Endace Founder Dr Ian Graham named New Zealand's Engineering Entrepreneur of 2011

Dr Ian Graham, former Dean at the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Waikato and a founder of Endace (LSE: EDA.L), was named New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year at the New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards last night in Wellington.

The accolade comes as a result of Ian's entrepreneurial leadership in the field of information and communications technology.

"We are thrilled to announce Dr Ian Graham as Engineering Entrepreneur of the Year. He has been at the forefront of network monitoring technology for more than a decade," says Convenor of the People Awards Panel, Gretchen Kivell. "Not only has he developed world-leading technology, he's also been instrumental in bringing it to market and making it a commercial success."

In 1995 Dr Graham led a research team at the University of Waikato attempting to measure latency in high-speed digital networks. The technology developed for the project delivered continuous, 100 per cent accurate, packet capture with some of the world’s most accurate time stamps. The technology ultimately became known as the DAG (Data Acquisition and Generation) card and is the foundation for some of the most accurate network monitoring and network security systems in the world today.

In 2001, Dr Graham founded Endace, a leading network monitoring and security company of which he is now Chairman. Under Dr Graham’s leadership, Endace has grown to become one of New Zealand’s most highly valued international tech success stories – winning High Tech Company of the Year, Exporter of the Year and Emerging Company of the Year awards in recent years – with revenues in excess of US$38 million in its fiscal year 2011 and more than 170 staff in offices around the globe.

The technology Endace produces is now regarded as fundamental to the security and continued operation of countless organisations around the globe, including many major stock exchanges, a large number of international banks and a significant pool of governmental security agencies.

The Endace story is very much a story of Dr Graham as a leading engineering entrepreneur who has transformed world-leading innovation into a successful and thriving global business. "Ian's Award is well-deserved, and we are extremely proud of all that he has achieved," says Mike Riley, Endace's Chief Executive Officer.

"Ian has created innovative network monitoring solutions that have enabled many large and influential organisations around the world to have accurate visibility of their networks, and he continues to foster innovation and tech entrepreneurship in New Zealand."

The award tops off another successful period for Endace, which recently posted strong half year trading results and is celebrating its 10 year anniversary.