C2Net was an Internet cryptography company founded by Sameer Parekh, which was sold to Red Hat in 2000. It was best known for its Stronghold secure webserver software.
Community ConneXion
C2Net started out as Community ConneXion in 1994, an Internet Privacy Provider similar to an Internet service provider providing customers with anonymous Internet services, from dialup access to email accounts. Community ConneXion implemented the first double-blind anonymous mail forwarding service, aka "nym server", as well as being the company that commercialized the Anonymizer before selling it to Lance Cottrell's Anonymizer Inc.
Products: Stronghold and Safe Passage
After seeing a demand for an Apache-based SSL-capable web server, Sameer Parekh developed the first version of Stronghold by plugging together Apache with SSLeay, Apache-SSL, and a commercially licensed RSAref. The product was wildly successful but the company was unwilling to compromise security to get an export license for its products. Thus, C2Net purchased UKWeb, an Apache consultancy in Leeds, which independently re-engineered the Stronghold product (without RSAref) for the international market. This made C2Net the first American company to be capable of providing strong encryption solutions to a worldwide market.
Eventually C2Net hired the SSLeay developers Eric Young and Tim Hudson
Hosting the first ApacheCon
In October, 1998, C2Net and the Apache Project hosted the first ApacheCon conference.
New CEO and Sale to Red Hat
After losing the Australian office, C2Net focused primarily on selling and supporting Stronghold and hired a new CEO, Bill Rowzee. He brought the company back to profitability, and as the RSA patent was due to expire in 2000, they shifted the company's strategy to focus primarily on support. Finally, they sold the company to Red Hat in 2000 for around $42.7 Million.