Introducing Secure by Design: how we keep websites stable and secure
Most website problems don't start with a dramatic hack. They start with something small: a plugin that updated itself overnight, a file that shouldn't have been writable, a server that was easier to reach than anyone realised. This series explains how we prevent that, in plain English.
Introduction
Most website problems don't start with a dramatic hack. They start with something small: a plugin that updated itself overnight, a file that shouldn't have been writable, a server that was easier to reach than anyone realised. Usually nobody notices until customers do.
Over the coming weeks, we're publishing Secure by Design, a five-part series on how we build, host and maintain websites so those problems don't happen in the first place. Each part covers one layer of our approach in plain English, with real examples from the past year, so you can compare it with how your own website is looked after.
Who this series is for
It's written for business owners, marketers and IT managers whose website matters to how their organisation runs. If your site takes bookings, processes payments, runs a customer portal or feeds your internal systems, this series is for you. You don't need a technical background to follow it.
What's coming
- WordPress on Composer: why your site won't break at 2am. Why we never let a website update itself, and how pinned, reviewed updates prevent surprise outages.
- Read-only hosting: the simple rule that stops webshell attacks. How our Enterprise-grade hosting stops attackers planting hidden back doors in your site.
- Why AI-powered vulnerability scanning means open source updates can't wait. How AI has shrunk the time between a flaw being found and it being attacked, and why that changes how often sites need updating.
- Cloudflare first: the shield in front of every site we host. How Cloudflare filters out attacks and unwanted bots, speeds up your site, and why it only works if it can't be bypassed.
- Taking over a website: how we make it secure from day one. How we bring all of these layers together for new projects and sites we take over from other agencies.
Why "Secure by Design"
The idea behind the whole series is simple: the best protection isn't a setting someone has to remember to switch on. It's built into how a website is put together and hosted, so it can't be forgotten or switched off in a hurry. Each layer helps on its own. Together, they make a website far harder to break, whether by accident or on purpose.
Follow along
We'll add each part to this page as it's published. If you'd like to talk about your own website before then, get in touch with our Brisbane team.
Frequently asked questions
What is Secure by Design?
Secure by Design is Vivo Group's five-part series on website security and stability. It explains, in plain English, how pinned updates, read-only hosting, regular patching and Cloudflare work together to keep a website running and protected.
Who is Vivo Group?
Vivo Group is a Brisbane-based web development and hosting agency. We build, host and maintain websites and PHP applications, including WordPress and Symfony, for clients ranging from small businesses to large organisations.
Keep reading
Keep reading: WordPress on Composer: why your site won't break at 2am
