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This episode James and Jean are joined by Robert Abela,\xa0an EU based freelance IT consultant and WordPress Security Professional with WP White Security.
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\nRobert is a major player in advocacy for WordPress security, and owns the No. 1 WordPress Monitoring & Audit Trail Plugin. Additionally, aside from his own security blog,\xa0Robert\xa0is also\xa0a guest\xa0blogger on\xa0many\xa0web-security blogs and websites.
\nTopics Include:
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\n \t* Robert's journey with WordPress.
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\n \t* It all started as a hobby.
\n \t* Robert developed\xa0on the side,\xa0but\xa0never considered himself\xa0a developer.
\n \t* At the same time he had a WordPress security consultancy business.
\n \t* He began working with a friend, but development was sporadic.
\n \t* After searching\xa0on a shoestring\xa0budget,\xa0Robert started working with a part-time dev.
\n \t* Started his premium add-on model.
\n \t* A\xa0multitude of\xa0competitor plugins were launched.
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\n \t* His developer saw this as a sign of defeat and jumped ship.
\n \t* To make things worse, competitors knew popular people in the community and\xa0received a lot of coverage.
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\n \t* Down but not out,\xa0Robert considered\xa0pulling the plug.
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\n \t* Unstable sales resulted in\xa0a personal\xa0lost of $8,000 in the first year.
\n \t* Obligated to increase the sales -\xa0Robert sought to expose the add-ons\xa0without "in your face" advertising.
\n \t* His execution resulted in increased revenue,\xa0sales, and popularity. $30+k revenue this year.
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\n \t* WP Security Audit Log\xa0is now the Number 1 plugin amongst its competitors\xa0(in terms of active downloads).
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\n \t* Lessons learned:
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\n \t* Never give up, but\xa0be realistic!
\n \t* Numbers/statistics are a good indication of how successful\xa0your product will be.
\n \t* Keep an eye on the competition, though don't let\xa0that hold back a good idea or plan.
\n \t* It's important to be first on the market, but\xa0it's not the end of the world if you're not.
\n \t* Success is not easy! If it were easy, everyone would be successful.
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\n \t* The Plugin/Security:
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\n \t* Hardening
\n \t* Blocking (firewalls, etc.)
\n \t* Control (privileges/permissions)
\n \t* Logging
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\n \t* Keeping a watchful eye.
\n \t* Easing the process of troubleshooting.
\n \t* Detecting\xa0possible attack attempts.
\n \t* Doing forensics work in the unfortunate case of a hack cleanup.
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\nFeatured on the Show:
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\n \t* WP WhiteSecurity
\n \t* WP Security Audit Log
\n \t* Ninja Demo