Alphabet opens dedicated cyber security unit called Chronicle

Google-owner Alphabet looks to expand into cyber security

Alphabet, the holding company behind Google, has opened a dedicated cyber security unit, called Chronicle, that will target security products and services for high-growth companies.

The new business unit will form part of the company's plan to become a leader in cyber security, focusing on security driven by machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Stephen Gillett, a former executive at security firm Symantec, will lead the firm as its chief executive. He said the unit will capitalise on Google's abilities in automated data analysis.

Alphabet will be tapping into a fast-growing market worth an estimated $100 billion globally. It'll compete with the likes of Symantec, Darktrace, CA Technologies, Mimecast, Check Point Software and Kaspersky Lab.

"Today I'd like to introduce you to Chronicle, a new independent business within Alphabet that's dedicated to helping companies find and stop cyber attacks before they cause harm," said Gillet.

Analysts have cast some doubt on the announcement, though. Avivah Litan, a vice president at Gartner, told Reuters that previous attempts to launch cyber security firms by big internet companies have failed.

"Being the heavy hitter and even having small teams spun out of that doesn't translate to instant success," said Avivah Litan.

Chronicle will provide customers with two distinct services. The first is a security intelligence and analytics platform, while the other is VirusTotal, a virus scanner already widely used in the security industry that Google bought in September 2012.

Although Gillett didn't explain much about how these technologies actually work, he said the aim of them is to identify cyber security threats within seconds or minutes. He added that they'll help customers save money on data storage too.

Gillett teamed up with ex-Google cyber security pros Shapor Naghibzadeh and Mike Wiacek on Chronicle at the start of 2016. He was working for Alphabet's venture capital firm, GV, at the time.

Chronicle will be based at Alphabet's headquarters in Mountain View, California. It's also the latest business to come out of the X research facility.

"Chronicle was officially founded as an 'X project' in February 2016, a fortunate result of several of us meeting up at a point in our careers that we felt compelled to help secure our digital future," added Gillett

"I had come to Google in 2015 as an executive-in-residence at GV after spending years in various IT roles, including a leadership role at one of the world's largest cybersecurity companies."