Large companies don’t always have the most to lose from a cyberattack. Often mid-market and emerging companies do, because they are usually the easiest targets. With limited budgets and few options in terms of comprehensive cybersecurity, attacks on their systems can result in sometimes irreparable damage—especially reputationally, which was recently revealed to be mid-market companies’ greatest fear in terms of cyberattacks.
It’s easy to take a Darwinian stance; 50% of American businesses will fail in their fifth year, after all, so why is cybersecurity (or lack thereof) any more dangerous than other factors that spell the death of a mid-market business?
“The vast majority of the American economy is comprised of mid-market and smaller organizations,” says Zach Fuller, Partner and Head of Business Operations & Strategy.“Even Fortune 500 companies rely on those mid-market companies to survive; that is their supply chain, and without those smaller companies, things fall apart.
So we protect great organizations and their people in order to secure the backbone of the American economy and our way of life.”While most companies in the cybersecurity industry are focused on selling cybersecurity products and tools, Silent Sector takes a technology-agnostic approach, providing world-class expertise and resources to the mid-market.
“What we offer is the real boots-on-the-ground, necessary work that must be done in order to protect our clients against these cyberattacks,” Zach says.A former Green Beret, Zach’s understanding of asymmetrical warfare is as deep as it is crucial to Silent Sector’s mission.
As with terrorism as most would understand it, cyberattacks often come from a decentralized enemy—an enemy that doesn’t wear uniforms, operates from all over the world, and with whom it’s difficult to establish a clear hierarchy of leadership.“We realized that we could put Special Forces strategies to work in combatting cybercrime,” Zach says.
Silent Sector has the perfect team to do so. While Zach’s background is in military operations and building companies, his partners, Mike Rotondo (Head of Compliance & Cybersecurity Operations) and Lauro Chavez (Head of Cybersecurity Strategy & Research) had both been in cybersecurity for about 25 years with organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to NASA—“We were in it before it was called cybersecurity,” Mike says, when everything fell under the umbrella term “IT.”
There should be no need to discuss the politics for three months when the control takes minutes to implement and immediately provides a stronger security baseline and reduces exposure to risk.”When the team posed the question, What do mid-market companies really need? it could also provide the answer: expertise, guidance, and people to do the work.
“Working in small teams in extremely hostile environments, while understanding what the dynamic looks like for asymmetrical warfare—that was my area of expertise and our team brings the same level of thinking when we’re protecting clients from cybercriminals,” Zach says.
Today, Silent Sector functions as a full security department for companies that don’t have the budget for a complete internal security program, saving those companies about 60-80% of what it would cost to bring all the resources in-house.
The firm can afford to bring in capabilities generally reserved for enterprise companies because it matches its strategy to that of the enemy, running a lean organization in which team members have the autonomy to do what needs to be done at exactly the time it needs to happen.
“Our solutions are based on the principle of fighting with the army you have, not the one you want.” Mike says. “Silent Sector provides the necessary outside support while also teaching companies to get the most out of their existing internal resources, both people and tools.
”Silent Sector’s agility and unique model also means that it can scale quickly and effectively. It has expanded from the Southwest to other underserved markets throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Silent Sector’s team is supporting and equipping the next generation of cyber warriors through partnership with Grand Canyon University.
Silent Sector was selected as one of the GCU’s valued ventures to be housed at its Canyon Ventures, an exclusive center for business innovation and acceleration.“A hands-on approach is what fixes problems,” Zach says. “Our solutions provide our clients with peace of mind and empower them to focus on profitability and growth.”
