Let the Wind Blow

There are certain things that immediately identify us marketing types. Like the way we get more excited sometimes about the commercials than the TV shows we watch, or how we have secret files of direct mail pieces and print ads that have caught our attention and we're compelled to save for the next time a client wants an idea of "what works".

The real kicker for me, though, came this week as Hurricane Ike blew through my hometown of Houston, Texas. Just 24 hours after my family huddled in the protection of the downstairs bathroom, and then spent half of the next day bailing water out of the attic of my storm-damaged home, the wheels in my marketing mind were already starting to turn.

What were my clients doing during the storm? Did my managed security services client Network Box USA keep its customer base of banks and credit unions protected while Hurricane Ike raged on? The hurricane hit Houston on Saturday....I was on the phone to Network Box CTO Pierluigi Stella first thing Monday morning and by Wednesday we had crafted a press release and pitched it to the Houston Business Journal, who ran our story as part of that week's front-page headline piece on Hurricane Ike (link to story).

Let the wind (of opportunity) blow!

Here is the release written by Linda Wise PR:

For Immediate Release

Network Box USA Helps Houston-based Businesses Shore Up Security, Minimizing Hurricane Ike’s Threat to Data Landscape

September 16, 2008 (Houston, Texas) – In the wee hours of Saturday, September 13, Houstonians who had not been evacuated to higher ground “sheltered in place” waiting for one of the worst natural disasters to hit southeast Texas in more than two decades. But while everyone waited and wondered if their homes and businesses would be in one piece after the winds and the rain had subsided, a number of company executives were resting easy that at least their critical data was being actively protected even as Hurricane Ike raged on.

One such executive was Tamara Hudson, Vice President over technology at Community Resources Credit Union. By last Friday, she had already been in touch with Network Box USA to ensure that everything was in place – including the financial institution’s data security - for the credit union’s technology move from its headquarters in Baytown to Crosby, in anticipation of the hurricane.

Despite being headquartered in the storm center itself, the information security team at Houston-based Network Box USA did not spend its weekend hiding from Hurricane Ike, but rather helping its clients prepare and secure their data from the storm and its aftermath. The company’s network operations center (NOC), from which Network Box USA manages and monitors its clients’ networks for security threats, operated without any downtime throughout the hurricane and continues to be fully operational despite widespread power outages in the Houston area.

“We have a number of clients who could not afford to have their critical data at risk while they were dealing with logistical issues resulting from Hurricane Ike,” said Pierluigi Stella, Chief Technology Officer of Network Box USA. “We were able to work with them to ensure business continuity and network security while they were transferring operations to other offices.”

According to Stella, disasters of any kind, weather-related or manmade, can leave companies vulnerable to exploitation and cyber attack.

“Criminals know that an ideal time to strike is when security personnel are distracted from their primary duties, like helping get a business back in operation after a major hurricane,” Stella said. “Companies who use managed services firms like Network Box to monitor multiple layers of their security have the benefit of being able to focus on their customers and restoring normal operations without having to worry about their data security on top of everything else.”

Network Box USA is the American Arm of Network Box Corp., a global managed security services provider (MSSP) that delivers a cost-effective unified gateway security solution. The company primarily serves financial institutions, education, government, and small to midsize enterprises. For more information, visit www.networkboxusa.com or call 832-242-5758.