Convinced that IT security remains a high priority for the government and financial-services companies, Benchmark Capital last week led a $13 million round of financing for Securify. The Mountain View, Calif., company develops software that automatically alerts IT managers if their networks are configured improperly or if any traffic on their networks violates specific business policies.

Its core product, SecurVantage, lets security managers set access and data-flow rules for their companies' networks, then monitors the networks for compliance. It works with other security systems, such as those that detect viruses, and oversees the entire network, including monitoring those apps.

SecurVantage alerts administrators when network activity falls outside the preset rules, which might suggest a security breach. "Businesses can connect enterprise security policies with business processes," says president and CEO Mark Hangen. That will let companies execute a security strategy that increases productivity while reducing risks, he says.

Securify plans to target the financial-services and government markets, but Hangen says SecurVantage makes sense for any company that has a large network.