
Omphaloskepsis – The Startup Disease - daly
So, like most of you, I thought I had a great idea that solved an important problem.<p>Companies are leaking confidential data. Exfiltration is a worldwide security concern.<p>Most data lives on data center servers. If it was possible to block or at least recognize that confidential data was being copied off a server then a major security hole coulld be closed.<p>But any software running on a server can be compromised to hide the exfiltration. Plus there would be a lot of CPU overhead trying to monitor data traffic at high wire speeds.<p>Data centers already do compression&#x2F;decompression at wire speeds using field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) attached to wires at both ends of a connection. They also do encryption&#x2F;decryption &quot;on the wire&quot;. This increases bandwidth without impacting the CPU.<p>So why not create an FPGA that monitors server traffic for confidential data exfiltration? It operates at wire speeds, does not impact the CPU, and cannot be modified without a physical connection, making hacking nearly impossible. Plus it is hardware so there is something physical to sell.<p>That&#x27;s a great idea. I created a prototype. I had a &quot;team&quot;, including a CEO. I started training a grad student.<p>What I didn&#x27;t have was a clue about customers and markets. Who would buy it? How could I find them? What story could I tell them that was compelling?<p><i>I</i> had a story. <i>I</i> convinced myself. <i>I</i> had passion about it. But I suffered from Omphaloskepsis (Omphaloskepsis or navel-gazing is contemplation of one&#x27;s navel as an aid to meditation.)<p>My startup died from Omphaloskepsis.<p>Jill Soley and Todd Wilms have a cure for Omphaloskepsis. They have a new book out &quot;Beyond Product&quot;. It is short, painless, and informative. (http:&#x2F;&#x2F;jillsoley.com).<p>Spend an afternnon and read it. Give it to your CEO. It might just save your startup.
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amoorthy12
Insightful book with lot of practical advice for every stage of startup. Wish
I had it for every startup I worked at!

