“Not only has Attain helped our company gain visibility in a crowded market space, but they’ve helped us to educate the market and define us as a market leader.”
Company Profile
Wombat Security Technologies helps organizations combat cyber security threats with proven effective software-based training solutions for employees. With fully automated, highly scalable solutions, built on learning science principles, Wombat offers mock attacks with brief embedded training, as well as a full complement of 10-minute software training modules. Wombat’s training solutions have been shown to reduce employee susceptibility to attack by over 80%. Fortune 1000 customers, large government agencies and small to medium businesses in segments such as finance, banking, higher education, retail, technology, energy, insurance, and consumer packaged goods are using Wombat’s training solutions to strengthen their cyber security defenses.
Challenge
When Wombat Security Technologies was founded in June 2008, security awareness and training was an unrecognized and undefined segment of the information security industry. No major analyst firms officially recognized security awareness and training as a unique market space. Wombat was forced to compete within a large, fragmented market as a small company going up against better-funded and bigger players. Attain was challenged to not only present Wombat as a leader in their field, but also help define the security awareness and training market by proving that it was becoming absolutely necessary to companies large and small.
Strategy & Tactics
Attain launched an aggressive public relations schedule to a broad base of both press and analysts. Regular analyst briefings were conducted to educate analysts on the importance of security awareness and training, and help them understand how to define this new market based on the approach. The positioning of Wombat solutions as fully interactive and engaging helped the analysts understand the value of the new market and the unique benefits of the tools that Wombat was bringing to market.
A thought-leadership campaign was conducted by Attain, which featured an article written by Wombat’s President and CEO, Joe Ferrara, titled, “10 Commandments for Effective Security Training.” This article sparked an industry-wide debate about the need for security awareness and training. The debate continued for over two years, bringing great exposure to the technology solutions and the benefits of Wombat’s interactive approach.
Attain then helped Wombat to get more visibility from this debate by focusing attention on using simulated phishing attacks as part of security awareness strategy. Consistently providing education around the evolving security awareness topic was a key factor in establishing this new market. Attain reemphasized and reeducated press and analysts often, making it clear that Wombat’s offering is extremely valuable to the industry.
Results
The dedicated approach to defining security awareness and training and introducing Wombat as a market leader paid off. Wombat is now considered by analysts and media to be one of the top two companies offering security awareness and training services. Additionally, the market is much more defined and understood by all—analysts, press, and companies—who are agreeing to the value in the training that Wombat provides.
Major analyst firm Gartner has taken a specific interest in security awareness and training, and will be developing one of their popular Magic Quadrant research reports focused on this market in 2014. In Gartner’s own words, “Gartner Magic Quadrants are a culmination of research in a specific market, giving you a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the market’s competitors.” To be recognized as a major player in a new market by Gartner speaks volumes on how Wombat’s visibility has grown in the past few years.
Analysts are now referring Wombat’s services to their own enterprise customers, and sales are going up accordingly. In addition, Attain helped Wombat win several industry awards which has extended Wombat’s credibility in their now clearly defined market.
Sample of Coverage
We believe our strong position as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant report underscores our unique position to meet the CSO’s demands by offering a fully integrated and effective security awareness and training solution that has helped our customers change end user behavior and reduce overall security risk.
—Joe Ferrara, Wombat’s President and CEO
