In the pursuit to create viral content, marketers have embraced the idea that using influencers to endorse a brand’s message will foster consumer engagement. As the tactic trends among the marketing community, brands are spending millions of dollars to hire influencers to serve as brand ambassadors. But in an industry driven by metrics, the question remains: are influencers really worth the investment? Engaging influencers with a huge social media following can be somewhat effective for the creation of awareness, but it may not be the most effective method for creating viral content. Simply gaining “eyeballs” through a celebrity’s following, while consumer friendly, does not alone translate into influence.

To continue reading, click here: http://socialmediatoday.com/frank-speiser/2424176/fallacy-influencer

Reposted on Social Media Today: “What Amazon cart really means for Twitter” from Frank Speiser, co-founder of SocialFlow.

To read this post, click here: http://socialmediatoday.com/frank-speiser/2405821/what-amazoncart-really-means-twitter

Celtra has been awarded the 2014 ASPY Award for Best ad product innovation

To read more, and see the other winners, click here: http://www.imediaconnection.com/summits/coverage/36445.asp

 

 

Vendors Selected for the “Cool Vendor” Are Impactful, Intriguing and Innovative

WALTHAM, Mass. (May 6, 2014)

CounterTack, a pioneer in delivering real-time endpoint threat detection, context and visibility around targeted attacks, has been named to the list of
“Cool Vendors” in the Gartner Cool Vendors for Application and Endpoint Security 2014 report,
authored by Ray Wagner, Joseph Feiman, Avivah Litan, Neil MacDonald, Peter Firstbrook, Lawrence Pingree, Adam Hils and John Girard on May 2, 20141.

The full Cool Vendors in Application and Endpoint Security 2014 report from Gartner can be found here.

According to Gartner, “…worldwide endpoint protection platform (enterprise) spending will grow at an estimated 2% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) and will reach $3.5 billion in
2017.”2

CounterTack is experiencing tremendous growth driven by CounterTack Sentinel’s enterprise- class endpoint security solution. The company has delivered the most scalable enterprise endpoint security platform on the market, and has grown its roster of customers, technology, MSSP’s and reseller partners to help meet market demand.

According to this report, ‘New application and endpoint security vendors offer innovative and enhanced technologies…Endpoint protection is becoming more sophisticated and targeted at common problem areas of security. For chief information security officers (CISOs) and security teams tasked with protecting Windows environments, endpoints now have a potential monitoring
solution that drills down into the malware’s infection chain of events.’ 3

“We believe this recognition in Gartner’s highly respected, list of Cool Vendors further validates CounterTack’s emergence in the endpoint threat detection and response market,” said Neal Creighton, Chief Executive Officer, CounterTack. “As the need increases for more advanced detection and analysis of advanced endpoint threats, we feel CounterTack is well-positioned to
be the most capable provider for the enterprise.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any
warranties of merchantability  or fitness for a particular purpose.

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

1  Gartner,    Cool    Vendors    in   Application    and    Endpoint    Security,    2014,    May    2,    2014,    Ray    Wagner,    Joseph
Feiman,  Avivah    Litan,    Neil    MacDonald,    Peter    Firstbrook,    Lawrence    Pingree,    Adam    Hils    and    John    Girard.
2  Calculations    performed    by    CounterTack    based    on    Gartner,    Forecast    Overview:    Information    Security,
Worldwide  4Q13    Update,    March    13,    2014,    Ruggero    Contu,    Christian    Canales,    Lawrence    Pingree.
3  Gartner,    Cool    Vendors    in    Application    and    Endpoint    Security,    2014,    et    al.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

About CounterTack

CounterTack’s real-time endpoint threat detection and response platform, CounterTack Sentinel,
delivers unprecedented visibility and context to enterprise security teams around targeted, persistent threats. CounterTack dramatically reduces the impact of advanced attacks, providing real-time, behavioral-based intelligence on attacker activity upon infiltration, so organizations can defend their business leveraging Sentinel’s contextual attack evidence for a rapid, prioritized response.

By combining ‘stealthware’ technology and Big Data analytics, CounterTack turns the tables on attackers, giving security teams and incident responders an advantage over their adversaries to make better security decisions with real-time, automated, forensic-level analysis. CounterTack is revolutionizing how companies defend their endpoints — across the enterprise.

To learn more, visit www.countertack.com.

Press Contacts: Nina Korfias MSLGROUP
781-684-0770
countertack@mslgroup.com

Tom Bain
CounterTack
617-500-2780 tbain@countertack.com

Cambridge, Mass. – May 6, 2014

Co3 Systems, the leader in Incident Response Management Systems,has been selected for Gartner Inc.’s “Cool Vendors” report, 2014. Gartner defines a Cool Vendor as one that offers technologies or solutions that are innovative, impactful and intriguing.

In the report, Gartner said, “The distinguishing—and cool—feature of the Co3 solution is that it lowers the burden for tracking and meeting regulatory obligations while managing a security incident. When coupled with other automated features, it provides a platform that streamlines what was previously a manually intensive and quite complex task.”

“Between increased attacks and expanding regulatory requirements, it is harder than ever for firms to navigate incident response—particularly when regulated data is involved. Co3 cuts through the confusion with a simple yet comprehensive and prescriptive system that guides our customers through all of the steps required to ensure a compliant and highly efficient result,” said John Bruce, CEO at Co3 Systems. “As a leader in driving the industry’s evolution from prevention and detection to response, inclusion in Gartner’s Cool Vendor report is a gratifying validation of our vision.”

Purpose-Built Incident Response Management
Co3’s Security Module is the first daily use response and preparedness platform for security incidents such as malware infections, phishing campaigns, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, device or Intellectual Property theft and system intrusions. Co3’s Privacy Module extends the platform to include guidance for breaches of regulated information like personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI). Considered today as the industry standard for incident response management, the Co3 platform provides an easy, automated way to ensure consistency and accountability—across teams, organizations and external stakeholders. Together, the Modules provide the most comprehensive solution to prepare, assess, manage and mitigate security incidents and privacy breaches.

Follow Co3 Systems:
Co3 Systems Blog: https://www.co3sys.com/blog
Videos:  https://www.co3sys.com/product-videos
Events & Webinar Series:  https://www.co3sys.com/news/events
Twitter: @co3sys

About Co3 Systems:
Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, Co3 Systems is making the market for Incident Response Management Systems – software that brings people, process, and technology together for times of crisis. Co3 is led by a proven team of security entrepreneurs including security legend, Bruce Schneier (CTO). In a short period of time, Co3 has emerged as the gold standard for how organizations—from Fortune 500 companies to small organizations—prepare, assess, manage, and mitigate security and privacy incidents. On the web at www.co3sys.com.

Disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

This week, Sprinklr announced both its $40 million raise and its intent to get into the paid social media arena. It is a welcome validation in the rapidly growing marketplace that my company, SocialFlow, also occupies.

As social media audiences continue to swell, brands need to invest more to grab targeted consumer attention. Organic reach on Facebook is no longer a given. And with every bell and whistle Twitter adds, it’s harder for companies to stand out.

Attention is a currency that now comes at a premium.

To continue reading, click here: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/224973/is-paid-media-at-the-core-of-social-or-is-it-the.html