Richard Feller speaks to MBA students at local college about entrepreneurship and the challenges of running a 15 year old tech company.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit and speak with a class of MBA students at George Mason University's Fairfax Campus just down the street from Hedgehog's office this past summer.

My good friend and fellow Consumer Technology Association member, Skip West, an adjunct professor who teaches MBA 752 -Turning Ideas into Successful Companies at GMU, asked me to come and speak about Hedgehog Hosting, what our company does, how we got started, what lessons we have learned during our 15 years in business and finally, what I would teach/tell today's MBA students who are interested in one day starting their own businesses.

This was such a great opportunity as I feel like I had so much to say and give.  And as many of you who know me may have guessed, I started writing my script that day.  You see, I like to prepare when it comes to these things.  If I have to make a 5 minute introduction, I write it out in advance and time it to the very last second.  If I moderate a panel, I have every last thought typed out on paper so I feel prepared and ready.

The problem I ran into was that nothing was really coming together.  I had a nice outline but it did not flow very well.  When I read it over and over, it felt too planned, too robotic.  I was nervous.  I was not sure how things were going to go and I was afraid of disappointing my friend, his class and myself.  So what was I going to do.

I looked over the notes I had made and when I came to the part about what I would teach/tell the students as they started their own businesses, it hit me.  I wrote down, "Don't be afraid to take chances.  No matter how you, or anyone for that matter, thinks it will turn out, take risks and go with your gut."

So I figured I better listen to my own advice and I threw out all of my notes, I put on my most comfortable shirt and went in and I just spoke freely with the class.  I let the talk grow organically.  If I felt like I was hitting a road block, I changed gears.  If the class wanted more about a particular topic, I gave more.  We connected and I spoke from the heart... and the gut.  After all, gut instincts have been a guiding factor for much of what we have done at Hedgehog.

In the end, the night was a huge success. I told stories of our past and in turn I heard many great ideas for new companies that the students were working on.  It brought me back to a time when I, along with my business partners, had those very same goals and aspirations for our little company.

Asking to speak about our 15 year old company to a group of young and talented students was a bit scary.  Would they think we were old fashioned?  Would they think we were past our prime?  Well, it was just the opposite.  They were just as invigorated to get started as I was to continue doing what we do.  We all want to make a difference and we at Hedgehog have always felt that we do; even when others may try to tell you differently.

Thank you to my good friend and colleague for the time to speak to his class and thank especially to all the students who are working so hard, many of them taking night classes after their day jobs, to continue making a difference through entrepreneurship and innovation.

About the class:

MBA 752 -Turning Ideas into Successful Companies is an advanced course in entrepreneurship focused on discovery and development of an achievable business concept. Students develop a formal business plan and associated presentation materials. They are assigned to teams and must hypothesize a new business, research and test their hypothesis, and develop a comprehensive written business plan.

Technology Groups Come Together to Present an Innovation Tech Agenda to Presidential Candidates

Three groups that Hedgehog Hosting and Hedgehog Technology Services work very closely with, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, the Internet Association and the Consumer Technology Association, in coordination with other industry groups have presented an open letter to presidential candidates support technology issues that matter most to our nation and more specifically our clients.

This open letter encourages a close working relationship between government and private sector in a number of areas, but most specifically to encourage a fair and open global market for us to sell our goods and services while maintaining cutting-edge infrastructure within the United States that continues to support entrepreneurial companies like Hedgehog.

More details about the report can be found here:

http://cta.tech/News/News-Releases/Press-Releases/2016-Press-Releases/CTA-and-Other-Tech-Groups-Present-Innovation-Tech.aspx

and the report itself can be found at:

http://www.cta.tech/CorporateSite/media/Government-Media/Technology-Sector-Presidential-Platform.pdf

Hedgehog is proud to work closely with these organizations to continue to support a free and open Internet for our clients.  We also look forward to being better positioned to continue to provide the highest levels of goods and services in a market that in its short time has come to span the globe.

House Votes Unanimously To Protect Email Privacy As ECPA Reform Is Passed

The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 has finally come into the 20th Century. The US House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass the E-mail Privacy Act (HR.699) and we at Hedgehog could not be more proud to have been an active part of this process.  So you ask, what does this mean for me?

This bill ensures that law enforcement is required to get a warrant before forcing technology companies, like Hedgehog, to hand over customer emails, no matter how old they are. The Act also rejects the Department of Justice interpretation of ECPA that the mere act of opening an email removes it from warrant protection. This act requires law enforcement officials to obtain a search warrant, and most reputable service providers will not relinquish their users’ content without one

Richard Feller, in conjunction with the i2Coalition and the Consumer Technology Association, has spent the better part of the last three years educating our elected officials on the importance of strong digital rights for Internet users.  "A strong digital rights platform strengthens the position of Internet companies located within the United States and allows us to better compete in today's global marketplace."

Thank you to everyone who supported our efforts and took action by contacting their elected officials.  A very special thank you to my good friend, Ximena Hartsock of Phone2Action, who's digital grassroots platform made it easy for us to engage our elected officials.  And finally, a very special thank you to Representatives Yoder, Graves, Polis, Issa and Lofgren for their tremendous support for real ECPA reform.  Their work led the way to the unanimous passage of the E-mail Privacy Act.

Demand that the government respect your right to privacy. Support the Email Privacy Act (HR.699)

It is with great anticipation that I would like to update everyone on a current policy issue that we at Hedgehog have been actively engaged in for over three years now.  The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 has been in dire need of updating and the time has finally come.  TOMORROW, the US House of Representatives is voting on the E-mail Privacy Act (HR.699) and we need your help to ensure that everyone's voice of support is heard.

The brief description of this bill ensures that law enforcement is required to get a warrant before forcing technology companies to hand over customer emails, no matter how old they are.  This bill would end ECPA’s arbitrary “180-day rule,” which permits email communications to be obtained without a warrant after 180 days. The Act would also reject the Department of Justice interpretation of ECPA that the act of opening an email removes it from warrant protection. These reforms would ratify the Sixth Circuit’s decision in U.S. v. Warshak, which held that email content is protected by the Fourth Amendment and that law enforcement access requires a probable cause warrant. Moreover, the changes reflect current practices in the DOJ and FBI.  These policies already require law enforcement officials seeking content to obtain a search warrant, and many service providers, especially Hedgehog, will not relinquish their users’ content without one.

Please urge your members of Congress to vote YES to the Email Privacy Act.  It only takes a minute, I PROMISE!  Follow this link:

http://p2a.co/emailprivacyact

and after you have filled out the few easy fields please send it to everyone you can.  You can send it to Facebook and Twitter just by clicking on the social media links on the website.

As many of you may remember from past blog posts, I attended the very first markups of the Senate version of this bill over three years ago and as I said to Dominic Bonaiuto, Gerry Connolly's Legislative Director, when meeting with him on the Hill last week, this would be such an overwhelming joy for him personally and for all of us at Hedgehog.  As a 15 year old technology company in Fairfax, VA, this issue hits so close to home for us and we have and will continue to support our client's right to privacy... EVERY TIME!

Thank you all for your continued support and please help us get our voices heard!

With much pride.

Richard Feller
@RichardFellerIV

Richard Feller elected Board Member with the Small Business Council of the Consumer Technology Association

Hedgehog Hosting is pleased to announce that co-founder, Richard Feller has been elected as a Board Member with the Small Business Council of the Consumer Technology Association.  The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), formerly the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), unites 2,200 companies within the consumer technology industry. The CTA focuses on providing unparalleled market research to members, offers networking opportunities with business advocates and industry leaders, provides up-to-date educational programs and technical training, and represents the voice of the technology industry.  Furthermore, the CTA Small Business Council was formed specifically to support the growth and success of small companies by providing programs that fan the flames of entrepreneurial spirit and serve their business needs.  The SBC drives the growth and success of entrepreneurs through education, collaboration and mentoring.

"Richard is a perfect choice to help the CTA expand their efforts through the SBC" says Hedgehog co-founder Jeff Chanesman.  "He is keen to the needs of small businesses, like ours, and I am sure his expertise will help other companies within the CTA to grow and succeed."

2016 is a big year for Hedgehog Hosting as we are celebrating our 15 year anniversary this March and with that milestone we are launching our expanded Technology Services division. Hedgehog Technology Services has already begun working with many new hosting and cloud services clients and providers outside of our physical infrastructure.  We will now be supporting these externally hosted platforms while still fostering the unique values that we have brought to our Managed Hosting client's for over 15 years.

This news comes on the heels of the annual CTAInnovate conference that was held in New York City earlier this year.  CTAInnovate connects the technology industry around the theme of fostering innovation in companies of all sizes.  Richard comments, "I was very excited to be in New York attending CTAInnovate and I am honored to have been elected to be part of the team at the SBC."  His board term began on January 1, 2016.

More information about the Small Business Council can be found at https://cta.tech/Membership/Divisions-and-Councils/Small-Business-Council.aspx

About Hedgehog Hosting

Hedgehog Hosting provides premier managed hosting and technology services primarily to non-profits and associations. Hedgehog's unique approach combines unmatched client services with a world-class hosting infrastructure. Hedgehog offers their full suite of managed services and outstanding customer care to companies all over the world. Their innovative approach to hosting combines with flexible and customizable solutions built on world-class infrastructures inside and outside of the United States. These systems are maintained by a knowledgeable and experienced staff focused on service and providing a level of support that is second to none in the industry.

About Richard Feller

Richard Feller (@RichardFellerIV) has over 20 years of Corporate Management experience in the web hosting industry.  In 1995, Richard started working with ServInt Internet Services as the Director of Sales and Business Development, focusing specifically on medium to large web hosting clients. After leaving ServInt in 2000, Richard was charged with managing the restructuring and integration of Digiweb, a division of Interliant Web Hosting. After successfully managing many aspects of that restructuring, Richard and his partners founded Hedgehog Hosting in early 2001. As a principal at Hedgehog, Richard provides his expertise in growing their business processes, web hosting services and cyber-security and cloud technology services focusing specifically on the Association and Non-Profit sector. Richard Feller has just ended his first term as a member of the Board of Directors for the Internet Infrastructure Coalition and now focuses on special outreach projects for the coalition. Outside the office, he is very active with his sons’ school, focusing on theater, music and coaching youth rugby.

M3AAWG releases Operation Safety-Net, Best Practices for government, business and industry outlining the online threats with the proven practices to mitigate them

If you follow the efforts of the team at Hedgehog Hosting, you know that through our relationship with the i2Coalition, we are actively engaged with M3AAWG, the Messaging, Malware and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group.  This group meets three times a year not only to discuss abuse issues that plague our industry but to actually establish real working groups and committees that come up with concrete ways  to mitigate issues such as spam, malware, phishing, hacking and other related hazards.

For the past two years, Richard Feller has represented Hedgehog as a member of the team that comprises M3AAWG's Hosting Committee.  As a member of this Committee, Hedgehog has been on the front line of the discussions and the possible remediations of these threats.  To that end, we have come up with our final draft of a Best Practice document called Operation Safety-Net.  This document focuses on five main areas and their related best practices.

1.    Malware and Botnets
2.    Phishing and Social Engineering
3.    Internet Protocol and Domain Name System (DNS) Exploits
4.    Mobile, Voice over IP (VoIP) and Telephony Threats
5.    Hosting and Cloud Threats

Operation Saftey-Net doesn’t just describe today’s threats.  It provides straightforward, recommended best practices for governments, businesses, educators and other members of the Internet and mobile industry to join in the fight against these threats. The report is a synopsis of the current risk environment and was a truely global collaborative effort from the industry partners that fight spam, malware, phishing, hacking and related hazards.

M3AAWG Chairman Michael Adkins said, “Operation Safety-Net isn’t just for network or operational professionals.  It aggregates the anti-abuse industry’s global experience in identifying and curtailing current threats to help non-technical executives understand and manage online risk in their organizations.”   To that end we are pleased to share this document with our clients and collegues and we encourage everyone to review it while looking at their own internal networks.

Hedgehog Hosting is pleased to have been a major contributor to the Hosting and Cloud Threats section as well as a contributor to the many of the other sections that involve the infrastructure threats in general.  Operation Safety-Net has been officially posted on the M3AAWG website and can be found at:

https://www.m3aawg.org/sites/default/files/M3AAWG_LAP-79652_IC_Operation-Safety-Net_2-BPs2015-06.pdf

Do we make the right decisions about how we run our companies

I recently read a story that led me to ponder the varying ways that we look at companies and the services they provide.  The particular story I read was about a Southwest Airlines flight that allowed one of their planes to return to the jetway after initiating its departure to let a woman off the plane who had just been notified that her son had been in a major accident. Southwest pilots returned to the gate where the woman was led to a private room and then even redirected onto a different flight to where her injured son was in the hospital.

The social media praises came pouring in.  And as I read these praises, I could not help but remember a previous story about Southwest.  In this story there was a different flight that was in the news for NOT letting a woman off a plane when she had been notified by her husband, before take-off, that her son had just called his father saying that he was contemplating suicide. This mother later found out that her son did in fact commit suicide.

These are obviously abbreviated stories and one is very uplifting and the other is very sad.  As I look at this from the perspective of a business owner rather than a father or a business traveller, it illustrates what I have always felt and that is that businesses aren't their policies and procedures, but rather their people.  The biggest difference in these two stories are the people that reacted.

In speaking with a close friend the other night, I was wondering if we, as business owners, make the right decisions about how we run our companies and what we feel is important to our clients. My business partners and I have always wanted Hedgehog Hosting to be that company that is not just our policies and our procedures, which are very important, but more importantly is "US".

In an industry where it is common to focus more resources on the systems rather than the people that maintain and operate those systems,  Hedgehog strives to be that company.  No matter who you work for or what your company's policies and procedures are, there's always a human response that sometimes makes more sense.

I will always be thankful for the people who make the right decisions and strive to make their companies better for it.