Secure virtual assistant services you can trust.
Enterprise-grade security for your executive assistant. Your EA works inside your systems, not ours. Viva does not store customer data. Every new hire is background-checked and trained on confidentiality. Company laptops are managed and encrypted.
Criminal history check in 200+ countries and identity check through Certn, before hire.
HiringManaged by Hexnode, encrypted with FileVault. It can be locked or wiped remotely.
EndpointWhy this matters
Can a virtual assistant be a security risk?
Yes, if no one manages the security. Your EA sees your calendar, inbox, financials and internal documents, so the security has to match the access. Viva covers four layers: the people, their devices, the systems they work in, and how incidents are handled.
People
Every new hire passes a background check and reference checks before they start. Then they are trained and tested on confidentiality and security.
- Background checks through Certn (Softcheck and OneID)
- 2+ reference checks, including questions on ethics
- Confidentiality training and quiz at onboarding
- Annual security training and quarterly phishing tests through KnowBe4
Devices
Company laptops are managed and locked down, so data stays safe if a laptop is lost or stolen.
- Managed by Hexnode, with remote lock and wipe
- Full-disk encryption with FileVault
- USB drives and other external media blocked
- Anti-malware and screen lock after 10 minutes
Systems and access
Your EA works inside your systems, and passwords are shared through a password manager, never in plain text.
- Customer data accessed inside your systems, through the cloud
- Customer security protocols followed by customer-facing staff
- Passwords shared through LastPass or 1Password
- Strong passwords, changed every 90 days
Incident response
Staff must report a lost device or a suspected incident right away. Viva has cyber liability insurance with 24/7 incident response support.
- Lost or stolen device policy
- Incident and breach notification policy
- 24/7 incident response support
- Disaster recovery and business continuity plan
Our controls
The controls behind the program
How Viva keeps your data secure when you work with a virtual assistant, area by area.
| Area | How Viva does it |
|---|---|
| Background checks | Every new hire is checked by a third party. Certn runs Softcheck, an international criminal history check across 200,000+ databases in 200+ countries, and OneID, an identity check. We also do our own online research (news, social media). |
| Reference checks | 2+ references before every offer. We ask former managers and colleagues about any ethics issues or concerns. |
| Training | Training at onboarding and every year. All staff complete confidentiality training and pass a quiz during onboarding. Security awareness training is mandatory every year, through KnowBe4. |
| Phishing tests | Quarterly phishing simulations. All staff get test phishing emails through KnowBe4. Anyone who fails may get more training and more frequent tests. |
| Device management | Every company laptop is managed. Hexnode lets us monitor, lock or wipe a laptop remotely at any time, and apply usage policies. Screen lock turns on after 10 minutes of inactivity. |
| Encryption | Full-disk encryption on company laptops. FileVault is required, so data on the hard drive stays safe if a laptop is lost or stolen. |
| Passwords | Strong passwords on every company laptop. Laptop passwords need 12+ characters, letters and numbers, 2+ special characters, and are changed every 90 days. |
| External media | No USB drives. Company laptops block USB flash drives, SD cards, external disks, disk images and CDs/DVDs, so data cannot be copied off the laptop. |
| Network and malware | VPN and anti-malware. Confidential or sensitive data is sent through a VPN (NordVPN). All company laptops have anti-malware, with background scanning and monthly scans. |
| Customer systems | Your data stays in your systems. Staff access customer data inside customer systems, through the cloud (usually Google Cloud Platform or Microsoft Azure). They are not allowed to store data outside the cloud. Customer-facing staff follow each customer’s security protocol, and some use devices provided by the customer. |
| Passwords shared with your EA | Never in plain text. Passwords are shared through LastPass or 1Password. |
| Incidents | Report right away, respond 24/7. Staff must report a lost or stolen device, or any actual or suspected incident, right away. Viva has cyber liability insurance with 24/7 incident response support. See our incident and breach notification policy. |
Trusted by 300+ executives at scale-ups, SMBs and enterprises
The access lifecycle
From hire to offboarding, access is controlled.
Clear rules at every step, from the background check before hire to removing access as soon as the partnership ends.
Vetted
Checked and trained before any access
- Background and identity check through Certn
- 2+ reference checks, including ethics
- Non-disclosure agreement
- Confidentiality training and quiz
Protected
Controls that run every day
- Managed, encrypted company laptops
- Annual security training
- Quarterly phishing simulations
- Monthly security checkups
Access removed
When the partnership ends
- Access to your systems ended immediately
- Scan and wipe of any customer data found outside your systems
- Viva customer offboarding protocol completed
Common questions
What security teams ask before signing
Is it safe to hire a virtual assistant?
Yes, when the security is managed. At Viva, every new hire passes a background check and 2+ reference checks, and is trained on confidentiality. Company laptops are managed and encrypted, and your data stays in your own systems. Viva does not store customer data.
Where is customer data stored?
Viva does not store customer data. All customer data stays in your own systems and servers. Our staff access it through the cloud, usually Google Cloud Platform or Microsoft Azure, and they are not allowed to store data outside the cloud.
Who owns the data?
You do. All customer data belongs to the customer before, during and after the engagement with Viva.
Will any third parties have access to my data?
No.
How is data protected and sent?
Company laptops use full-disk encryption, so any data on the device is encrypted. Confidential or sensitive data is sent through a VPN.
What happens to the data if the partnership ends?
All access to your systems and servers by Viva staff is ended immediately. We scan for and wipe any customer data found outside your systems, and complete the rest of our customer offboarding protocol. Viva staff are not allowed to permanently delete your data. That stays your decision.
How do you handle security incidents?
Staff must report any actual or suspected incident, or a lost or stolen device, right away. We follow our incident and breach notification policy, and our cyber liability insurance gives us 24/7 incident response support.
Do you have cyber insurance and a disaster recovery plan?
Yes. Viva has cyber liability insurance, and a disaster recovery and business continuity plan.
Delegate with confidence.
Get a walkthrough of our security controls and see how Viva fits into your environment.