry people. Also, they are helping set up meetings with senior government officials to clarify their security-clearance expectations."

As a result of security concerns, the Indian government last year required any purchase of telecom equipment to undergo an independent safety check. Specifically, India is concerned about software or hardware that could be used to spy on the nation or launch a virus that could shut down its computer and telephone networks. India expects to establish its own testing centre within three years but, in the interim, has authorized companies like EWA-Canada to perform the evaluations.

Uncertainty about the exact security clearance requirements is a huge concern for Indian telecom providers who are struggling to meet the exploding demand for their products and services. India has an estimated potential 12 million to 14 million new cellular subscribers per month, and the total telecom market is expected to experience a $150 billion growth spurt over the next five years. The Indian telecoms want to use state-of-the-art and competitively priced equipment produced outside their country to meet the demand. But without clarity on the security requirements, foreign purchases have effectively stopped and growth has been stymied.

Says Weiss: "We hope our meetings with Indian officials will clear the way to sign some firm contracts." In preparation, EWA has bid to be listed as a security supplier for two of India's major telecom companies.

New business in India could boost the private company's sales by over 25 percent by 2012. "If we do well from this trade mission, we would consider opening an office there," says Weiss.

Currently, about 70 per cent of EWA's revenues come from overseas sales, although the company does sufficient business in Canada to support Vancouver and St. John's, N.L. offices, as well as its Ottawa headquarters.

EWA-Canada, a subsidiary of American EWA Inc., began its Canadian operations in 1988 as a result of landing several major defence contracts. By the mid-1990s, much of the government and military work had been replaced by private sector contracts, especially with telecoms and financial institutions.

The company tests both software and hardware. For ATMs, for example, EWA-Canada takes the machine apart to make sure that no third-party could install an electronic reader to capture credit card and PIN numbers.

To test a financial institution's transactional network, EWA-Canada might launch a controlled attack to see how the system responds. Similarly, it monitors how well software programs, including anti-viral protection systems such as Symantec, react to malware injections. In all cases, EWA-Canada complies with internationally accepted standards certified by governments around the world and by neutral agencies such as the International Standards Organization.

The same agencies annually certify EWA-Canada as a reliable company that is compliant with standards. With cyber crime a multi-billion dollar business and the constant threat of spying and cyber warfare, EWA-Canada understands the importance of trust. "Trustworthiness is our commercial driver," says Weiss. "It's imbedded in our culture. Without it, we'd be out of business."

• Ontario boasts more than 5,000 companies in the digital media and ICT companies, including names like Research in Motion and Open Text. Annual revenue for Ontario's ICT companies exceeds $75 billion - half of the Canadian total.
  
  
• Trade between Ontario and India has increased by 44% (from 2005 to 2009).
  
  
• There are approximately 600,000 people of Indian descent living in Ontario.
  
  
• Earlier this month, Canadian Trade Minister Peter Van Loan opened formal talks with Indian commerce minister Anand Sharma on a strategic economic partnership between the two countries.
  
  
• The Ontario delegation of eight companies will visit Mumbai and New Delhi during the trade mission.