Pressinformation

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In 2016, PHYSEC emerged as a spin-off from the renowned Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security (HGI) at Ruhr University Bochum. Two years earlier, the two founders Prof. Dr. Christian Zenger and Dr. Heiko Koepke had met at an entrepreneurship workshop. Christian Zenger had already published outstanding research results in the field of cyber-physical security, while Heiko Koepke contributed expertise in financial controlling, entrepreneurship and innovation management. Together, they laid the foundations for PHYSEC. The two founders derived the name from the technical term “Physical Layer Security” - the technology underlying the company's product development to this day.

To protect critical assets and overcome global challenges, Christian Zenger has already worked with several industry leaders such as the OMS-Group e.V. and the LoRa Alliance. As a junior professor at the Ruhr University Bochum, in addition to his role at PHYSEC GmbH, he also pursues his great passion for imparting knowledge and sparking curiosity about cyber security.

Christian Zenger has always been fascinated by technology. As a child, he was the one who repaired technology and he still does today - albeit on a slightly larger scale. As the world becomes increasingly connected, so does the need for robust cyber security. With his passion for creating secure environments, he has turned PHYSEC into Germany's leading provider of cyber-physical layer security for IoT devices, linking the fields of cybersecurity and physical security in novel ways. 

Further information can be found on the website of Prof. Dr. Christian Zenger.

Heiko Koepke co-founded PHYSEC as CFO. His business background makes him the perfect complement to Christian Zenger's technological background. His area of responsibility at PHYSEC GmbH goes far beyond finance. In addition to the financial areas of the company, he is responsible for the operational business from development to product management and sales.

Heiko Koepke works with the relevant team leaders and teams to implement the corporate strategy, forming an important link in the dynamic environment. Thanks to his academic background and the associated research and teaching in the fields of controlling, company valuation, financing and investment as well as value-oriented corporate management, Heiko Koepke brings valuable business management expertise to the table and has thus been able to move PHYSEC GmbH forward as a company.

PHYSEC GmbH has grown from a research initiative to a leading provider of IoT security solutions in just a few years. By combining technological excellence and a deep understanding of industry needs, PHYSEC has won several major awards and entered into strategic partnerships. Today, the company stands for pioneering solutions in secure digitalisation, especially in critical infrastructure sectors such as the energy and water industries. 

2014: Christian Zenger and Heiko Koepke meet at the Ruhr University Bochum. This is the birth of the joint venture, based on Christian Zenger's research into security technologies.

2015: The two founders start developing an all-encompassing IoT security platform - the starting signal for IoTree.

2016: In response to the increasing security requirements in the IoT sector, PHYSEC is officially founded on February 29, 2016.

2017: PHYSEC releases the first key management solution and other packages such as Enterprise LoRaWAN®.

2018: New technologies are published - for which the founders receive awards such as “Innovator under 35” and the German IT Security Award.

2019: The new product PHYSEC SEAL is launched and is awarded the NRW Founder's Prize 2019. Using anti-tamper radio technology, it offers efficient remote monitoring of the physical security of complex systems.

2021: Gelsenwasser AG decides to invest in PHYSEC in order to jointly establish IoT solutions for water meters.

Heute: PHYSEC has established itself on the market as a leading provider of IoT security solutions and offers secure digitalisation solutions for the energy and water industry.

PHYSEC offers innovative technology for securing the Internet of Things (IoT). PHYSEC technology can be used to verify the authenticity, integrity and physical condition of almost any object.

PHYSEC IoTree

IoTree is an IoT service platform that has been developed to be secure by design, user-friendly and compliant with the relevant regulations. IoTree was created with a particular focus on the requirements for larger rollouts of water and heat meters. The IoTree platform enables the secure connection of IoT hardware and the use of IoT applications. It offers interfaces and communication technologies, enables device management and provides a clear visualization of the infrastructure, as well as the possibility of infrastructure management.

PHYSEC SEAL

PHYSEC SEAL uses a so-called Anti-Tamper-Radio (ATR) technology, which creates the necessary trust in insecure environments and enables digitization under the aspect of “Cyber-Physical Security (CPS)”. The Anti-Tamper-Radio modules use electromagnetic wave propagation to create a fingerprint of the three-dimensional environment. This radio fingerprint can be used to detect changes in the operating environment. The data is then evaluated in the cloud using machine learning models and transmitted end-to-end encrypted via an existing network connection or LPWAN.