Selecting a name for a uniquely different company can be a challenging task, and there is a story behind the name White Badger Group. 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, focused on bypassing all levels of security, hacking their way through a system to get the prized information. Why? Because everything you have has value!

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 him, 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 at White Badger must also be willing to be as relentless in our efforts to thoroughly test and evaluate your network. We must maintain a strong intellectual focus 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 endless battle to secure the IT environment.

White Badger Group began as an idea for an additional service to be offered by Marketing Partners, Inc. (MPI) of Bethlehem, PA. MPI was started in 1996 as a credit union marketing company and grew over the next ten years to a multi-million dollar financial marketing company with clients throughout the United States. During the growth years of MPI, Jason Thacker was the primary IT design and support person. Jason’s passion for computers goes back to his first Commodore 64 in the late 1980’s. 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 the network infrastructure technology to a new level of sophistication and security.  He also worked on consulting and software development projects for various clients both during and after Penn State.

Much of the growth of MPI was the direct result of adding new products and services to help our financial clients. In 2004 we began research into IT security and found that many financial institutions and mid-size companies were lacking in the infrastructure design and testing aspects of network security. They needed the security consulting and testing that is cost prohibitive to all but the largest companies.

In the summer of 2005 Jason began the process to obtain the coveted CISSP (Certified Information Systems 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 pull together some of his computer engineering friends from Penn State and along with some of the staff of MPI’s web department, building foundation of an Information Security company. 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, MPI was sold. This brought to White Badger Group the necessary resources, the best leading edge technology, and exceptional staff for development of IT security offerings. The remainder of 2006 and part of 2007 was spent putting together the intricate workings of a world-class information security company.

During the initial research phase of development we learned that many IT decision makers felt very uncomfortable with the whole security aspect of IT. With the rapidly expanding pace of IT hardware and software and the relentless demands of making all the various products work for the end user, security is often relegated to having a firewall and a few passwords.

While interviewing potential clients they overwhelming said they would like someone to come to their site, review the infrastructure design, evaluate all aspects of security and give me a report that spells out what needs to be done.  They wanted a hands-on consultant to sit with them and talk about their security needs. They needed a security partner to help them utilize existing equipment and identify opportunities for improvement for change. It sounds simple, but that’s not what the leading companies in the security industry were providing. Their focus was on selling hardware, software and managed services from afar, leaving the IT staff to figure it out and try to make the best of it.