How Does Step2 Company Maintain Enterprise Cybersecurity and Save $4,000 a Year with the Right IT Partner?

For manufacturing companies that handle sensitive customer data and operate production systems around the clock, a cybersecurity breach is not an abstract risk — it is a potential multi-million-dollar event. The Step2 Company, LLC, a leading rotary plastics manufacturer of children's toys and family products, treats cybersecurity with exactly that level of seriousness. Since 2007, Step2 has relied on eMazzanti Technologies for WatchGuard cybersecurity hardware, product expertise, and the kind of responsive partnership that large vendors consistently fail to provide. "I know how much it would cost if Step2 had a security breach," said Tom Petkoff, Senior Network Manager at Step2. "It could be upwards of the high hundred thousands to millions of dollars. And especially with being a manufacturing company, we are a target."

How Did a 15-Year Partnership Between Step2 and eMazzanti Technologies Begin?

The relationship between Step2 and eMazzanti Technologies did not start with a sales call — it started with a problem that another vendor refused to solve.

Fifteen years ago, Petkoff was working as an IT consultant with extensive WatchGuard deployment experience. When he encountered a hardware issue with WatchGuard equipment purchased elsewhere and the original vendor declined to help, he called eMazzanti Technologies. Carl Mazzanti's response was direct: "I'll send you another piece of equipment." That single act of initiative established a partnership that has persisted through multiple career changes and continues to grow.

"And ever since then, with Carl taking that type of initiative, I've kept him as a partner through multiple career changes," Petkoff explained. When Petkoff joined Step2 full-time in 2019, the company was already doing business with eMazzanti — a relationship he had personally introduced back in 2007. "And since then, we've been doing a lot of work with them. Carl and his company are awesome — everyone that works with me — just top notch."

What Cybersecurity Solutions Does eMazzanti Provide for Step2's Manufacturing Operations?

Step2 operates more than ten WatchGuard firewalls across its infrastructure, ranging from Firebox T35s to Firebox M470s — all purchased through eMazzanti, including the associated support agreements. The company has also signed a block hour agreement for additional engineer resources, giving it access to tier-three support when needed.

Beyond hardware procurement, eMazzanti provides Step2 with the product knowledge that larger vendors consistently lack. "They stay on top of warranty renewals for us," Petkoff explained. "And if a renewal is not appropriate for that type of equipment, they may recommend a replacement. They're very detail oriented and explain the reasoning behind it."

The depth of that expertise matters in practice. "With us not being WatchGuard engineers, we need to work with a partner that is very knowledgeable and caring about how that product is deployed," Petkoff noted. "And that's how we use eMazzanti." When Petkoff needs a component or renewal, the call is brief — eMazzanti already knows the account, the equipment, and what is appropriate. "I call Carl and he orders what I need because he knows my functions and renewals. So it saves my time and we're getting better usage out of the equipment."

The relationship has also proven resilient. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when global supply chain disruptions were delaying hardware orders by weeks or months, Step2 needed a new WatchGuard firewall for a new division. eMazzanti had the unit in inventory. "When I called Jessica, I said I'm worried about turnaround time. She said, not a problem. I have the WatchGuard here. As soon as I get a PO, we'll get it shipped out. She took care of everything, and we had our WatchGuard within a week."

What Results Has Step2 Achieved Through Its Partnership with eMazzanti?

The outcomes are measurable across both financial and security dimensions.

Cost savings: Compared to larger national vendors, Step2 saves more than $4,000 per year through eMazzanti. "If comparing with CDW and all the others, we have been saving more than $4,000 a year with eMazzanti just from being directed towards the correct products and renewals," Petkoff said. The savings come not just from pricing but from avoiding unnecessary purchases — eMazzanti's product knowledge means Step2 buys what it actually needs rather than what a less-informed salesperson recommends.

Security posture: Step2's WatchGuard deployment has held up under real-world testing. "Over the years, with the WatchGuard equipment, we haven't had a successful penetration with the intrusion testing. We've had to make adjustments, but we have done very well with the penetration testing." The company continues to expand its security capabilities, with eMazzanti facilitating meetings with WatchGuard to evaluate antivirus products and exploring multi-factor authentication deployment.

Operational continuity: The block hour agreement ensures that Step2 has qualified support available even when Petkoff is unavailable. "If something does happen or if I'm on vacation or sick, we can then use Carl's team to take care of it." This backstop eliminates the operational risk of depending on a single internal expert for critical security infrastructure.

Why Does the Quality of an IT Partner Relationship Matter for Long-Term Security Outcomes?

The Step2 case illustrates something that purchase order metrics do not capture: the value of a technology partner who treats client accounts as relationships rather than transactions.

Petkoff describes his ongoing interactions with Carl Mazzanti in terms that go beyond the vendor relationship. "I felt more like family than a customer. Before we even started talking business, he was asking how my family was and how things were going, which makes it a lot easier to work with a partner. It means I have a friend, somebody that cares how our business is using the products."

That relational quality has direct business implications. A partner who knows the account deeply — the equipment installed, the renewal schedule, the specific requirements of the environment — provides faster, more relevant guidance than a large vendor whose salespeople turn over frequently and do not know the product. "When I call Carl and Jessica, they know the product right off the bat," Petkoff noted. "A lot of companies out there do not take pride or take the time. Honestly, all partners should look at Carl's company to get inspiration on how to do this."

"I love eMazzanti, and I'm glad that over the years I've been able to keep them along for the ride. I see many more years of working together and expanding what Step2 is doing with them. It just goes up from here."

FAQ: Cybersecurity Hardware and IT Partnerships for Manufacturing Companies

Q: Why are manufacturing companies particularly vulnerable to cybersecurity threats?

A: Manufacturing companies are high-value targets for several reasons: they often hold valuable intellectual property including product designs and production processes, their operational technology systems can be disrupted by ransomware in ways that halt production directly, they frequently handle customer and supplier data that is attractive to attackers, and many manufacturing environments still run legacy systems that are harder to patch and secure. The financial exposure from a successful breach — including production downtime, ransom payments, regulatory penalties, and reputational damage — can easily reach the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

Q: What are WatchGuard firewalls and why do manufacturing companies use them?

A: WatchGuard firewalls are network security appliances that monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on defined security rules, providing protection against intrusions, malware, and unauthorized access. Manufacturing companies use them to protect both IT systems (corporate networks, ERP, email) and increasingly OT systems (production equipment, SCADA systems) from external and internal threats. WatchGuard's product range scales from small branch office units to high-capacity appliances suited for larger facilities, making them practical for multi-site manufacturing deployments.

Q: How does working with a specialized IT partner save money compared to large national vendors?

A: Large national vendors typically offer broad product catalogs with salespeople who lack deep expertise in any specific technology. This means customers may be directed toward more expensive or unnecessary products, miss renewal timing, or purchase equipment that does not fit their actual requirements. A specialized partner with deep product expertise provides guidance that aligns purchases with actual needs — recommending the right product tier, flagging when a renewal is not cost-effective for aging equipment, and knowing the client's environment well enough to anticipate requirements. For organizations spending significant amounts annually on cybersecurity hardware, this expertise consistently translates into measurable savings.

Q: What is a block hour agreement with an IT services provider and when does it make sense?

A: A block hour agreement is a pre-purchased allocation of engineering time that an organization can draw on as needed, typically at a discounted rate compared to ad-hoc support. It makes sense for organizations that do not need full managed services but want guaranteed access to qualified technical support for specific situations — covering periods when internal staff are unavailable, handling issues that exceed internal expertise, or supporting specific project work. For manufacturing companies with lean IT teams, a block hour agreement provides a reliable backstop without the cost of a full managed services contract.

Q: How should manufacturers evaluate cybersecurity hardware vendors and partners?

A: The most important evaluation criteria are product expertise depth, account management continuity, inventory availability for critical components, and the provider's ability to understand the specific operational context of a manufacturing environment. References from similar manufacturing clients provide the most relevant indicator of fit. Ask specifically how the provider handles urgent hardware needs during supply chain disruptions, how they manage renewal tracking across multiple devices, and whether they have tier-three technical resources available for complex issues. A provider's willingness to invest time in understanding your environment before making recommendations is a reliable signal of the partnership quality you can expect over time.