The idea for Fortressware came from the founders' experience working for a public company with global operations. As they set up off-shore development centers, they examined the risks inherent in a geographically distributed development environment. By definition, any solution could not be based on a model of central control. At the same time, they looked for tools that would mitigate these risks, without interfering with their work processes. They did not find any security solution that satisfactorily protected against internal leaks and maintained the productivity of their teams. In fact, they quickly recognized that any solution that truly addressed the problem would require fresh thinking. This led to the decision to build a company focused on providing enterprises with the best solutions possible for organizing and conducting distributed work securely.

As the founders considered various approaches, several patent-pending breakthroughs emerged. The notion of a secure virtual workspace was one. It arose from the need for a trusted environment that was not dependent on a specific location and with a boundary that could change dynamically. The idea of an access policy managing the interaction of tools and content that could change dynamically, depending on the previous interactions, was another.

The Fortressware solution was designed on the assumption that sensitive information should be protected immediately at the time of creation and remain protected at all points of use. It was built from the beginning to address the needs of globally distributed workgroups without requiring changes in users' tools or processes.

Fortressware is a venture-backed company founded with funding from seasoned venture capitalists, entrepreneurs who have built successful start-ups, and iD Ventures America.