A security software company specializing in host intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS), Third Brigade (www.thirdbrigade.com), announced today that Brian O’Higgins, its Chief Technology Officer, has been appointed by the Minister of Industry for the Government of Canada, Honourable Jim Prentice, as one of two Canadians nominated to participate as a member of the High-Level Experts Group (HLEG) for the Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA) of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) based in Geneva, Switzerland. Third Brigade, at the same time, announced locally that its host intrusion defense system, Third Brigade Deep Security, has been nominated as a finalist for Product of the Year in the 2008 OCRI Awards.

Wael Mohamed, President and CEO, Third Brigade said: “Ottawa is recognized as a leading center for security technology expertise and Brian O’Higgins has been at the forefront of this for over 20 years”. “We are extremely proud of his selection and expect significant contributions to the Global Cybersecurity Agenda. We are equally pleased with the nomination of Third Brigade as finalist for OCRI Product of the Year, particularly considering the high quality of technology Ottawa generates.”

ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technologies. The Global Cybersecurity Agenda is an ITU framework for international cooperation aimed at proposing strategies for solutions to enhance confidence and security in the information society. The Secretary-General, in order to assist ITU’s Secretary-General in developing strategic proposals to Member States, will seek the advice of the High-Level Experts Group. It is understandable that with an estimated one billion people currently using the Internet around the world, global issues such as cyberthreats and inadequate cybersecurity solutions can be viewed differently by countries with dissimilar levels of development, priorities and challenges. The HLEG will comprise a group of experts from governments, industry, relevant regional/international organizations, research institutes, academic institutions and individual experts from every part of the world appointed by the ITU Secretary-General.

Brian O’Higgins, CTO, Third Brigade said: “A global response to the evolving nature of cyberthreats is needed to counteract the increasing level of sophistication of cybercrimes”. “I am honoured to be nominated to be part of the Secretary-General’s group of high-level experts. Third Brigade’s experience with the Canadian dynamic incident response project through the Department of National Defence and experience with international enterprise customers will bolster my contributions to the HLEG.”