Every time I hear about local security startup, Damballa (and I hear their name a lot lately), they seem to be making all of the right moves. ISS, SecureWorks, SPI Dynamics, CipherTrust, and other startups have helped establish Atlanta as a hub for security startups. Damballa continues this tradition, identifying armies of “zombie” computers that threaten the security of systems and networks. Like all of the aforementioned companies (except Secureworks, which is still thriving as a private and independent company), I expect Damballa to continue growing and eventually become a juicy acquisition target.

The company is a solid effort to commercialize technology coming out of Georgia Tech, which I hope to see a lot more of in the future. They’ve raised successive rounds of $2.5 and <a href=” http://www.bigthinkr.com/2007/08/28/damballa-raises-series-b/”>$6 million dollars</a>, and are reputed to have already locked down several lucrative contracts. They recently joined <a href=”http://www.atdc.org/”>ATDC</a&gt;, giving them great access to advice, connections and resources. By all reports, they also continue to build an awesome team.

In a time where I’m hearing of a few Atlanta startups collapsing or struggling under internal pressures, it’s exciting to see a rising star like Damballa quietly building the momentum of a freight train.