Case study by Josh Vernon - CEO, Earnd
Our Background
As the Chief Executive Officer and a co-founder of the financial services company Earnd, data security is a priority for me, and I know it is for my clients too. That’s because we predominantly work in the financial wellness space – so our core product offering is designed to provide our clients’ employees with access to their pay as they earn it.
Our clients range from large businesses in retail and hospitality that employ people on hourly and weekly rates, through to corporates with highly paid individuals on monthly pay cycles. We make flexible payment arrangements possible for all their employees so they can access their income as they earn it, to meet their needs.
To do that we have to handle personal data for thousands of people, and that data includes payroll. As you’d expect the companies we approach as potential clients, need to feel comfortable in the knowledge that we are able to protect their data.
The Goal
We’re a relatively new company and as such, we are in a growth phase. While I’m not personally an expert when it comes to technology, my co-founder (and CTO) is. We also have an incredibly talented in-house development team. It’s a strong resource and we are confident in our data security, however, to ensure our clients and potential clients feel comfortable about the level of data security we have in place, we know that Penetration Testing is essential. We also know that the testing needs to be done by a trusted, unbiased, third-party – that was our motivation when we decided to engage an external business.
The Selection
We assessed the services and expertise of two companies, one of which was The Missing Link. The Missing Link was introduced to us by a client who gave them rave reviews. We took their recommendation on board, and I’m glad we did.
Our Relationship
Engaging The Missing Link was a smooth process. The team at The Missing Link was highly effective in keeping us informed and ensuring we had a solid understanding of the project as it progressed. We have never experienced the level of technical expertise they provided with other Penetration Testing providers. It was particularly refreshing that we were given direct access to the techs rather than having to work through an account manager. I felt they were honest, transparent and fair in their pricing. The high level of service and fair pricing should not be underestimated, – the value of service is paramount to us as a small business, and The Missing Link delivered this.
The Result
The Penetration Testing took three months, and we’ll engage The Missing Link to do it again in nine months’ time.
The experience has been incredibly positive for our business because it gives us the ability to walk into any potential or existing customer and, when data security is raised, provide a certificate from a third party that automatically certifies our standard. This increases staff confidence when developing the business and removes the need to talk with clients about security at a deep level.
The Missing Link has been timely, reactive to requests, and they provided us with a seamless experience – I’d highly recommend them. As we grow the business and there comes a need for a more constant relationship with a data security company, The Missing Link will be one of the very first companies we talk to.
