Innovation, Trade and Rural Development
March 19, 2008

Thumb-Sized Device Provides Private Data Storage Across the Globe

A St. John�s-based company has received funding for a thumb-sized mass data storage system that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. dataSentinel, recently renamed from Pixecur Technologies, has received $400,000 from the province�s Commercialization Program and $250,000 from the Newfoundland and Labrador Angel Network (NLAN) to bring its new technology to market.

"With the growing global economy, the growth of data generated by companies and stored on hard disks is growing exponentially. This growth is matched equally by the need to access that data at any time of the day or night from anywhere in the world," said the Honourable Trevor Taylor, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development. "dataSentinel has developed technology to solve the problem, and I am pleased that we are able to contribute to this innovative technology and help turn it into a marketable product."

"Bringing new technologies to market requires experience, knowledge and money which is where the Newfoundland and Labrador Angel Network can contribute," said Ray Dillon, Chair of the NLAN which connects local entrepreneurs with angel investors. "We strongly believe there is a market for dataSentinel and we are pleased to have helped the company find a knowledgeable investor."

"We have a new distributed data storage technology that we will initially offer to small businesses that do not have in-house information technology capabilities," said Tom Chalker, President of dataSentinel. "We will offer businesses a small device, essentially a modified USB thumb drive with infinite capacity, and it will securely save files as thousands of small blocks of scrambled data across the many computers we manage all over the Internet. These files will then be accessible from any computer that has Internet access, anywhere in the world, but only by the person who possesses that USB stick."

To further simplify the storage and reclamation process, the company has begun development on a three-dimensional graphic interface that is simpler to operate than most commercial computer operating systems. And the company plans to make retrieval possible from small hand-held devices such as cell phones and personal digital assistants.

Mr. Chalker started dataSentinel in 2004 having operated as vice-president in the early stages of Where?Media and Consilient Technologies, both successful Canadian IT companies. Commercializing the product will cost in excess of $1 million which is being provided by both levels of government and the private sector, and is expected to initially create six jobs and grow to 30 within three years.

Delivered by the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development, the Commercialization Program bridges an identified funding and investment gap between product research and product marketing. Through this program, the Provincial Government supports private sector enterprises in activities leading to the development of innovative, market-ready products and services. Proposed initiatives must demonstrate innovation enhancement consistent with the province�s innovation strategy, Innovation Newfoundland and Labrador: A Blueprint for Prosperity. The program provides assistance of up to 75 per cent of total costs, to a maximum of $500,000 per project.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Angel Network (NLAN) is an initiative of the St. John�s Board of Trade and facilitates linkages between local entrepreneurs seeking early stage capital and local angel investors. The Board of Trade�s mandate is to create and foster a positive business climate in Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Media contacts:

Scott Barfoot
Director of Communications
Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development
709-729-4570, 690-6290
ScottBarfoot@gov.nl.ca
Cathy Favre
St. John�s Board of Trade
709-726-2961, ext. 103
cfavre@bot.nf.ca
Tom Chalker
dataSentinel
709-738-7518
tom_chalker@pixecur.com

2008 03 19                                                      9:50 a.m.

 


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