Entrust renews its sponsorship of GSN’s homeland security awards program

Entrust Inc., a pioneering supplier of identity-based security solutions and a longtime sponsor of the nationwide GSN homeland security awards program, has renewed their sponsorship of the awards program again in 2012.

The company has not only won awards as an entrant in the GSN competition during years past, but has also watched enthusiastically as some of its government customers have been honored for their own innovative accomplishments, which deployed some of Entrust’s products and services.

The ever-increasing emphasis on cyber security, and the relentless plague of security breaches affecting government agencies, large enterprises and other organizations, means Entrust and other vendors are on a solid growth path, David Rockvam, the general manager of Entrust Certificate Services and the company’s chief marketing officer, told GSN in a recent telephone interview. He pointed to the well-known Stuxnet virus and the recent hacking of Trend Micro’s network as two vivid examples of the continuing necessity for cyber vigilance.

Slowly-but-surely, customers are recognizing their vulnerabilities and taking important corrective actions, explained Rockvam. To illustrate this phenomenon, he pointed to the emerging “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) trend which has gained considerable momentum in the past year. More and more employees are insisting that they be allowed to bring their own smart phones, iPads and other hand-held devices to work, Rockvam noted. In 2011, employers were still trying to resist this idea. But, in 2012, said Rockvam, “the floodgates have opened,” and employers are embracing this new trend.

By renewing their sponsorship of the GSN homeland security awards program, which bestows honors on outstanding performers in 45 categories of IT Security, Physical Security and Government Excellence, Entrust feels it is helping the entire cyber security community.

“Cyber security initiatives need to be elevated at every level,” said Rockvam. “The GSN awards help to elevate performance at all levels, on a national scale. This is important because the nation is only as strong as its weakest cyber link.”

The long-established GSN awards program honors commercial enterprises and government agencies (at the federal, state and local levels) for their most effective security programs during the course of the preceding year.

Ed Tyler, publisher of Government Security News, also points to the more practical benefits that flow to award winners.

“The true benefit for the 45 winners of the 2012 GSN Homeland Security Awards program is the marketing value after the awards dinner has been held,” observed Tyler. Each winner (as well as each finalist) receives a special GSN 2012 Homeland Security Awards button, and each winner receives a free video interview produced by the GSN video team, involving one of the winner’s executives. “The button and the video interview can be prominently posted on the company’s Website, in its annual report and marketing literature, and displayed at its trade show booths. The PR value is immeasurable,” Tyler added.

Entrust enjoyed a strong first half of the year in 2012 and expects the second half of the year to be even more robust, said Rockvam. He points to a recent government contract renewal in the realm of HSPD-12 credentials, as well as exciting prospects in the electricity grid and other energy-related niches as areas in which Entrust expects strong growth. Overall, Entrust sees cyber spending by the federal government ramping up nicely.

Entries for vendors and government agencies in the 2012 GSN homeland security awards program are now being accepted. Further information about the GSN awards program is available here.