6 Layers of Protection
How Foxtrot Media Eliminated
“Troubling” Server Alerts and
Cut CPU Load by 60%—all thanks to
Imunify360 and KernelCare
“Troubling” Server Alerts and
Cut CPU Load by 60%—all thanks to
Imunify360 and KernelCare
CPU Load
Down
60%
Down
60%
Malicious bot requests
1.5M blocked
in one month
1.5M blocked
in one month
Need for a patchwork of security tools
eliminated
eliminated
For Brian Singer, founder of Foxtrot Media in Baltimore, Maryland, running a WordPress development and hosting agency meant having to always be alert and on call should there be an attack on their servers… His team manages hundreds of client sites hosted on AWS servers, and with every late-night “ding” from server monitors came the same worry: was another client site under attack?
Sleepless Nights and Alarming Alerts
“When I hear those alerts, it’s a terrible feeling, and you’d almost do anything to fix it immediately.” Brian recalls.
Like many agencies, Foxtrot Media originally relied on a standard Linux and cPanel setup, used in tandem with piecemeal security tools. But as bot traffic, AI scrapers and malicious scripts kept hammering customer sites, performance dropped, CPU loads spiked, and peaceful weekends were disrupted.
“When I hear those alerts, it’s a terrible feeling, and you’d almost do anything to fix it immediately.” Brian recalls.
Like many agencies, Foxtrot Media originally relied on a standard Linux and cPanel setup, used in tandem with piecemeal security tools. But as bot traffic, AI scrapers and malicious scripts kept hammering customer sites, performance dropped, CPU loads spiked, and peaceful weekends were disrupted.
Before Imunify360: A Patchwork Approach
That Fell Short
Foxtrot Media had tried various, multi-pronged solutions, including antivirus tools and third-party firewalls. But these either generated false positives, introduced new points of failure, or simply didn’t keep up with the constant and ever-evolving stream of attacks.
“We were using a third-party web access firewall, but eventually we just turned it off. It was unreliable and sometimes went down, and we had no control over it. With all the bot scraping on WordPress blogs, it just wasn’t enough.”
The result? Constant, firefighting, partial cleanups, server slowdowns and downtime, and increased bandwidth bills from AWS.
That Fell Short
Foxtrot Media had tried various, multi-pronged solutions, including antivirus tools and third-party firewalls. But these either generated false positives, introduced new points of failure, or simply didn’t keep up with the constant and ever-evolving stream of attacks.
“We were using a third-party web access firewall, but eventually we just turned it off. It was unreliable and sometimes went down, and we had no control over it. With all the bot scraping on WordPress blogs, it just wasn’t enough.”
The result? Constant, firefighting, partial cleanups, server slowdowns and downtime, and increased bandwidth bills from AWS.
From Worry to Confidence
The turning point came when Brian faced every system admin’s nightmare: a kernel panic on a production server during a scheduled reboot.
“I couldn’t even get past the boot screen. It was an absolute nightmare. But CloudLinux support got me answers in under five minutes. I was stunned, and this was at 3AM EST!”
That support experience gave Foxtrot Media the confidence to expand into KernelCare, eliminating downtime caused by manual reboots. The next logical step was addressing the relentless wave of bot traffic overwhelming their servers.
The turning point came when Brian faced every system admin’s nightmare: a kernel panic on a production server during a scheduled reboot.
“I couldn’t even get past the boot screen. It was an absolute nightmare. But CloudLinux support got me answers in under five minutes. I was stunned, and this was at 3AM EST!”
That support experience gave Foxtrot Media the confidence to expand into KernelCare, eliminating downtime caused by manual reboots. The next logical step was addressing the relentless wave of bot traffic overwhelming their servers.
The “WOW!” Moment: Seeing Imunify360 in Action
Foxtrot Media began testing Imunify360 on a development server. The results were immediate—and astonishing.
“I was like, wow. This is really great! I don’t have to stay up on Sunday nights and do reboots and then watch serial console to make sure things don’t crash”
On one high-traffic client blog, the difference was dramatic. Imunify360’s WebShield blocked 1.5 million bot requests in a single month. CPU utilization on the server dropped by 60% overnight.
“If it was catching all these things on our development server, I couldn’t imagine what it could do for our production servers. So then we implemented it on all of our production environments—and the rest is history.”
Foxtrot Media began testing Imunify360 on a development server. The results were immediate—and astonishing.
“I was like, wow. This is really great! I don’t have to stay up on Sunday nights and do reboots and then watch serial console to make sure things don’t crash”
On one high-traffic client blog, the difference was dramatic. Imunify360’s WebShield blocked 1.5 million bot requests in a single month. CPU utilization on the server dropped by 60% overnight.
“If it was catching all these things on our development server, I couldn’t imagine what it could do for our production servers. So then we implemented it on all of our production environments—and the rest is history.”
On one high-traffic client blog, the difference was dramatic. Imunify360’s WebShield blocked 1.5 million bot requests in a single month. CPU utilization on the server dropped by 60% overnight.
The Business Impact: Efficiency, Savings,
and Peace of Mind
But the benefits of using Imunify360 extended far beyond reduced CPU load for Foxtrot Media:
and Peace of Mind
But the benefits of using Imunify360 extended far beyond reduced CPU load for Foxtrot Media:
Direct Cost Savings
Overnight, Foxtrot Media eliminated the need for a collection of manually managed third-party firewalls and security plugins. By blocking bot traffic, Foxtrot even reduced AWS bandwidth usage. “The bandwidth reduction alone is paying for the Imunify360 subscription,” Brian noted.
Overnight, Foxtrot Media eliminated the need for a collection of manually managed third-party firewalls and security plugins. By blocking bot traffic, Foxtrot even reduced AWS bandwidth usage. “The bandwidth reduction alone is paying for the Imunify360 subscription,” Brian noted.
Increased Server Density
With CPU load down by 60%, Foxtrot Media can now host more customers per server, reducing cost per customer and improving their bottom line.
With CPU load down by 60%, Foxtrot Media can now host more customers per server, reducing cost per customer and improving their bottom line.
Operational Efficiency
All-in-one malware scanning, automated kernel patching, and integrated protection leave Brian’s small team to focus on client projects, instead of worrying about endless security tasks. “The ultimate goal is me getting a good night’s sleep. Not waking up to troublesome alerts.” Now, Brian gets to enjoy that well-earned rest.
All-in-one malware scanning, automated kernel patching, and integrated protection leave Brian’s small team to focus on client projects, instead of worrying about endless security tasks. “The ultimate goal is me getting a good night’s sleep. Not waking up to troublesome alerts.” Now, Brian gets to enjoy that well-earned rest.
If I could give one piece of advice to other agencies and hosts, it’s this: don’t wait, it’s worth it. I wish I’d started using Imunify360 sooner. It’s the silver bullet that gives you confidence and lets you focus on your business.
Brian Singer
Principal, Foxtrot Media, Inc.
Principal, Foxtrot Media, Inc.
Security That Works While You Sleep
For Foxtrot Media, Imunify360 wasn’t just a feature upgrade, it was a business transformation. Instead of chasing down every bot and patching every exposure manually, they implemented an integrated, automated security platform that protects their servers, boosts margins, and delivers ultimate peace of mind.
For Foxtrot Media, Imunify360 wasn’t just a feature upgrade, it was a business transformation. Instead of chasing down every bot and patching every exposure manually, they implemented an integrated, automated security platform that protects their servers, boosts margins, and delivers ultimate peace of mind.
“I am proud to have chosen the Cloudlinux/Imunify360/KernelCare stack on our servers, and knowing that the Imunify support team is always there and on my side as well as my customers. It’s one of the best business decisions I have ever made.”
Brian Singer
Principal, Foxtrot Media, Inc.
Principal, Foxtrot Media, Inc.
Ready to eliminate those sleepless nights and “troubling” alerts?
Start your free Imunify360 trial today.
Start your free Imunify360 trial today.