.nl in the spotlight: alicebob.nl

Where did you get the idea for Alice & Bob?

Joris: "My mother was targeted by a WhatsApp scam, which fortunately didn't succeed. She called me straight away because I have a background as a salaried cybersecurity expert. The incident made us realise that there weren't any firms that consumers could turn to for help with problems like the one my mother had. This all happened just when Eva's normal marketing work was stopped in its tracks by the coronavirus restrictions. So, we thought, why not start a business dedicated to giving a sense of online security back to ordinary people? That's how we came to set up Alice & Bob. The site went live in November 2020."

Can you sum up the basic concept?

Eva: "We offer both preventive services and emergency support for victims of cyber-attacks. The preventive assistance involves checking devices and online profiles. A lot is done remotely, but we also do visits if the need arises. People can also call us if they think they've been hacked. We investigate what's happened, then do all we can to shut the incident down. It's like an emergency room service for hacking victims. People can reach us straight from the website."

What's behind the choice of domain name?

Eva: "As well as sounding catchy, the name Alice & Bob has a particular meaning in cybersecurity. They're the names given to two imaginary people used to explain complicated cybersecurity cases. At the same time, the name is a sort of wink to the two of us. We had a few other ideas, but the matching domain names turned out to be taken."

What about building and hosting your website?

Joris: "I've got web development experience, so I was able to do a lot of the work myself. But I had a professional design done by a firm called webbakery.nl, who I've worked with before. Having a site that really looks the business seemed like a good investment. We developed the content together in WordPress, and I arranged the hosting myself (through neostrada.nl, ed.). I also take website security seriously. I recently got the domain name DNSSEC-enabled, for example."

How have you been publicising the service?

Eva: "SEO and SEA. Search engines are our priority at the moment. We're also experimenting with advertising linked to a few carefully chosen search terms, and looking into the effectiveness of advertising on social media. There aren't any similar concepts out there, so we can't just replicate what's worked for other people. But it has helped that we both have business experience."

What response have you had from your target group?

Eva: "The response has been positive. We've had no end of enquiries. The product barely needs selling -- it pretty much sells itself. People are really pleased to hear from us when we call, because until they come across us, they tend to feel that they're on their own. From the feedback, we certainly get the impression that our concept can be a big long-term success."

Have you already had people asking for emergency support?

Eva: "Yes. Various people have got in touch after being targeted. We're able to advise them promptly and often give useful tips on the spot. We're not yet sure how the business will develop, but the positivity of the response makes us very confident about the future."