A Personal Perspective Peter Landrock, Founder of Cryptomathic
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Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences The Isaac Newton Institute: A Personal Perspective Peter Landrock, Founder of Cryptomathic Peter Landrock grew up in Denmark and obtained his PhD in mathematics in 1974 from the University of Chicago. He began working on data security in 1984 whilst at Aarhus University, and built up one of the leading data security research teams within Europe. He founded Cryptomathic in 1986, one of the first companies to commercialise cryptographic algorithms, but it was his participation in the 1996 Isaac Newton Institute programme on Cryptology and Coding Theory that inspired him to leave academia and focus on the company. Always emphasising the importance of the underpinning mathematics, During the first 6 months of 1996 I was invited Cryptomathic went from strength to strength to be one of the organisers of the Isaac Newton and is now one of the world’s leading providers Institute programme on Computer Security, of security solutions to businesses across a wide Cryptology and Coding Theory . My co-organisers range of industry sectors, including banking, “were Roger Needham, then Departmental government, technology, cloud and mobile. Chairman of Cambridge University’s Computer In 2003, Cryptomathic was recognized by the Laboratory and subsequently Director of World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer Microsoft’s Cambridge Research Laboratory, and, in 2004, it received the VISA Smart Star and Ross Anderson, now a Professor in Cambridge Award for its work on Chip and PIN. University’s Computer Laboratory. In 2010, Peter Landrock was named by the European Patent Office as a Finalist for European Attending the Newton Institute Inventor in the “Lifetime Achievement” category. workshop, a new world opened in He has written several books and more than 70 front of my eyes... articles on mathematics, cryptography, security and legal aspects of security. He has served as President of the International Association for The following year I was still so Cryptological Research and remains on the inspired from my time at the Newton Technical Advisory Board of the Microsoft Institute that I decided to quit my Research Laboratory in Cambridge and the Scientific Board of NCCR Mobile Information position at Aarhus University and Communication Systems, Switzerland. concentrate on my company c i My background is in pure Cambridge office (approaching 15 by h t mathematics and physics and I now), and the products we offer are in a studied for my PhD On elementary a nut shell: servers that are very m abelian and dihedral defect groups secure and scalable for electronic o t at the University of Chicago. But in banking; cryptographic functionality p y on debit- and credit chipcards as well r 1984, after having spent a year at C the Institute for Advanced Studies as electronic passports; and advanced f o at Princeton, I started teaching key management of cryptographic r cryptography to the students in keys for very large banks and financial e d Computer Science at Aarhus transaction players such as Barclays, n u University in Denmark, where I VISA and Mastercard. The products o Technologies. Maersk Data, the are mainly based on our own F held a position at the Mathematics , largest shipping company in the Institute. I got very excited about this cryptographic implementations, an k world, had taken an interest in our c field and quickly made a career in exercise which can be mathematically o solution for Electronic Bills of Lading r cryptographic research and was challenging. Examples include elliptic d (legal documents between the n elected President of the International curves in characteristic 2 or p, used a shipper and carrier that list the e.g. by Cambridge Silicon Radio, a L Association for Cryptologic Research type, quantity and destination of r in 1992. It was on this background company specialising in connectivity, e t merchandise being carried), and audio and location chips. e that I was invited to be one of the Infineon were interested in our insight P organisers for the 1996 cryptography : into cryptographic techniques and Since 2003, Cryptomathic has grown e programme at the Newton Institute. v data security. I decided to build up a on average 20% year on year in ti turnover. In addition to our offices in c Meanwhile, in 1986 I had started division of my company in Cambridge, e first at St. John’s Innovation Centre Aarhus and Cambridge, we have an p a small consulting company, s and later, as we grew in size, in the office in Munich, Germany near to r Cryptomathic, in Denmark and e Cambridge Science Park and my Infineon Technology headquarters and P just before I went to the Newton l Institute we hired our first employees. wife and I moved permanently to have recently opened one in Silicon a Valley, California: the USA is rapidly n The name was of course half a Cambridge. Independent of this in o 1997 I was asked to join the Technical becoming our most important market. s joke (Cryptomathic rather than r e Advisory Board of the new Microsoft Cryptomatic) and as a logo I chose a We are proud of the fact that we have P Research Lab at Cambridge University. 4-dimensional hybercube projected put advanced mathematics to work A : onto the plane, an image that I had I have maintained strong connections and of the extent that we are enabling e t often used in the graduate courses I to the academic world and am a our customers all over the world u t was teaching to illustrate represent - senior member of Wolfson College, to build very secure and reliable ti s ation theory of finite groups. but at the same time have managed solutions. They no longer rely on n I Attending the Newton Institute to build a profitable company with paper but use electronic information n workshop, a new world opened in about 60 employees. Of these about only, and if it had not been for my o t front of my eyes, what with the 50 have higher university education time at the Newton Institute, which w researchers from universities and was a real eye opener, I would e of at least 5 -6 years, and about N industry who participated, as well as probably never have had the courage 25% have a PhD in computer c the inspiration of the famous silicon to leave the secure world of research a science, mathematics, engineering a fen environment, and I stayed the full or physics. Although most of them and teaching. Some of the ideas I got s I six months of the programme. The are employed in the original office there helped Cryptomathic being e h following year I was still so inspired in Denmark, where we do product nominated as one of the year’s T from my time at the Newton Institute development, innovation is handled innovative companies in the world at that I decided to quit my position at by the Cambridge office under my the World Economic Forum in Davos Aarhus University and concentrate on supervision, where I work with some in 2003. In 2010, I was furthermore my company. The company expanded bright people I have hired from the nominated by the European Patent and in 2000/01 we took in some University. We file almost all of our Office and the European Commission investors, Maersk Data and Infineon patent applications from the for the 2010 European Innovation Award for Lifelong Achievements in Cryptographic Techniques. I was We are proud of the fact that we have put advanced slightly troubled by that nomination mathematics to work...and if it had not been for my time as it might be interpreted as a hint at the Newton Institute, which was a real eye opener, that it was about time to retire – which frankly is out of question. I would probably never have had the courage to leave the secure world of research and teaching. Peter Land”rock Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences The Isaac Newton Institute is supported by 20 Clarkson Road, Cambridge, CB3 0EH, UK EPSRC and other research councils, private tel: 01223 335999 email: [email protected] web: www.newton.ac.uk foundations, companies and philanthropy..