The boom (or is it a bubble?) in federal cybersecurity

Published 13 May 2010

The Obama administration and Congress are allocating more funds to cybersecurity; much of that new spending, estimated at $6 to $7 billion annually just in unclassified work, is focused on the Washington region, as the federal government consolidates many of its cybersecurity-focused agencies in the area; some VCs warn of a cybersecurity bubble

The Washington Post reports that the increasing number and intensity of cyberattacks has attracted the attention of the Obama administration and Congress, which have begun steering dollars to the problem. Much of that new spending, estimated at $6 to $7 billion annually just in unclassified work, is focused on the Washington region, as the federal government consolidates many of its cybersecurity-focused agencies in the area.

I think it is a real growth opportunity in coming years,” says David Z. Bodenheimer, a partner at law firm Crowell & Moring in Washington, who leads the firm’s homeland security practice and specializes in government contracts. “The market is still rather fragmented and in flux, but is developing with a speed that it is attracting both the major defense and homeland security contractors who are establishing independent business units to pursue these opportunities, and it is also a real opportunity for the smaller players who have niche products.”

One reason the field is attracting so many companies is that the barriers to entry are low — at least, relative to other defense industries. As start-ups and others rush to stake claims, however, some wonder whether a bubble of sorts is beginning to inflate and recall that many venture firms in the early 2000s chased similar prospects. “A lot of the early people made significant money,” says Roger Novak, founder of Novak Biddle Venture Partners. “But there were [also] a lot of ‘me too’ companies.”