A reporter asked Murfin for a comment on a breach by 4pm. Murfin had GuardWare's answer ready, and GuardWare got the spot.
At 9.32 on Wednesday 15 July 2026, a journalist from Information Age emailed Murfin Group with a 4pm deadline. A threat actor claimed to have taken more than 33,900 records from a Sydney bookkeeping firm, with tax file numbers, portfolio values and self-managed super details allegedly among them. He needed someone who could explain why that mattered.
By 10.45 we had answers drafted for GuardWare founder and CEO Rizwan Mahmood. He read them and replied: “Brilliantly written. Let's fire it away.” The story ran at 6.10 that evening with Rizwan quoted.
- 9.32amInformation Age emails Murfin Group. The deadline is 4pm.
- 10.45amThe answers are drafted for Rizwan Mahmood.
- Sign-off“Brilliantly written. Let's fire it away.”
- 6.10pmThe story runs with Rizwan quoted.
Journalists call Murfin because they know our connections in cyber security. Working with us puts you on that speed dial.
We also run proactive campaigns. When a relevant cyber story breaks, we pitch your response to the journalists covering it.
Where it started
Six months earlier, GuardWare had the technology and very few people listening. Its three products find sensitive data (DISCOVER), watch where it moves (INSIGHT) and encrypt files so the protection travels with them (PROTECT).
Where its LinkedIn stood when we started on 12 January 2026, and by the end of March:
2,319on 12 January
+196new followers by 31 March, all from the CISO and CSO buyer group
1,371in the month before we started
18,906from 12 January to 31 March, up 53.8% on the previous period
A clearer way in
The first problem was not reach. It was how GuardWare explained itself. It had a long list of products and no order, entry point or clear process connecting them.
We analysed the website's language and benchmarked it against global data-security competitors, then set one strategy: GuardWare should look and sound like them. We rewrote the site and worked with an overseas designer to build it, with new pages live on 30 April.
The new structure gives buyers a sequence instead of a catalogue.
- AssessStart with a risk assessment.
- DISCOVERFind and classify the data.
- INSIGHTMonitor how it moves.
- PROTECTKeep it encrypted after it leaves.
Building that awareness was the focus of the first quarter, and the same language then ran through every webinar, post and brochure.
What we did
We started with the story, then published to a weekly rhythm. One idea ran through all of it:
Protect the data itself, not only the wall around it.
Between February and July we produced six partner webinars with:
- HunterNet
- Microsoft
- Y Victoria
- GME
- Rosebank College
- Risk Associates
Each one fed the content engine:
Watch the webinarWhat If Your Data Could Protect Itself? · 11 March 2026 · Opens on YouTube
The Y Victoria session became the AI speeding ticket, the story SMBtech picked up.
A live survey at three of the webinars became GuardWare's first original research, The Data Security Gap.
Behind that sat:
- 12 product brochures
- An ITAR whitepaper
- Recorded product demos
- A YouTube channel
- Series and themesWe set the series and the theme for each session.
- Run sheetWe wrote the run sheet for every webinar.
- RehearsalWe ran the rehearsal with the speakers.
- LiveWe directed the live webinar.
- Follow-upWe created the follow-up EDMs, content, articles and, where relevant, media releases.
What did not go to plan
The first webinar, with HunterNet, ran on a platform we did not control. There was no recording and no follow-up sequence. From March the webinars ran on GuardWare's own Zoom account, so every session could be recorded and every registrant followed up.
What changed
In six months GuardWare went from posting into a quiet feed to being quoted on a live breach and accepted to speak at CyberCon.
| Area | Result |
|---|---|
| Speaking | A 12-month calendar of speaking applications, with four talks confirmed so far, including two at AISA CyberCon Melbourne |
| Media highlights | Information Age, 15 July 2026; SMBtech, 18 May 2026 |
| Pipeline | Emails to a 1,000-name CISO list and webinar guests, 240 webinar registrations across six sessions, and more than 60 marketing leads |
| LinkedIn growth | We built GuardWare's LinkedIn as a business tool: a community of the people who need to see it as a thought leader, including potential buyers. In the first quarter, January to March: 18,906 impressions, up 53.8%; 628 reactions, up 105.2%; 34 reposts, up 183.3%; and 196 new followers, all from the CISO and CSO buyer group |
| Original research | A survey of security professionals at three webinars: 106 responses, published as The Data Security Gap |
“Absolutely brilliant. You guys nailed it. Well done.”
In January, nobody outside GuardWare was asking what it thought about a breach. By July, a reporter on a 4pm deadline was printing its answer.
See the work
- Information AgeTax and superannuation data allegedly stolen in data breach
- SMBtechGuardWare takes speeding ticket approach to shadow AI data leaks
- Webinar, 11 March 2026What If Your Data Could Protect Itself?
- WebinarWith Rosebank College on insider threat
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