Alex Eckelberry
Encyclopedia
Alex Eckelberry, born in Paris
, France
, is an American
entrepreneur
and technology executive. Most recently, he was vice president and general manager of the security business unit for GFI Software
. Previously he was CEO of Sunbelt Software
for eight years up to the sale of Sunbelt Software to GFI. While at Sunbelt Software, he was responsible for the development and introduction of a number of security and IT infrastructure products targeted primarily at the business market, including iHateSpam, ServerVision, iHateSpam for Exchange, LanHound, Ninja Email Security, CounterSpy and CounterSpy Enterprise, and VIPRE antivirus. In addition, he also acquired the Kerio firewall technology from Kerio Technologies, Inc., incorporating parts of the technology into VIPRE Premium (now VIPRE Internet Security).
for nearly seven years, where he worked in a variety of roles, including VP of World Wide Marketing and VP and General Manager, Utilities Business Unit. While he was a business unit manager, he oversaw development of a number of well-known products, including CleanSweep, DESQview and QEMM.
After Quarterdeck, he went to startup Mijenix, Inc., where he was executive vice president, up to its sale to Kroll Ontrack. While at Mijenix, he was responsible for the launch of a number of PC utility products, including Fix-It Utilities, ZipMagic and FreeSpace.
in 2001), where he managed the firm's private equity portfolio and investments. While at Bulldog, he invested in a wide range of companies, including YouCentric (acquired by JD Edwards), Vina Technologies (which subsequently went public), Acta Technology (acquired by Business Object), Yesmail.com
(acquired by CMGI), VitalStream (acquired by Internap), Tsqware (acquired by Globespan), AuctionWatch (now Vendio
), ACHEX (acquired by First Data), MessageClick (acquired by Verso Technologies), Webalo and Questia
.
as a co-development effort with Giant Company
. When Giant Company was acquired in December 2004 by Microsoft, Eckelberry pointed out that there were certain continuing obligations to Sunbelt, which resulted in considerable public scrutiny of the acquisition. The situation was ultimately resolved by amicably by Eckelberry with Microsoft.
. In January 5, 2007, Julie Amero
, a substitute school teacher in Norwich
, CT, was convicted on four felony counts for endangering the morals of a child. After Eckelberry learned of the case, he made it a national cause célèbre by writing extensively about it on his blog, resulting in press on Good Morning America, USA Today, FoxNews, National Public Radio, as well as a broad range of tech publications.
Through a friendship with Ari Schwartz (then director of the Center for Democracy and Technology) and the assistance of security researcher Eric Howes, pro bono legal assistance was ultimately found for Amero, and the conviction was overturned. In addition, Eckelberry led a team of forensic researchers to publish a forensic analysis of the trial transcript. Ultimately, Amero plead to a minor misdemeanor charge. His experience with the Amero case led him to found the Julie Group, a non-profit group dedicated to assisting in injustices at the intersection of technology and law.
, through his brother, film director Stephen Eckelberry
. Another brother, Riggs Eckelberry, is CEO of publicly-traded Origin Oil. Eckelberry is a direct descendant of Cuban revolutionary Miguel De Aldama and the French explorer Jean de Béthencourt
.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and technology executive. Most recently, he was vice president and general manager of the security business unit for GFI Software
GFI Software
GFI Software is a developer of Web & Mail security, Networking & Security and Archiving & Fax computer software founded in 1992. Its products include software for filtering spam and viruses from e-mail as well as for monitoring and scanning networks for security purposes.- Products :GFI Software...
. Previously he was CEO of Sunbelt Software
Sunbelt Software
Sunbelt Software was a computer security software company based in Clearwater, Florida. On July 13, 2010, its CEO, Alex Eckelberry, announced in a that GFI Software acquired it in full.Among its products are*Sunbelt Personal Firewall*Counterspy...
for eight years up to the sale of Sunbelt Software to GFI. While at Sunbelt Software, he was responsible for the development and introduction of a number of security and IT infrastructure products targeted primarily at the business market, including iHateSpam, ServerVision, iHateSpam for Exchange, LanHound, Ninja Email Security, CounterSpy and CounterSpy Enterprise, and VIPRE antivirus. In addition, he also acquired the Kerio firewall technology from Kerio Technologies, Inc., incorporating parts of the technology into VIPRE Premium (now VIPRE Internet Security).
Prior Technology Experience
Eckelberry worked in technology throughout the late 80s and 90s. He started his career at Borland International in 1987, and then went to Aegis Development (acquired by Oxxi). Later, he worked at Quarterdeck CorporationQuarterdeck Office Systems
Quarterdeck Office Systems, later Quarterdeck Corporation , was an American computer software company. It was founded by Therese Myers and Gary Pope in 1981and incorporated in 1982...
for nearly seven years, where he worked in a variety of roles, including VP of World Wide Marketing and VP and General Manager, Utilities Business Unit. While he was a business unit manager, he oversaw development of a number of well-known products, including CleanSweep, DESQview and QEMM.
After Quarterdeck, he went to startup Mijenix, Inc., where he was executive vice president, up to its sale to Kroll Ontrack. While at Mijenix, he was responsible for the launch of a number of PC utility products, including Fix-It Utilities, ZipMagic and FreeSpace.
Private Equity and Venture Capital
Between 1999 and 2002, Eckelberry was a managing director at Bulldog Capital Management, an investment management firm (acquired by Monitor GroupMonitor Group
Monitor Group is a global management consulting firm headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States and with 27 offices in 26 major cities around the world. It provides strategy consultation services to the senior management of organizations and governments...
in 2001), where he managed the firm's private equity portfolio and investments. While at Bulldog, he invested in a wide range of companies, including YouCentric (acquired by JD Edwards), Vina Technologies (which subsequently went public), Acta Technology (acquired by Business Object), Yesmail.com
Yesmail
Yesmail, an email marketing solutions provider, is headquartered in Portland, Oregon and has offices in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Omaha, Toronto, and London....
(acquired by CMGI), VitalStream (acquired by Internap), Tsqware (acquired by Globespan), AuctionWatch (now Vendio
Vendio
Vendio Services, Inc. is an American Internet software as a service company that provides sales management software by subscription. A majority of customers use Vendio for its eBay auction management program and eBay applications...
), ACHEX (acquired by First Data), MessageClick (acquired by Verso Technologies), Webalo and Questia
Questia Online Library
Questia is an online commercial digital library of books and articles with an academic orientation. It claims to be "the world's largest online collection of books and journal articles in the humanities and social sciences". The great majority of items are under copyright, for which Questia has...
.
Microsoft and Giant Company Acquisition
While at Sunbelt, Eckelberry had originally created CounterSpyCounterspy
CounterSpy is a proprietary spyware removal program for Microsoft Windows software developed by Sunbelt Software.-Features:CounterSpy scans a PC for spyware, examining files on the hard drive, objects in memory, the Windows registry and cookies and it has a capability called DNR that, according to...
as a co-development effort with Giant Company
GIANT Company Software
GIANT Company Software, Inc. developed internet security products, including GIANT Spam Inspector, GIANT Popup Inspector, and GIANT AntiSpyware. GIANT's head office was located in New York, NY, and it also had offices in Chicago and Atlanta, GA. GIANT Company Software was founded by Ronald Franczyk...
. When Giant Company was acquired in December 2004 by Microsoft, Eckelberry pointed out that there were certain continuing obligations to Sunbelt, which resulted in considerable public scrutiny of the acquisition. The situation was ultimately resolved by amicably by Eckelberry with Microsoft.
Julie Amero Case
Eckelberry was instrumental in getting a major conviction overturned against a substitute school teacher in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. In January 5, 2007, Julie Amero
State of Connecticut v. Julie Amero
State of Connecticut v. Julie Amero is a court case in the 2000s concerning Internet privacy and DNS hijacking...
, a substitute school teacher in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, CT, was convicted on four felony counts for endangering the morals of a child. After Eckelberry learned of the case, he made it a national cause célèbre by writing extensively about it on his blog, resulting in press on Good Morning America, USA Today, FoxNews, National Public Radio, as well as a broad range of tech publications.
Through a friendship with Ari Schwartz (then director of the Center for Democracy and Technology) and the assistance of security researcher Eric Howes, pro bono legal assistance was ultimately found for Amero, and the conviction was overturned. In addition, Eckelberry led a team of forensic researchers to publish a forensic analysis of the trial transcript. Ultimately, Amero plead to a minor misdemeanor charge. His experience with the Amero case led him to found the Julie Group, a non-profit group dedicated to assisting in injustices at the intersection of technology and law.
Security Industry Involvement
Eckelberry is extensively involved with the security industry and has been blogging and writing about the industry for a number of years. In 2006, he launched the first all-volunteer phishing takedown service, PIRT, with Paul Laudanski of CastleCops. In 2008, he gave the keynote address at the worldwide Virus Bulletin conference and has written several articles for Virus Bulletin magazine – on ethics in the antivirus industry and on using Google to find vulnerabilities in websites. Google publicly recognized his efforts in 2006, along with a number of other security researchers for their assistance with Google security.Environmental Activism
Eckelberry founded the Tampa Bay Conservation League, which supports environmental causes in the southeastern United States. While his focus is in the US, he was recently responsible for documenting environmental hazards at Gatwick Airport in London, leading to a re-assessment of the storage and use of lead-acid batteries. In addition, he was instrumental in the recall of 1.5 million children's toy fishing poles due to unacceptably high levels of lead paint.Miscellaneous
Eckelberry is the son of Tener Riggs Eckelberry, a recipient of the French Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur, and the artist Renée Duke. He is related to the actress Karen BlackKaren Black
Karen Black is an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She is noted for appearing in such films as Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Great Gatsby, Rhinoceros, The Day of the Locust, Nashville, Airport 1975, and Alfred Hitchcock's final film, Family Plot...
, through his brother, film director Stephen Eckelberry
Stephen Eckelberry
-Biography:He is the founder of Blackberry Productions and the President of Productions of Big Screen Entertainment Group.-Movie career:His short film Going Home won a Chicago International Film Festival Golden Plaque. His film credits include producing Babysitter Wanted and directing Charades...
. Another brother, Riggs Eckelberry, is CEO of publicly-traded Origin Oil. Eckelberry is a direct descendant of Cuban revolutionary Miguel De Aldama and the French explorer Jean de Béthencourt
Jean de Béthencourt
Jean de Béthencourt was a French explorer who, in 1402, led an expedition to the Canary Islands, landing first on the north side of Lanzarote...
.