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AirDefenseAirDefense launched the wireless LAN security market in 2001 and today continues to provide the most advanced solutions for rogue wireless detection, policy enforcement and intrusion prevention, both inside and outside an organization’s physical locations and wired networks. Today, more than 500 enterprises and organizations including Global 1000 corporations, government, healthcare, financial service and retail organizations rely on the comprehensive suite of AirDefense solutions to protect their investment in deploying wireless networks. Business ChallengeIn May 2004, AirDefense turned to Schwartz Communications for its public relations/media relations expertise in raising the visibility of the company at a time when the wireless LAN detection industry was becoming crowded with several competitors. Increasing visibility on a consistent basis would provide the sales team with media coverage and analyst commentary to further validate for customers and prospects the comprehensiveness of AirDefense’s enterprise wide wireless LAN detection/prevention platform.Schwartz PR Strategy- Schwartz would leverage AirDefense’s pioneer status in the wireless LAN security market by introducing the company and its founder Jay Chaudhry to reporters/editors as the company that was the first in the industry to realize the importance of securing wireless networks.
- Schwartz felt it was critical to push the “first-to-market” message with the media because the industry was getting crowded with competitors and reporters could then easily differentiate between the “established” leader, AirDefense, and the upstarts joining the market.
- Overall, Schwartz created a “drumbeat” approach with press releases, which included product news, new customers and partnerships. Schwartz felt one way for AirDefense to stay ahead in the growing field was to keep the company in the news on a regular basis. This required that a detailed press release schedule be planned out three-to-four months in advance, so deadlines could be met and at a minimum three press releases be issued each month.
- Schwartz immediately began positioning Founder Jay Chaudhry, President and CEO Anil Khatod and other C-level executives as experts in the wireless LAN security market, and further positioned them to discuss the challenges facing companies deploying wireless networks.
Results- Engineered two launches of AirDefense’s enterprise-wide product (first in October 2004, Enterprise 6.0, second in December 2005, Enterprise 7.0) that resulted in articles on both launches in the major industry technology publications, including: Computer Reseller News, Computerworld, eWeek, InformationWeek, Infoworld and NetworkWorld.
- Secured stand alone articles for the company with the major business and financial publications, including: Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune, Investor’s Business Daily and Wall Street Journal.
- Stand alone articles with wire services Knight Ridder and Gannet News Service.
- Place recurring coverage on various AirDefense product launches in the wireless industry verticals, including: FierceWireless, Mobile Enterprise, Mobile Pipeline, Wireless Fidelity, WiFi Planet and Wireless Week.
- Secured stand-alone case studies on one of the Department of Defense’s divisions, Joint Forces Command, in several influential government verticals, including: Government Computer News, Government Security, Government Technology, Federal Computer Week and Defense News.
- Placed bylined articles written by either Jay Chaudhry or Anil Khatod in several influential healthcare verticals, including: Health Data Management, Health Imaging & IT, Managed Healthcare Executive and Mobile Health Data.
- Secured high profile placements for AirDefense’s CSO Richard Rushing as an expert on the dangers of wireless phishing scams and the simple steps consumers and business travelers can take to protect against being scammed. Placements appeared on: CNN, Craig Crossman’s Computer America, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, KTTV-TV, Los Angeles (segment syndicated to more than 100 affiliates in United States) and WABC-TV, New York City.
- Media placements and increased interest in the company resulted in AirDefense winning several corporate awards in 2004/2005. They include: 2004 Red Herring Top 100 Innovator Award, 2005 Red Herring Top 100 Private Companies Award and a 2005 Infoworld Top 25 CTO Award to former CTO Scott Hrastar.
- In total, Schwartz has placed AirDefense in more than 175 articles since May 2004.
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