Case study: VivoBarefoot and Securious

VivoBarefoot first engaged with Securious in 2019 because they wanted an independent party to review their cyber security. Securious has been working with the VivoBarefoot team since to help them identify and remediate vulnerabilities and provide assurance that their IT systems are in good shape.

About VivoBarefoot  

VivoBarefoot is a natural health lifestyle brand and certified B Corp. They create footwear and experiences that bring you closer to nature.

Our sedentary, cushioned, toxic lifestyles are making us and our planet sick. There is a better way to live. We need to reconnect to the natural world and let nature heal us. It all starts with our feet. VivoBarefoot draws on simple, barefoot design principles that increase foot strength by 60%. They draw on simple, barefoot design principles that respect human nature, letting your feet fit, feel and flex. Because when we reconnect to the natural world, we reconnect to ourselves. We are nature. Nature is us.

About Securious

Securious is the South West’s leading Payment Card Industry Qualified Security Assessor and cyber security company. We help clients with Governance, Risk and Compliance (PCI DSS, ISO 27001, PCI 3DS, Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus); we offer a Managed Detection and Response service (helping clients stay secure with live 24/7 monitoring and visibility of their environments, threat detection and automated alerts, which are overseen by our analysts), and penetration testing services.

The objective 

When VivoBarefoot first approached Securious in 2019, they had big growth aspirations and a recognition that their brand’s reputation would be a critical factor in their success, especially as a consumer-facing business. A cyber attack could have had a devastating impact on how their customers and stakeholders viewed their business, so they wanted to make sure their cyber security was in good shape to reduce the likelihood and potential impact of a breach.

And this wasn’t just about achieving certificates or compliance standards – the VivoBarefoot team wanted to be confident that the business had solid measures in place to protect it. So they felt it was important to work with an independent third party to assess their cyber security, and they got in touch with Securious. Happily, we’ve been working together ever since. 

The challenge

VivoBarefoot felt it was important to have an independent third party to verify what their external IT provider was doing, so they knew their environment was secure. They didn’t feel it was right for the IT provider to report on cyber security because it would be like them marking their own homework. 

The solution

Securious and VivoBarefoot have been working together in a cyber security partnership since 2019 to ensure VivoBarefoot is in good shape.

Securious provides a range of cyber security support as part of this, from physical and remote penetration tests to make sure VivoBarefoot’s systems are not vulnerable to attackers, to perimeter security audits at their headquarters. We also provide advice and support to the VivoBarefoot team wherever it’s needed to make sure they’re doing the right things to protect their organisation. 

The results 

VivoBarefoot’s proactive approach to cyber security means they are now in a much stronger position. They have significantly bolstered their cyber security and have an excellent understanding of potential threats within their environment. 

Through the implementation of robust controls and close collaboration with Securious, they have effectively addressed vulnerabilities and proactively mitigated cyber risks.

As a result, the likelihood of VivoBarefoot falling victim to a cyber attack has reduced, and the team has the necessary tools and knowledge to swiftly respond to emerging threats, minimising the potential consequences of any breaches that might occur.

Mark Bickell, Head of Technology at VivoBarefoot, comments: 

“The Securious team have been excellent – their expertise is second-to-none and they’ve really helped us focus on the right areas to improve our cyber security and protect our organisation. It was really important to us to work with a specialist third party to make sure that everything is right – we didn’t want to be ‘marking our own homework’. It’s very important to us to make sure that our organisation is protected from cyber threats and Securious has been instrumental in us achieving this.” 

Pete Woodward, Securious CEO comments:  

“We love working with proactive clients like VivoBarefoot who genuinely care about protecting their organisation from cyber attackers. It’s a pleasure to have clients like them that really recognise the importance of cyber security and prioritise it within the business. 

“We look forward to a continued partnership with the VivoBarefoot team as they continue to grow and use cyber security to protect their brand reputation.” 

Interested in a cyber security partnership? 

If you want to learn more about how Securious can work with you in a cyber security partnership, working with your team to protect your organisation from a strategy level all the way down to execution, get in touch using the contact form below and we’d be happy to discuss your unique situation.