With cyberattacks costing businesses millions of dollars each year, Group Salus is creating a new technology platform to help businesses protect their reputations after a cyber breach.

The new Atlanta company is developing the first crisis management software system specifically focused on organizing the response process by developing communications strategies and tools to address a cyber-attack particularly for small to medium-sized business.

"In most cyberattacks, the one thing that often gets overlooked is communications," said Scott Marticke, Group Salus founder. "What are you going to say to your customers? How will you respond to media inquiries? You cannot defend your company in response to a cyber-attack unless you have a communication strategy in place; one that works in tandem with your cybersecurity plan."

Marticke noted that small to medium-sized business are particularly vulnerable since they often lack the marketing and communications staff and infrastructure needed to address an attack. "Most small and medium-sized businesses are completely unprepared for managing the reputational risk and brand/business damage related to a cyber crisis," he said. "About 43 percent of cyber-attacks target small business and 63 percent of them are out of business within six months of an attack."

Group Salus' new technology platform is designed to make it easy for small to medium-sized businesses to develop the communications strategy, tactics and materials to address a cyber-breach. The cloud-based platform will enable users to self-audit, generate a step-by-step communications plan, create key stakeholder contact list and utilize templates to produce a host of materials including press releases, media statements, etc. The company will also offer a range of consulting services.

Marticke and his co-founders, Mark Goldman and William Marks have more than 100 years of combined marketing, branding and corporate communications experience. Marticke has worked for a host of major advertising companies. In 2009, he co-founded online research company Sentiment360.

Goldman has held leadership positions at three major advertising agencies and served as the chief marketing officer for one of the country's leading appliance manufactures. Marks has been the chief communications officer for two technology companies, headed the Atlanta office of a major national public relations firm and served as the deputy managing director of communications for the Atlanta Committee for Olympic Games.

In addition to the three founders, the Group Salus' team has a strong roster of communications consultants including:

• Bill Crane – Former head of communications for the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, crisis communications expert and head of CSICrane communications consultancy;

• Jodie Flesig – Well-known media relations expert, former editor at CNN and executive at one of the country's leading public relations firms

• Jason Anthoine – Leading counselor in employee engagement and corporate communications and has implemented employee engagement and cultural change programs for a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Group Salus' Advisory Boad includes:

• Benn Konsynski – George S. Craft Distinguished University Professor of Information Systems & Operations at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

• Darrin Reynolds – Leads Amazon's Emerging Regulations program for the corporate Information Security Team.

• Gary Cooper – Founder and Managing Partner of Aptitude Ventures.

• Ken Bernhardt – Dr. Bernhardt was Regents Professor of Marketing and Taylor E. Little, Jr. Professor of Marketing, and Chairman of the Marketing Department at Georgia State University.

• Kelly Caffarelli – First president of the Home Depot Foundation, a position she held for over a decade.

Group Salus has established strategic partnerships that will provide additional support to the reputation management firm clients:

• BorderHawk Security – Solutions and services to help prevent, detect, and correct information risk challenges affecting an organization's sensitive or critical information.

• Edge Theory – Technology company that has developed the first "content as a service" capability designed to create and publish content at scale through proprietary conversation mapping and creation technology to fuel human connection

• Red Clover Advisors – Helps businesses create a customized, affordable privacy program. Their privacy consultancy designs custom programs to fit the size and diversity of businesses, including GDPR Compliance, operationalizing privacy, digital governance, online data strategy, and more.