What I did for my summer vacation.

I wrote "What I  did for my summer vacation." for a very practical reason. After pivoting  at the age of 55, and leaving a successful 25 year career, I've some explaining to do! This is an effort to as succinctly as possible,  explain my professional effort for the past 9 months.

In March of this year,  I started a company and it's called Total Digital Security. We’ve built some really cool technology that empowers one to seize and retain control of their privacy, online security, and digital assets.

Our network operations center is in Helsinki and email and data servers are in Zurich. There are some very good reasons for this besides the fact that the Finnish and Swiss technology partners are the best in their field. 

What we are doing is different, and frankly better, than anything else available to the non-institutional markets for managing cyber-risk today.

We built the company on some basic principals; we think the Internet is awesome, that we should be able to enjoy it's cornucopia of rich content and resources with minimal government intrusion, and that we should be able do so without worry for our online security, privacy and data.

Regardless of how one use's the Internet, one can and should be in total control of their online presence and the digital assets that are your legal property. Digital information is considered extremely valuable today, most especially the information about YOU. 

Look at the skyrocketing value to a bit coin, which is a reflection of the dramatic increase to the value of privacy and the control of digital information. And, witness the money that government, corporate and criminal actors are expending in order to capture the information they think defines YOU. They are monitoring whom you are, what you do, where and when you do it, and how … all of value, and they are stealing this information that is YOURS and they are using it against you, every day. It has gone beyond creepy and has attained the level of true surveillance and stalking.

Fortunately, in this environment, there are options and one can decide to be smart about risk in the digital age. My mission at Total Digital Security is to inform, educate and bring awareness to some of the most crucial and personal issues of the day. Our solutions are open-source for portability and compatibility, and our technology partners are the best in their class in order to protect you, your family, office and business. You will be back in control and leveraging the awesome power of the Internet without the daily dose of abuse to your rights, your security, your privacy and your digital assets. It is that simple but that meaningful.

Unfortunately, today it’s not a matter of “if” but “when” you will be a victim of cyber-crime. We are here to help you be proactive and pre-emptive by knowing your options and solutions that are available to seize control and change the balance of power in everything you do online. Our rates start as low as $5/mo and go up to $25/mo depending on features such as storage, group size and such. I hope you will check us out.


18  months ago, about nine months before I started Total Digital Security, I  told some associates that I wanted to be on the record for 3  predictions, each of which I felt would occur in the coming 18-24  months.

#1) Cyber-crimes on a large scale will soon affect individuals.

We  are used to reading the headlines about corporate  and government hacks  but I was talking about large groups of individuals. Large groups of  individuals that share nothing in common other than their metadata  ending up in the wrong place with the wrong people. I did not predict  the U.S. government would be part of the crimes. The hack of 2 million  individual credentials last week through Gmail, Facebook and others, is  the perfect example of the "horizontal" attacks I predicted would be far  more common and damaging than ever more.

#2) Federal and local politicians will begin to discuss cyber-security subsidies for individuals and families.

There has been some talk of it. It's the irony that kills me.

#3) Time magazine will name their "Person of the Year", "The Hacker".

I  could just see it; the shady, hooded guy, cross-legged with a laptop open and eerily glowing.  Well, Edward Snowden came in at #2 this year just behind the Pope. I'm  not good enough to make this up. Or maybe I am? There is always next  year.

So  it was these convictions, among others of course, that led me to take  an Altucher-like course of professional reinvention. Scary? Sure. Fun?  You betcha! Convicted? More than ever. Regardless, the journey has been  meaningful, invigorating and cleansing (as in an acid-bath!).

Stay tuned, it shall not be boring.

Brad