Business model of Trustwave

Customer Segments

Trustwave has a mass market business model, with no significant differentiation between customer segments. The company targets its offerings at firms across industries and sizes.

Value Proposition

Trustwave offers four primary value propositions: convenience, performance, risk reduction, and brand/status.

The company offers convenience by providing automated information security, a service it calls “Smart Security on Demand”. Also, many of its solutions are available across numerous delivery mechanisms, providing clients with flexibility.

The company has demonstrated strong performance through tangible results for customers. In 2015, it researched over nine million Web application attacks, over five million malicious websites, and over two million network and vulnerability scans. It also scanned over 20 billion e-mails. Furthermore, in 2016 an indepedent study carried out by NSS Labs showed that the Trustwave Secure Web Gateway blocked 100% of exploits, passed all reliability and stability tests,  and proved to be effective against all types of evasion techniques, including URL, HTML, and binary obfuscation.

The company reduces risk through high security standards. It has been a leader in the PCI compliance space, which involves payment card fraud. Its framework also helps ensure compliance with business-impacting standards such as HIPAA, GLBA, FISMA, SOX, and ISO. Lastly, it maintains the following credentials:  QSA (Qualified Security Assessor), ASV (Approved Scanning Vendor), PFI (PCI SSC Forensic Investigator), and QPASC (Qualified Payment Application Security Company).

The company has established a strong brand due to its success. More than three million business enrollees operating in over 96 countries utilize the TrustKeeper Cloud. Its prominent clients include Manna Enterprises, Intergraph, and Magnolia Hotels. It is the only firm that is an authorized PCI Forensive Investigator in every geographic region. Lastly, it has won many honors, including:

• Recognition as a “Leader“ in the IDC MarketScape for Emerging Managed Security Services Providers (2016)
• Recognition as a “Leader“ in the Managed Security Services market by Forrester Research (2014)
• A Secure Web Gateway & Web Filtering Product Differentiation Award from Frost & Sullivan (2012)
• Induction into the Industry Innovator's Hall of Fame in the Anti-Malware Technology category by SC Magazine (2013)

Channels

Trustwave’s main channels are its direct sales team and its website. The company promotes its offering through its social media pages, participation in webinars and conferences, and an e-mail newsletter providing the latest security trends and news.

Customer Relationships

Trustwave’s customer relationship is primarily of a self-service, automated nature. Customers utilize the service through the main platform while having limited interaction with employees. The company’s website features a “TrustKeeper Portal” through which customers can access support tools. It also has a “Resource Library” section that includes articles, white papers, research reports, analyst reports, data sheets, spec sheets, guides, infographics, videos, webinars, and trial software.

Despite this orientation, there is a personal assistance component. The company provides phone and e-mail support (including a 24-hour hotline for security breaches) and consulting services for a fee.

Key Activities

Trustwave’s business model entails maintaining a robust cloud platform for its clients.

Key Partners

Trustwave operates the Partner Program, which includes the following types of partnerships:

Alliance Partners – The company works with financial institutions, service providers, and processors to develop and implement their merchant compliance programs. The programs include proprietary and on-demand technology solutions and are scaled for merchants of all sizes and shapes.

Reseller Partners – The company works with systems integrators, value-added resellers, and solution providers to help them sell its products and services to their customers.

SSL Partners – The company allows ISPs, hosting providers, eCommerce providers, and registrars to utilize its solutions in order to provide PCI scanning and SSL certificates to their customers.

Members of Trustwave’s Partner Program receive access to multiple benefits, including:

• Sales and marketing training and enablement tools
• High-level account support
• Competitive pricing
• Attractive profit margins
• Sustainable revenue opportunities
• Extensive industry expertise

Beyond the Partner Program, Trustwave also maintains technology partnerships through which it works with other tech firms to develop and introduce security solutions, providing extra value for customers. Specific technology partners include Akamai, Carbon Black, Cisco, CounterTack, Fortinet, Juniper, Palo Alto Networks. The company also has strategic relationships with telecommunications firms, specifically Singtel, Optus, Globe Telecom, and Rogers Communications.

Key Resources

Trustwave’s main resource is its proprietary software platform, which serves over three million businesses.

It depends on human resources in the form of technology employees who maintain the platform, its consulting staff members who provide advisory services, and its customer service staff. Furthermore, it relies on its SpiderLabs team, which includes security and penetration testers, forensic investigators, incident responders, malware reversers, security researchers, and published authors.

The firm has important physical resources, namely its network of eight Security Operations Centers (SOCs) in Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Waterloo, Warsaw, Singapore, Manila, and Sydney. Lastly, it places a high priority on intellectual property, with 44 granted and 13 pending patents.

Cost Structure

Trustwave has a cost-driven structure, aiming to minimize expenses through significant automation.

Its biggest cost driver is likely sales/marketing, a fixed cost. Other major drivers are in the areas of customer support/operations and product development, both fixed expenses.

Revenue Streams

Trustwave has two revenue streams:

• Subscription Revenues – Revenues it generates from the fees it charges for regular access to its Trustwave cloud platform.
• Service Revenues – Revenues it generates from the fees it charges for receipt of professional services such as consulting.