As with most companies the selection of a name is seldom an easy task, and the name White Badger Group did not come easily. The search started by looking for a name that conveyed the essence of what computer hacking is all about –“the challenge of the hunt”! Most hackers invest endless hours of work, focused on the task at hand, usually alone, hacking their way through a system to gain access and get the prized information. While digging through some old travel information from the great northwest region of North America, we stumbled upon the legend of the White Badger. It is said that once this rare, seldom seen creature was locked on the trail of his prey there was no stopping, totally focused and relentless in his attack, rarely did the prey escape. It was believed that even the great grizzly bear would do his best to avoid the White Badger.

To ensure the security of your network, the staff of White Badger must also be willing to be as relentless in our efforts to thoroughly test and evaluate your network. We must maintain focus as long as it takes to ensure we have tried every possible trick an attacker would use to gain access. The White Badger Group is proud to borrow the name of a legend that symbolizes our commitment to the “challenge of the hunt”.

In the beginning, how all company histories should start, there was actually a different company named Marketing Partners, Inc. (MPI) of Bethlehem, PA that was started by Marshall Thacker in 1996 as a credit union marketing company. MPI grew over the next ten years to a multi-million dollar company with over 300 clients scattered throughout the United States. During the development of MPI, the IT work was mainly handled by Jason Thacker (Marshall’s son) who had been totally immersed in computer technology since his first Commodore 64, way back when. By the time he finished high school he was programming in 5 languages and had written software that is still used in the final testing process of microchip production companies. After graduating from Penn State, Jason joined MPI as the IT manager and took our technology to a new level of sophistication and security.

Much of the growth of MPI was the direct result of adding new products and services to help our credit union clients. In 2004 we began research into IT security and found that many credit unions, banks and mid-size companies were lacking in the design, structure, and testing aspects of network security. They needed the security consulting and testing that is a normal part of business for larger companies, but few companies were interested in providing these services to smaller organizations.

In the summer of 2005 Jason began the process to obtain the coveted CISSP (Certified Information System Security Professional) and CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) certifications. Attending InfoSec Institute and other security related educational opportunities throughout 2005, he was successful in all areas before the end of the year. He also began to put together some of his computer engineering friends from Penn State and along with some of the staff of MPI’s web department, the foundation of an Information Security company was in place.

In the spring of 2006, what was conceived as an additional service for MPI customers became a standalone company. White Badger Group, Inc. was formed.

Shortly after the formation of White Badger Group with Jason Thacker as President, Marshall Thacker sold MPI and joined the newly formed company as Executive VP of sales, with this also came the funding needed to provide the best leading edge technology and staff. The remainder of 2006 was spent putting together the intricate workings of a world-class information security company.

The rest of the story is being made every day and will be updated from time to time as the continuing story of the White Badger lives on!