Maz Has Way for Law Firms to Protect Data

These days, law firms deal with a lot of sensitive digital information. Clients use e-mail to communicate with their attorneys. Clerks use computer networks to organize patent applications. Firms store their financial records on a PC.

And all important data are often vulnerable to attacks from the outside, said Michael Overly, a Newport Beach attorney who specializes in Internet and online law.

“In most cases, it’s not the curious hacker trying to mess up your system,” Overly said. “You’ve got to be worried about former employees who hold a grudge.”

Now, a small Irvine company offers a way to protect members of the legal community from each other. has developed a smart-card encryption system that can verify a person’s identity either in the office or over the Internet. Launched in Southern California in July, Maz’s new computer security product already has been tapped by 25 firms. Maz plans to roll out the product nationally by September.

“We saw that people were offering law firms security on the network level. But what they seem to need is security on the file level,” said Steve Zizzi, president and chief technology officer for Maz.

Dubbed IntelliGard Security System, the product uses cryptography and data encryption that are standard in the industry.

A small card reader attaches to a PC or a laptop computer running Windows 3.0, Windows95 or NT. Once the system is installed, the company gives the cards to its staff. Each card is personalized and password-protected, with a selection of 16 different keys. Pop the smart card into its reader, pull up the file and pick an encryption key. Without this key, the file is locked and protected, Zizzi said.

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P.J. Huffstutter covers high technology for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com.