Highland Spring selects Acumen Cyber for 24/7 managed cybersecurity

Highland Spring Group has appointed Acumen Cyber to provide round-the-clock threat monitoring, investigation and response, strengthening its existing cybersecurity capabilities and supporting its internal IT team.

Highland Spring Group has selected managed cybersecurity provider Acumen Cyber to deliver 24/7 threat monitoring, investigation and response services as part of its ongoing investment in protecting business operations.

Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Blackford, Perthshire, Highland Spring Group is a family-owned business that produces more than 600 million litres of bottled water annually.

The company has already invested significantly in its security technology, infrastructure and internal capabilities. However, evolving cyberthreats and the demands of maintaining continuous security monitoring alongside day-to-day operations prompted it to seek additional specialist support.

The partnership will provide Highland Spring with round-the-clock cybersecurity expertise while allowing its internal IT team to focus on infrastructure improvements, vulnerability reduction and longer-term security priorities.

Acumen will deliver the service through its Glasgow-based, CREST-accredited Security Operations Centre (SOC), with UK-based security engineers working directly alongside Highland Spring’s IT team.

Its security platform combines security information and event management (SIEM), automation and threat intelligence to support continuous monitoring, investigation, incident response and proactive threat hunting.

Following an extensive tender process, Highland Spring selected Acumen for its technical expertise, engineer-led approach and security platform capabilities.

The company’s emphasis on continuously validating detection effectiveness against real-world attack techniques was another deciding factor, alongside predictable pricing and direct access to the engineers delivering the service.

Tracy Holbein, IT Manager at Highland Spring Group, said: “Keeping our operations running reliably is essential to Highland Spring. This partnership will give us round-the-clock specialist support and more time for our own team to focus on preventing problems and strengthening our security. Acumen stood out because of the rapport between our teams and their enthusiasm for working with us. That gave us confidence that we could build a close and productive partnership.”

The agreement is intended to establish a long-term relationship in which Acumen operates as an extension of Highland Spring’s internal IT team.

Mark Robertson, CEO at Acumen Cyber, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Highland Spring, a business that recognises the importance of investing in cyber security to protect its people, its operations and the trust its customers and partners place in it.

“Our role is to work as an extension of Highland Spring’s team, with named security engineers who understand the business and take responsibility for strengthening its defences. That means continually improving protection as threats evolve and backing confidence with evidence. We continuously validate our detection capabilities against real-world attack techniques, using the findings to improve the security we deliver.”