Dr. Jeremy Short

Jerry S. Rawls Professor of Management

College of Business, Area of Management

iPremier: Denial of Service Attack - A Graphic Novel Harvard Business Case

A graphic novel adaptation of an existing Harvard Business case. Describes an IT security crisis,

raises issues of risk management, preparation for crisis, management of crises, computer security,

and public disclosure of security risks.

ROBERT D . AUSTIN

J ERE M Y C. SHORT

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

9-609-092 JUNE 25, 2009

iPremier (A): Denial of Service Attack (Graphic Novel Version)

October 16, 2008 ...

Bob, the team is very excited about your future here and I share their enthusiasm. rve arranged for Lydia Dawson to give you a tour of our facilities.

These days she's in marketing but she served as an intern in IT last year so knows her way around down there too.

And the Devil shall appear? Should I be worried about what you two were saying about me?,.~ __ ~ __ ...J1

HBS Professor Robert D. Austin prepared the original version of this case, "The iPremier Company (A): Denial of Service Attack," HBS No. 601-11 4. This graphic novel version was prepared jointly by HBS Professor Robert D. Aus tin and professor Jeremy C. Short of Texas Tech Uni versity. The auti10rs gra tefull y acknowledge the contributions of Rachael Simmons (pencils), Will Terrell (inking), and Tessa Short (lettering) in developing the case. The situation described in this case is fi ctional. Any resemblance to actual companies, offerings, or individuals is acciden tal. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis fo r class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management.

Copyright © 2009 President and Fellows of Harva rd College. To order copies or reques t pemussion to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Pub lis lUng, Boston, MA 02163, or go to www.hbsp.harvard.edu /educators. This publication may not be digitized, photocop ied, or otherwise reproduced, posted, or transnutted, witl10ut the pemussion of Harvard Business School.

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iPremier (A): Denial of Service Attack (Graphic Novel Version)

The iPremier concept began In 1997, after the two graduated, in 1996 when Blake Carleton r--r---:~-r--==:;;z::::n::;:Z:::::J they moved to Seottle-Blake is from and Raj iv Narayandas were here originally-they then secured students at Swarthmore funding and began operations. College

After the crash in 2000, the stock fell dramatically. But the company was flush with cash from a follow on

offering in 199:.;:9::.,. _--..,..J-j---r:"--I

stock eventually stabilized and even climbed again,

£a~~ though not to pre-20oo levels. In the business-to-consumer (B2C) segment, we're quite proud of the fact that iPremier is one of the

The company's stock price neorly tripled in 1998 following an Initial Public Offering, and then neorly tripled again in 1999.

• ... Most of our products are priced between fifty and a few hundred dollars, but there are a small number of items priced in the thousands of dol­lars. Most customers pay using credit cards. Our customer base is pretty high-end, so credit limits on charge cards are rarely an issue, even for the highest-priced products."

iPremier (A): Denial of Service Attack (Graphic Novel Version)

The company's official values are I-.....:::a..a. discipline, professionalism, and

partnership for achieving profits.

Most folks would say it's pretty intense. Unsuccessful managers don't last long. We do whatever it takes to get projects done on schedule, especially when it comes to changes that benefit customers.

Experienced managers have been taking over from first generation employees. Some people like it, some don't .

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