Cover Story
SMALL BUT MIGHTY :
Field Effect ’ s Strategy To Revolutionize Cybersecurity
In a landscape dominated by cybersecurity giants , Field Effect , a 185-person company , is proving that size doesn ’ t determine effectiveness . Recently placing second behind CrowdStrike in Mitre ’ s evaluation for meantime to detect — outperforming industry titans like Microsoft and Palo Alto — this boutique firm is revolutionizing cybersecurity for small and medium businesses ( SMBs ).
Their secret ? A unique DNA stemming from intelligence agency roots and a mission-first culture that permeates every aspect of their operation .
Matt Holland , Founder and CEO of Field Effect , whose career began at a three-letter agency in 1999 , was a leading security researcher specializing in intelligence tradecraft for key topsecret projects . Discovering a hole in the market , he co-founded Linchpin in 2007 , which was acquired by L3 in 2018 . Field Effect started as a division of Linchpin Labs in 2009 , emerging as a standalone company in 2016 .
“ The majority of cybersecurity vendors really only cared about enterprises ,” Matt explained . “ Having been an attacker , I knew that eventually attackers would focus on smaller and smaller businesses that couldn ’ t afford an enterprise solution . We saw a huge opportunity to help the underserved that nobody really saw coming .”
Technology Differentiation
Rather than adapting existing technology , Field Effect built their entire technology stack , specifically for Managed Detection and Response ( MDR ) services , spending 15 years refining it to create a true , single solution . “ We ’ re the only company out there that has built a set of technology as extensive as we have purposefully to deliver MDR ,” Matt emphasized . “ With Field Effect , you ’ re getting the whole shebang without having to sacrifice the quality of your cybersecurity . And on top of that , you get a team of people who are extremely passionate about it . I ’ d love to protect every small business across the entire planet .”
Intelligence Agency DNA
The company ’ s unique strength lies in its team composition . “ Almost every technical person in this company who has worked on our technology stack , our platform , or delivers the service or supports customers , has spent time at an intel agency ,” Matt noted .
Channel Partnership Strategy
After experimenting with different market approaches from 2016 to 2019 , Field Effect discovered that the channel was their optimal route . “ It became clear to us when the pandemic hit that the channel was by far the best option ,” Matt recalled . “ We didn ’ t get really good at it until we came to understand what makes an MSP ’ s life better , how we can help MSPs make more money and improve margins .”
Field Effect ’ s trajectory is impressive . By mid-June 2024 , they had already exceeded their annual targets . The company projects protecting 10,000 businesses by next year , with ambitions to reach 100,000 and beyond .
Their innovation continues to garner recognition , including their first patent for a novel ransomware prevention approach that incorporates offensive techniques into a defensive solution .
6 • BIG RED MEDIA | A TMT COMPANY