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This article has been adapted from its original publication in the Washington Business Journal
A Northern Virginia cybersecurity startup is revolutionizing how organizations approach software updates by directly addressing the anxiety that causes dangerous patching delays.
IT Agent (formerly TrackD), a Reston-based company founded by former National Security Agency network engineer Mike Starr, has emerged from stealth mode with innovative software that helps organizations determine whether updates or patches will disrupt their network operations. While statistical reality suggests disruption is unlikely—98% of automated updates deploy safely—Starr recognizes that many businesses, like individual consumers, routinely ignore update notifications due to fears of breaking functional systems.
"IT Agent focuses on understanding the human conditions that cause delayed patching and how we can reverse those patterns," Starr explained. "We're addressing the psychological impact and fear caused when patches were genuinely problematic in the early 2000s, versus today's reality where fewer than 2% of patches require rollback."
The company has secured $3.35 million in seed funding to refine its platform and accelerate market entry. Flybridge, based in New York and Boston, led the funding round, with participation from New York's Lerer Hippeau, Bethesda's SaaS Ventures, and Expa, the venture firm operated by Uber Technologies co-founder Garrett Camp.
IT Agent's platform operates as a comprehensive review system for security software—comparable to Angie's List or Google Reviews for patches. The system tracks historical performance data from security software updates across user environments, enabling operations teams to identify potentially disruptive patches while confidently designating safe updates for automated deployment.
This data-driven approach addresses a critical cybersecurity challenge: organizations that delay software updates, particularly security patches, maintain vulnerabilities that threat actors actively exploit. According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center annual report, the agency received 847,376 cyberattack complaints in 2021, representing nearly $7 billion in losses, with small businesses comprising the majority of targets.
Starr plans to utilize seed funding to expand platform compatibility across multiple operating systems. Currently, the product supports Amazon Linux, the operating system from Amazon Web Services, with broader compatibility planned for future releases.
While committed to aggressive growth strategies for his emerging company, Starr emphasizes the importance of financial discipline and strategic hiring. "Increased funding raises the stakes for spending each dollar wisely," he noted. "Finding the right talent immediately is crucial—we cannot afford to hire three people hoping one succeeds."
IT Agent currently employs ten team members, all working remotely. While Starr anticipates establishing physical office space in Northern Virginia or Washington, D.C., the current remote structure allows flexibility, with the team convening in various cities for team-building activities two to three times annually.
Starr acknowledges that IT Agent's primary challenge involves distinguishing the company within a saturated cybersecurity market "characterized by endless cold calls, emails, texts, and trending buzzwords." His background includes network engineering experience at the National Security Agency and team leadership roles at OPĀQ, a Herndon-based networking and security cloud company, providing perspective from both vendor and customer viewpoints.
Despite intense market competition, Starr maintains confidence in IT Agent's unique value proposition. "The cybersecurity SaaS market contains numerous companies competing for attention," he acknowledged. "However, we offer a critical capability that no other organization provides—a capability we believe can fundamentally transform how remediation teams approach patching decisions."
IT Agent's approach addresses more than technical challenges; it targets the cultural and psychological barriers that prevent effective vulnerability management. By providing empirical evidence about patch safety, the platform enables organizations to overcome legacy fears and implement more aggressive patching strategies.
This transformation potential extends beyond individual organizations. As more companies adopt data-driven patching approaches, the collective improvement in cybersecurity posture could significantly reduce the attack surface available to threat actors across entire industries.
The emergence of platforms like IT Agent represents a fundamental shift in cybersecurity strategy—from reactive, fear-based approaches to proactive, evidence-driven decision-making. As organizations increasingly recognize that delayed patching creates greater risks than potential update disruptions, solutions that provide visibility into patch safety profiles become essential infrastructure.
Starr's vision extends beyond solving immediate patching challenges to creating a more resilient cybersecurity ecosystem where organizations can maintain both operational stability and robust security postures simultaneously.
IT Agent's success could catalyze broader changes in how cybersecurity vendors approach vulnerability management solutions. Rather than focusing solely on identifying threats, the industry may increasingly prioritize tools that address the human and organizational factors that prevent effective security implementations.
This human-centered approach to cybersecurity technology represents a maturation of the industry, acknowledging that technical solutions alone cannot address complex organizational challenges that combine psychological, cultural, and operational elements.
The company's ability to execute on this vision while navigating the competitive cybersecurity landscape will determine not only IT Agent's success but potentially influence how the entire industry approaches the intersection of technology and human behavior in security contexts.
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