A data encryption standard adopted by the world’s most powerful military alliance has an unlikely birthplace – the St. Petersburg Innovation District’s waterfront.
The unexpected achievement began in April 2023 at the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standardized the zero-trust data format (ZTDF) March 23, 2024.
The news came to light locally when Shannon Vaughn, general manager for Virtru Federal, casually mentioned the local feat at a recent Hub event. In an interview with the Catalyst, he explained ZTDF’s benefits and the improbable circumstances surrounding its creation.
“It could have happened in downtown D.C. – that’s a natural place you’d expect something like this to happen,” Vaughn said. “I don’t think most people would expect something like that to happen sitting on the water looking at dolphins in the middle of the meeting.”
Washington, D.C.-based Virtru operates an office at the Hub. Vaughn noted partners at the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MOD) frequently meet at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), housed across the bay at MacDill Air Force Base.
The group that established ZTDF included Vaughn, a U.S. Army officer; Will Ackerly, co-founder and CEO of Virtru; a representative from Mitre, a national nonprofit that conducts federally funded research and development; and two U.K. military officials.
“They happened to be in town,” Vaughn said. “We’re located here and happened to find a space. And now there’s a NATO data standard birthed right here on the water in St. Pete.”
Shannon Vaughn, general manager of Virtru Federal.
NATO encompasses 32 countries in Europe and North America. Formed in the aftermath of World War II, its primary function is to ensure members’ freedom and security.
Those political and military efforts require seamless, secure data transmissions. However, sharing classified documents internationally presents several hurdles.
Vaughn noted that each country has a separate tagging process. For example, what the U.S. calls “top secret,” the U.K. considers “above secret.” Seemingly minor nuances can impede operations when timing is a matter of life and death.
Vaughn explained that before ZTDF, he would send a top secret document to a military official, who would then send it to a foreign disclosure officer to create a duplicate file and manually apply the appropriate tags. “That’s just a slow and terrible way to do business processes,” he said.
That also leaves room for confusion and critical errors. ZTDF automatically translates classifications according to pre-established access rights.
“Everybody’s interoperable,” Vaughn said. “It saves time, money, people and resources.”
In addition to data security, the open standard – Virtru is not receiving royalties – allows users to maintain control over their digital information after sending it out into the world. Vaughn compared it to a security “wrapper” around data.
The technology fosters collaboration by allowing users to designate granular access to virtual documents through associated encryption keys. “So, if it does get out into the wild, if you don’t have those classifications, you’re not going to be able to get the key to see what’s inside,” Vaughn said.
“We’re not worried about people hacking us,” he added. “I mean, we’re still worried about it, but if they get it, they just get an encrypted box.”
NATO has long used Virtru’s data-centric security tools, and ZTDF represents a progression in the ongoing quest to share secure information seamlessly. Vaughn compared its creation to a “couple of nerds” gathering in a room and deciding to “make something happen.”
Less than a year later, the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S. – decided “this is the thing we want,” Vaughn said. “Virtru takes it on as the first and only company that natively supports it in all our products.”
Virtru co-authored the whitepaper with the U.K.’s MOD after roughly eight hours of brainstorming at the Hub. Vaughn borrowed one of Polestar Defense’s conference rooms, as it had the most whiteboards.
“How does it feel? Wild,” Vaughn said. “It’s a fun and interesting story that only happens because of this collaborative space called the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub.”
He said MacDill often hosts those meetings locally in a button-down atmosphere with extensive security protocols. While the Hub is a secure facility, Vaughn called it a “completely different vibe” for international partners.
“They want to have that balance of, ‘Hey, I can look at dolphins. I can walk over and get a great sandwich on university campus,’” he added. “You can lower your shoulders a bit and still get to work.”
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