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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

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Monday morning

Jake was driving his car and the radio was playing, but he wasn't listening to it. His mind was filled with many thoughts, since he woke up.

I've got a good feeling about this. Leadsway is in the bag and BuyNow is milk in my mouth already. And today, the world knows of the deal with BuyNow. Things have been going extremely smooth lately. Those programmers better not mess up. The system must go live today.

He approached Secusol's headquarters building and saw a group of people waiting by the main entrance.

"It's those stupid reporters. Well, I've got news for you today," he whispered as he drove past them and entered the underground parking area of the building.

Jake parked his car in his usual reserved parking space and took the elevator up to the top floor. In the elevator, his phone rang and he answered it.

"Hello. Yes I know, Alicia. I'm in the elevator now," he said and shoved the phone into his pocket.

Jake walked out of the elevator swaggering, with a smirk on his face. He approached Alicia's desk.

"Good morning Mr. Waters. I'm sorry but it's just that the press reporters are here and the conference room is setup, and everyone is waiting for you. I just thought—"

"It's okay, I'm here now. Tell the guys I'll be there in five minutes," Jake cut in, walking nonstop to his office.

Once inside his office, he went straight to the mini-bar and poured himself a stiff gin and tonic. He took his drink and sat on his desk, with his feet on the chair and eyes starring into the distant sky through the window.

Jake slowly sipped his drink and meditated, reciting his speech.

A few minutes later, he slid off the desk.

"Okay. Let's do this," he said to himself.

...

Jake walked out of his office and stopped by Alicia's desk.

"I'm going," Jake told her.

"I told them you would be there in five minutes just as you said sir."

"Good," he said and walked away.

Jake entered the elevator, went down to the tenth floor and entered the conference room.

The technicians were the first people he met and they gave him a wireless microphone to attach to his shirt. Jake took it and attached it to his collar and also took the opportunity to put his phone in silent mode. He proceeded to walk on to the platform and appeared in front of the guests.

The little sounds of people having last minute checks ended as soon as Jake walked onto the platform and everyone's attention turned to Jake.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you all for being here this morning," Jake began.

"I've called this press conference to make an announcement concerning Secusol and BuyNow. We are all aware of the recent misfortune that befell BuyNow and the consequences thereof. The security breach caused massive disruptions in BuyNow's service delivery and seriously inconvenienced its customers. Many people now find it hard to trust companies such as BuyNow with their personal information, and it is understandable. The security breach also caused BuyNow to lose significant amounts of revenue and other immeasurable assets such as customer confidence and corporate reputation, among many others."

He saw a few heads nod in agreement.

"We all know now that BuyNow was using a security system that they had developed in-house and as such it was subject to certain disadvantages, such as inadequate and outdated encryption technology. The security industry is now a fast moving and evolving industry. New computer viruses are made by the minute and encryption technologies are rendered useless more frequently than ever before."

Jake studied his audience and noticed plenty of reporters taking notes.

"Secusol is well known for its ability to create new technologies and methods of securing computer systems. We have recently announced the launch of our latest encryption technology, which is many times more secure than the current industry technologies, placing us at the front of the pack, and making us the best security solutions provider today. It is for this reason, and many others, that Secusol representatives met with representatives from BuyNow and signed a deal that makes Secusol the one and only corporation responsible for the security of BuyNow's computer system. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to officially announce that BuyNow is now using Secusol technology to secure its computer system. Are there any questions?"

Many news reporters put their hands up.

"I'll begin with you," Jake said, pointing to a female reporter in the first row of seats.

"Thank you, Mr. Waters. My name is Suzanne Flaming and I'm with the Universal News Agency. Would you tell us when this new technology will be activated at BuyNow and whether or not there will be any more disruptions in service during its installation. Thank you."

"Our technicians started working on the project a few days ago. They installed the system in phases during off-peak hours and now they are doing the final testing. The technology is expected to be fully operational today at midday. Service will be interrupted, but only for a few minutes during the changeover, so customers need not worry."

Suzanne nodded her head and then sat down. Other reporters lifted their hands, wanting to ask questions.

"You, sir. In the fourth row. Yes, you."

"Thank you. I'm Robert Green and I'm representing the Falcon News Network. Is Secusol worried about the hackers' recent feats and the possibility of your new technology being beaten?"

"The recent cyber attacks and security breaches have only reiterated and emphasized Secusol's view on computer security; of always being two steps ahead of competitors and enemies, in this case the hackers. We always strive to anticipate hackers' next moves and we are confident that our new technology will not only prove to be invincible to cyber attacks now, but for years to come, as we continually update it," Jake said.

Robert sat down.

"Any more questions?"

Three reporters had questions this time.

"Yes," Jake said to one of them.

"Thank you. I'm Lindsay Evans, an independent business reporter. Do you think the other companies that are still using their own in-house security solutions are taking big risks, and could be your next customers?"

"The recent security breaches and BuyNow's decision to adopt Secusol's security solutions will undoubtedly have an effect on the other corporations' future decisions concerning security. Whether or not they will approach Secusol in need of its technology, we will have to wait and see. What I do know is that Secusol's new technology is unparalleled and will be among the best alternative security solutions available for those corporations."

Jake answered a few more questions until he decided that they were enough for that conference.

"This brings us to the end of our conference. Again, I thank you all for coming," he said and then walked off the platform.

continues in Chapter 18...

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Copyright © Innocent Mwatsikesimbe

Thank you for reading my work.

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previous Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17