Too little too late

Gazeley's frustration is obvious when he talks about going to see a potential customer many times but is only contacted after they have been attacked. Had they bought his product early, he believes, they would not have had to suffer the attack. He compares it to locking the front door or visiting the doctor. "Few of us wait until after we are burgled before we put locks on our doors, so not installing network security until after its too late bothers me a great deal every time I see it. Some people joke that security companies like ours must love hackers, viruses and worms. The truth is that we are no different to doctors. It is much more satisfying all around to have healthy patients to maintain, instead of sick patients to cure," he said.

Network Box may have a wonderful solution but one thing the IT industry has proved better than any other is that the best technology does not always win. The biggest challenge for a Hong Kong company in this market is getting the word out.

"Word of mouth has been our greatest asset. But we have to go head to head with the giants of the network security world, in terms of public relations, advertising and marketing. It is not easy, and it is not cheap. In the end however, to quote the old Chinese proverb, 'Paper can't wrap up Fire.' Our systems work. If people use out-of-date technology, and out-of-date methodology, in the end they will get infected, hacked and compromised. At that point, they have no choice but to examine the 'status quo.' Our mission is to reach them first. If we can do a better job, for less money, why would they want to secure their networks any other way?", he said.

Network Box has won multiple technology awards Asia and is now winning gongs in Europe and the US. This should make local people quite proud, but for the company, the question is not just the technology; it is becoming a household name in the industry. The next two years will be critical in shaping that outcome.