For Over 30 Years, Jeff Dann Has Had The People, Process, And Technology To Ensure Their Customers Are Protected
Jeff Dann, President – RJ2 Technologies
MSPSuccessMagazine.com/cyber2022 30 Jeff grew up in a small rural town in the mountains of North Central Pennsylvania — a real-life Mayberry RFD where church and community were the foundations for families. His dad was a military guy who fought in World War II and Korea. He lived by a code and discipline. Jeff remembers his dad “I’ll never forget that day,” says Jeff. “Blindsided, I was told I had only 90 days to repay my loan or they would foreclose on my business and take my company’s assets. Not only would that shocking demand close my business, but I was also going through the personal crisis of divorce! I was losing BOTH my families at the same time!” Life Challenges Are Overcome With A Strong Moral Foundation — Jeff’s Dad Was That Person! S onicWall reports there were 304.7 million ransomware attacks, 51.1 million crypto-jacking attacks, and 32.2 million IoT malware attacks in 2021. The report states that attackers targeted web applications with financial and personal information for a big payday. “Even if you get your data back,” says Jeff Dann, “it could still be sold on the dark web. Not only do these criminals want your money, but they are also compromising your reputation. The trust of your customers, your vendors, and potential legal action could cause irreversible damages from a breach.” The question is this: “How do you know if your security is up to the challenge?” Receiving A Business-Impacting Ultimatum Jeff Dann started RJ2 Technologies in 1998 with two partners. They had two divisions, an IT managed services division and a consulting division for engineering and technology projects. The consulting division mirrored a $40-million company Jeff was a partner in previously. Working with large Fortune 100 companies and government-funded projects, RJ2 Technologies required a large line of credit from his bank. While Jeff had a great relationship with his bank, they merged with a regional Chicago bank and, in 2008, when the banking industry was reeling from real estate loans, that bank was forced to close. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation took over their assets and auctioned them off to a larger national bank. The problem was that this bank wanted loans secured by fixed assets, not paper receivables like Jeff’s loan.
saying, “Integrity was given to me by God at birth, and the only person who could destroy it was me.” A man of principle and rules, Jeff’s dad excelled at overcoming challenges. His father’s life lessons became a great foundation for how Jeff deals with challenges. He would say to Jeff, “Enjoy the journey, as you will remember it over the accolades of reaching the goal.” A Giant Wake-Up Call Transformed How Jeff Operated His MSP Leaning on the old saying, “It’s not that you got knocked down that counts, it’s what you do when you get up!” Jeff had to find a way to save his business. “My dad had passed away in 2005,” he says, “so I remembered his teachings to find the strength to come up with a plan.” To satisfy the bank’s sobering request, Jeff found private investors to help him rescue the business. Fortunately, after just a few successful years, Jeff was put in a position to get his company back. “I made a firm commitment to running the business debt- free,” Jeff says. “The leadership team I assembled helped me implement a core value system that’s the heart and soul of our organization.” RJ2 Technologies’ core values are: Dedication to serving the customers’ best interests
Doing the right thing
Always being a team player
Loyalty and commitment to their goals
Honest and accountability for what they do
Do Your Cybersecurity Solutions Measure Up? With today’s massive rise in cyberattacks, many more MSPs and businesses are implementing security measures to better protect their data. While they may think they are protected sufficiently, too many are woefully negligent. Jeff points out that with the volume of activity from bad actors today, companies need validation that their data assets are safe. He says, “It’s one of the first questions my team asks
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