Business

A Sage Investment

Telecommuications pioneer SageNet, headquartered in Tulsa, protects businesses from cybersecurity invasions among other valuable skills.

Telecommunications company SageNet is headquartered in Tulsa. Photo courtesy SageNet Paying o ransomware attackers is something business owners don’t exactly like to think about. Yet, just about every 11 seconds, bad actors from around the globe – or even grandma’s basement – launch malicious software that infects a computer. ey often hold the data hostage until ransom is paid. at’s where Tulsa-based SageNet steps up.

One division of SageNet focuses its technology and advice on trying to keep businesses from ever having to negotiate with a cybercriminal … and potentially paying anywhere from $2,500 to several millions of dollars to recover their les ... sometimes only to be hit again.

“Unfortunately, criminals are very attuned to [creating] enough pain that, for them, this costs very little,” says Brad Wise, SageNet chief executive o cer. “So, if they can get dollars of any substance out of it, it’s a win for them.”

Criminals target “big game” like JBS Foods and Colonial Pipeline Co., but are nding it easier to y under the radar to hit small and mid-sized companies with less sophisticated cybersecurity, the U.S. government reports. About 46% of small businesses have su ered a ransomware attack and many go bankrupt after a cyberattack, research shows.

“Often, the ransomware comes through someone internally who does some sort of email attachment that allows that vulnerability to take place,” says Wise.

SageNet professionals recommend unwavering vigilance, backing up data and using updated systems. If those e orts fail, Wise says the rst step for a company under attack is to contact authorities. StopRansomware.gov is the government’s one-stop location for ransomware reporting and education. SageNet’s Off erings

“We do multiple things for customers,” says Wise. “Cybersecurity is one.”

When serial entrepreneur and current chairman Daryl Woodard launched SageNet in Tulsa in 1998, he focused on big computer networks for retailers. e business grew and picked up other tech companies in Philadelphia, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Early last year, the company added Atlanta and Toronto o ces when it acquired Convergent, a digital signage company.

“Digital signage … is a growing area for us,” says Wise. “Within the overall industry, it’s a very nicely growing area.”

SageNet’s digital signage footprints travels throughout Oklahoma and the country at large. eir signs are animated, colorful displays in convenience stores, fast-food restaurants, pizza joints and nancial institutions. e company’s digital signage division came to the rescue when some of WeStreet Credit Union’s 17 branches had problems in 2019. eir digital signs weren’t always dependable in displaying the uctuating, regulated information on loan and interest rates.

SageNet and the credit union’s sta uncovered issues with older software and media players. Ultimately, the tech company updated the system and began monitoring the network and digital signage. e next big digital thing in banks and credit unions, Wise says, is likely QR codes on lobby screens.

SageNet customers include the nation’s largest retail, nancial, healthcare, utilities and energy organizations. Company employees total more than 450 across all o ces, managing technology communications at more than 220,000 endpoints.

“We love Tulsa,” says Wise, who typically works out of the Washington, D.C. area o ce. “We love having the headquarters there.” SONYA COLBERG