Biz Quicks: Markets Closed THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2001 Inventor of the Year Award

SecureAgent Software's President R. Brent Johnson standing next to company show displays Tulsan R. Brent Johnson, president and CEO of SecureAgent Software, will be honored this weekend by the Oklahoma Bar Association with its Innovator of the Year Award. Johnson was nominated by his patent attorney, Mark Kachigian of the Tulsa law firm Head, Johnson and Kachigian, a prominent Oklahoma intellectual property law firm engaged in all aspects of patent, trademarks and copyright law. The OBA's patent, trademark and copyright section will recognize Johnson Saturday night, June 23, in a meeting at Shangri-La Resort. “Brent Johnson's business venture is indicative of the hopes and efforts of those building a high-technology economic base for Oklahoma,” stated Innovator of the Year committee, “and, more particularly, is associated with the recognition that Tulsa has earned as a burgeoning high-tech hub.” Holder of three patents, Johnson has several other patents pending. He invents and develops specialized products for computer automation, remote computer access and computer system security. Johnson began his career with the Atomic Energy Commission. He began working with computers in 1963, and in the early 1970s invented a new and unique way to handle magnetic tape. In the 1980s he began developing reservation systems for major airlines. He was soon recognized around the world for his effective approaches to mainframe automation systems.

SecureAgent Software's President R. Brent Johnson standing with patent attorney Mark Kachigian who recognized him for this honor The company, known for several years as Global Interface Solutions, saw its client base steadily grow to include such companies as American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, the SABRE Reservation Center and Continental Airlines. Those companies and many other high-volume data processing centers use his firm's best-known product, SuperVision, to network and automate the operation of computers across a myriad of hardware platforms. A single operator can easily control functions on many computers, from PCs to mainframes, simultaneously from a standard desktop computer virtually anywhere within the system. In 1991, Johnson moved his company from the San Francisco area to Tulsa. Recently, SecureAgent Software has aggressively moved into the area of e-mail security and secure remote access to computer systems in addition to its core business of mainframe automation. Also an avid supporter of arts organizations in Oklahoma, Johnson has served on the boards of directors of Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Philharmonic, ConcerTime, Junior Achievement, the Oklahoma Arts Institute, the TCC Foundation and the Oklahoma Center for Excellence. Johnson also serves on the board of the Center of Excellence in Information Technology and Telecommunications. With the participation of six Tulsa-area institutions of higher education, the organization is dedicated to education, cooperative research and an entrepreneurial culture to stimulate high-tech business development in Oklahoma. Return to the News Coverage