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OKENAOKENA (now a part of Cisco Systems) is the leading developer of behavior-based intrusion prevention software that secures servers, desktops and all of their applications from both known and unknown attacks.IndustryOKENA’s intrusion prevention software products are used by leading private and public sector organizations in the federal government, financial services, education and healthcare markets. The company’s solutions enable customers to prevent intrusions from executing on servers and desktops, regardless of whether patches and signature updates have been administered. This proven approach ensures defense-in-depth security while reducing the high IT costs associated with the maintenance and deployment of traditional signature-based technologies.Business Challenge- In February 2001, OKENA turned to Schwartz Communications to help launch both the company and its new intrusion prevention solution. A comprehensive media and analyst audit conducted in March 2001 revealed that there was lots of work to do; there was considerable skepticism about the term “intrusion prevention” and the OKENA name had no recognition.
- Although the need for security was fully understood by businesses when Schwartz began working with OKENA, tremendous fragmentation within the security market presented a major challenge. More than 300 best-of-breed companies competed in this market, all offering point solutions and product suites. Atop the market, a few large players dominated the industry, providing one-stop solutions to ease the security burden. Clearly defining OKENA’s place in the market was of paramount importance.
- Equally challenging, significant investment in security technology during the tech boom had left companies cynical because, though they were now able to detect attacks, they still could not prevent them.
Schwartz PR Strategy- Schwartz worked with OKENA to identify the core industry problem: the traditional approach—reacting to threats and attacks rather than preventing them—did not work. Problem defined, Schwartz worked to build the case for intrusion prevention and to evangelize it as new market category for the security industry.
- Schwartz embarked on an extremely aggressive PR program that generated large doses of buzz in the marketplace. This hard-hitting approach was vital in order to convince the security industry of two facts. First, a proactive approach to security that defends against the continually evolving onslaught of attacks was needed. Additionally, OKENA, with its StormWatch solution, was the company best positioned and equipped to fulfill this need.
- Schwartz knew that OKENA’s intrusion detection technology introduced an entirely new approach to security but that the industry had not recognized it as a category. Schwartz started working with the analysts to build industry support and to validate a new market category. A critical challenge was showing that intrusion detection giants such as Symantec had overlooked intrusion prevention. In response, Schwartz defined the depositioning of signature-based, reactive security solutions that require the constant application of vendor-issued patches as a strategic PR goal and immediately began executing on that goal.
Results- Schwartz arranged more than 50 analyst briefings for OKENA. Intrusion prevention quickly became a key element of discussions in analyst reports.
- Just a few months after OKENA introduced its technology to the world, top security analysts John Pescatore and Arabella Hallawell delivered a powerful endorsement in a research note titled “Signature-based Virus Detection at the Desktop is Dying.” Then, at a Gartner security conference, analyst Richard Stiennon delivered a presentation that concluded with the statement, “Look to intrusion prevention to solve the ills of intrusion detection.”
- Schwartz used analyst support at all stages to convince the media that this new breed of security could stop new and even unknown attacks. Schwartz secured strategic, industry-wide press coverage ranging from placing OKENA in security features in The Economist and BusinessWeek to an entire Information Security issue on intrusion prevention with two cover stories featuring OKENA and its customers. For the first time, intrusion prevention became the subject of editorial calendar listings in publications such as CIO, Information Security, InfoWorld, Federal Computer Week, Network Computing and others.
- To solidify OKENA’s leadership and brand in the new category, Schwartz followed up with a heavy product review program. The agency secured a Sneak Preview for OKENA in the October 2001 issue of Network Computing, which led to OKENA being named a “company to watch” by the publication in 2002 and then again in 2003.
- Schwartz leveraged the successful reviews program to secure numerous industry awards for OKENA. Awards included the 2003 Information Security Excellence Award in the “Intrusion Prevention” category from Information Security, Network Computing 2002 “Editor’s Choice” award, and Network Computing 2003 “Well-Connected” award.
- The recognition and leadership that Schwartz helped OKENA create paid off in January 2003, when Cisco Systems announced its intention to acquire OKENA, the clear leader of the intrusion prevention security market, for $154 million. This acquisition was finalized in April 2003.
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