Internet Security Systems Maintains Leading Brand Through Silverpop Email Software

Company Profile
Founded in 1994, Internet Security Systems (ISS) is a pioneer and world leader in software and services that protect corporate and personal information from an ever-changing spectrum of threats and misuse. As organizations increasingly move business operations online, the number and sophistication of threats to the networks, servers and desktops that empower these initiatives also continue to escalate. Internet Security Systems' solutions dynamically detect, prevent and respond to these threats, making Internet Security Systems the trusted security provider for more than 9,000 corporate customers. These include 49 of the Fortune 50, the top 10 largest U.S. securities firms, 10 of the world's largest telecommunications companies and major agencies and departments within U.S. local, state and federal governments.

The Challenge
ISS needed an end-to-end, customizable email marketing solution and service offering that would allow it to communicate effectively with its clients, partners, prospects and employees. Prior to utilizing Silverpop's solution, ISS used a service vendor to manage and create its email communications. The vendor charged for every step of an announcement, newsletter, campaign, etc. Also, ISS did not have the personnel to create HTML designs in-house, so ISS was charged an additional fee by the service vendor for HTML expertise. The raw cost of the service firm, combined with the time expense of managing the vendor, led ISS to a technology-centric solution.

The Solution
ISS understood that integrating email into its overall marketing strategy provided a low-cost opportunity to communicate regularly with customers and partners. ISS chose Silverpop because the pricing structure was more reasonable than the service vendor and the software was extremely easy-to-use and deploy. Silverpop's ease-of-use greatly reduced the demand for HTML experts and gave the marketing team more control over message frequency and consistency. Silverpop was so easy-to-use that ISS planned to use the software in a number of departments beyond traditional marketing, such as training and development and corporate communications.

Another reason ISS selected Silverpop's solutions was Silverpop's unique customer migration path, which allowed ISS to quickly deploy the ASP software while planning the move to the installed version. The ASP and install versions of Silverpop's software are identical in appearance and functionality, and they both offer Customer Support and Client Services options. The Install solutions fit well with ISS's vision of integrating Silverpop's software with Onyx, the CRM application ISS has deployed.

"The Silverpop solution was a cost-effective, obvious choice for ISS. We have found Silverpop to be a highly innovative, powerful, and user-friendly solution that coordinates well with our overall marketing goals," said Tim McCormick, Vice President of Marketing for Internet Security Systems.

The Results
ISS saw a remarkable increase in open rates using Silverpop due to properly rendered messages, more relevant content, and more appealing HTML. Another benefit of Silverpop was the rapid company-wide adoption. ISS found that the email communication channel applied far beyond just the marketing teams. Training, corporate communications, research and human resource departments are all taking advantage of the Silverpop technology.

"After adding up what all of our departments were spending on email communications, we determined that Silverpop's solution provided us a quick return on our investment as well as giving us greater visibility into the success of our email campaigns," said Karyn Mullins, Director, Internet and Business Solutions, Internet Security Systems. "Because their software is so quick and easy for our staff to use we have seen a dramatic efficiency improvement over our previous solution."

Internet Security Systems
www.iss.net

Silverpop
www.silverpop.com