IBM Internet Security Systems: Early Bird; When Internet Security Systems (ISS) entered the network security business in 1996, the Web was still emerging and commercial sites were just beginning to rise.

When Internet Security Systems (ISS) entered the network security business in 1996, the Web was still emerging and commercial sites were just beginning to rise. The biggest threats, according to product marketing manager Jim Brennan, were exploiting vulnerabilities in Web servers and defacing Internet sites.

Recognizing those vulnerabilities - not just the potential threats - set apart ISS from the competition, customers say. Now the vendor begins its second life, with another three-letter company, IBM, which acquired ISS for $1.3 billion in October.

Eric Latalladi, chief technology officer for J.B. Hanauer, a Parsippany, N.J., brokerage firm, first worked with ISS …