Mobilizing WatchGuard for Rapid Media Response
Voxus enabled WatchGuard to build awareness, thought leadership by offering perspective on breaking news.
Demonstrating Cybersecurity Expertise
WatchGuard Technologies is a global leader in unified cybersecurity that empowers managed service providers to deliver world-class security to organizations of all sizes. Touting a wealth of industry knowledge to share with the larger community, WatchGuard sought to demonstrate its cybersecurity expertise in response to breaking news events while also increasing its brand visibility. In 2024, WatchGuard tapped Voxus PR to implement a plan for the company’s subject matter experts to provide commentary and perspective to media covering relevant breaking news.
Identifying the Right Opportunities
The Voxus team created a plan to identify opportunities and secure coverage with top-tier technology news and cybersecurity media outlets that were most valuable to WatchGuard. Our plan included daily monitoring of relevant news and vetting and flagging rapid response opportunities that journalists shared via online platforms such as HARO, ProfNet and Qwoted. We also created a Rapid Response Media Tracker spreadsheet to document all opportunities flagged, pursued and that resulted in coverage to refine targets and storylines.
Coordinating Rapid Responses
Flagging multiple opportunities weekly, Voxus coordinated with WatchGuard’s SMEs to develop and deliver quick-turn responses. Specifically, our team worked closely with WatchGuard’s Chief Security Officer and Director of Security Operations as the company’s primary spokespeople on breaking news. Additionally, Voxus provided input on how WatchGuard could use its own primary research and data to support the insights we shared with media. As we collaborated, it wasn’t long before results started coming in.
Garnering Top-Tier Results
The Rapid Response program kicked off with a bang in February 2024, with WatchGuard providing commentary to USA Today about hacks against online travel accounts. Soon after, WatchGuard provided commentary on “the Mother of All Breaches” to SecurityInfoWatch and on cybersecurity certifications to CSO Online. When large-scale cybersecurity events happened locally and nationally, WatchGuard was positioned to respond. The company’s CSO provided commentary to GeekWire on a ransomware attack on Seattle Public Library and a cyberattack on the Port of Seattle. In July, he was interviewed by Seattle broadcast news outlets FOX 13 Seattle and KOMO News to comment on the cause and impact of CrowdStrike’s global outage that halted airline flights across the country. FOX 13 also interviewed him about the cyberattack on SeaTac Airport and the closure of Highline Public Schools due to potential cybersecurity issues. The success of WatchGuard’s Rapid Media Response program contributed to WatchGuard securing 94 pieces of coverage through the first three quarters of 2024, including coverage in CRN, Dark Reading, SDxCentral, VentureBeat, ChannelE2E, InformationWeek, SC Magazine, and many more.
WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. is a global leader in unified cybersecurity. Its Unified Security Platform® is designed for managed service providers to deliver world-class security that increases their business scale and velocity while also improving operational efficiency. WatchGuard is trusted by more than 17,000 security resellers and service providers to protect more than 250,000 customers.