What Does NSS Labs Do?

Total employees75
HeadquartersAustin
Founded1991

NSS Labs was an independent information technology research, advisory, and testing company specializing in cybersecurity products and services. Founded in 1991, it was renowned for its rigorous, real-world testing methodologies and comparative analysis reports on solutions like firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), endpoint protection platforms (EPP), and more. NSS Labs provided critical insights to enterprises, government agencies, and technology vendors to help them make informed security investment and architectural decisions. The company ceased operations in October 2020. Subsequently, its testing assets and some personnel were acquired by CyberRatings.org, a non-profit organization aiming to continue providing independent cybersecurity product efficacy ratings.

Where Is NSS Labs's Headquarters?

HQ Function

The headquarters served as the primary center for research operations, development of testing methodologies, product evaluations, data analysis, and corporate administration.

Notable Features:

The facility likely housed advanced, isolated testing laboratories equipped to simulate complex network environments and execute sophisticated cyber-attack scenarios for product evaluation. Specific architectural details are not widely publicized, but functionality for secure, high-performance testing would have been a key feature.

Work Culture:

As a specialized research and testing firm, the work culture at NSS Labs likely emphasized deep technical expertise, analytical rigor, meticulous attention to detail, and a strong commitment to impartiality and objectivity in its evaluations. Collaboration among engineers, security analysts, and researchers would have been fundamental to its operations.

HQ Significance:

NSS Labs' Austin headquarters was pivotal to its role as a trusted, independent third-party evaluator in the cybersecurity industry. The research and test results produced there significantly influenced enterprise purchasing decisions and pushed vendors to improve their product security and performance.

Values Reflected in HQ: The headquarters and its operations aimed to reflect NSS Labs' core values of integrity, objectivity, transparency in testing, and technical excellence in the field of cybersecurity.

Location:

While primarily operating from its Austin, Texas headquarters, NSS Labs served a global clientele, including multinational corporations, government bodies, and cybersecurity vendors across various continents. Its research reports and test findings had international relevance, impacting security strategies worldwide. To support this global reach, NSS Labs maintained an international sales presence and partner network, with regional points of contact, such as its former UK office, to engage with clients and stakeholders in key markets prior to ceasing operations.

Street Address:

206 Wild Basin Rd S, Ste 200B (Last known address)

City:

Austin

State/Province:

Texas

Country:

United States

Where Else Does NSS Labs Operate Around the World?

London, United Kingdom (Historical)

Address: The Long Lodge, 265-269 Kingston Road, London, SW19 3NW, United Kingdom (Last known address for UK entity, now dissolved)

To expand NSS Labs' market penetration in the EMEA region, provide localized support, gather regional threat intelligence, and tailor advisory services to the specific needs of European and Middle Eastern organizations.

Buying Intent Signals for NSS Labs

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Notable news
Hiring actively
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
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Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
*Example signal, not calculated in real time

Who's Leading NSS Labs? Meet the Executive Team

As of April 2025, NSS Labs' leadership includes:

Jason Brvenik - Chief Executive Officer (at time of cessation)
Vikram Phatak - Founder and Chairman (also former CEO)
Cathy Main - Senior Vice President of Sales (approx. 2018-2020)
Mike Spanbauer - Vice President of Research and Strategy (Key research figure)

Who's Investing in NSS Labs?

NSS Labs has been backed by several prominent investors over the years, including:

StarVest Partners
LiveOak Venture Partners
Chevron Technology Ventures
Verdata (acquired by BitSight)

What Leadership Changes Has NSS Labs Seen Recently?

Hire0
Exits0

NSS Labs ceased operations in October 2020 and its assets were acquired by CyberRatings.org. Consequently, there have been no executive hires or exits at NSS Labs in the last 12 months as the company is no longer an active entity.

What Technology (Tech Stack) Is Used byNSS Labs?

Discover the tools NSS Labs uses. Highperformr reveals the technologies powering your target accounts — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams prioritize smarter and close faster.

NSS Labs Email Formats and Examples

Based on publicly available information for former employees and common corporate practices, NSS Labs likely utilized standard email address formats. These email addresses are no longer active as the company has ceased operations and its domain (nsslabs.com) is not actively used for email.

Common historical formats included [first].[last]@nsslabs.com (e.g., jane.doe@nsslabs.com) and [first_initial][last]@nsslabs.com (e.g., jdoe@nsslabs.com).

Format

john.smith@nsslabs.com

Example

0%

Success rate

What's the Latest News About NSS Labs?

CyberRatings.orgNovember 10, 2020

NSS Labs News: CyberRatings.org Acquires NSS Labs’ Testing Assets and Talent

CyberRatings.org, a non-profit member organization dedicated to providing transparency on cybersecurity product efficacy, announced it has acquired the testing assets and talent from NSS Labs. NSS Labs had ceased operations on October 15, 2020....more

CRNOctober 16, 2020

NSS Labs News: Security Testing Mainstay NSS Labs Has Shut Down

NSS Labs, a prominent independent security product testing company, ceased operations. The Austin, Texas-based company, founded in 1991, was known for its rigorous evaluations of cybersecurity technologies and its influence on the market....more

SecurityWeek (reporting on NSS Labs announcement)August 7, 2019

NSS Labs News: NSS Labs Tests 19 Next-Generation Firewall Products in 2019 Report

NSS Labs released its 2019 Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) Group Test results, evaluating 19 leading NGFW products. The comprehensive report assessed security effectiveness, performance, and total cost of ownership, providing valuable, independent data for enterprises making critical infrastructure decisions....more

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