Virgin Hyperloop Case Study

Virgin Hyperloop is a private company founded in 2014 to develop a new mode of mass transportation that moves freight and people quickly, safely, on demand, and direct from origin to destination — with no direct carbon emissions. The company has about 300 employees and offices in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Dubai.

Because it’s developing cutting-edge technology, Virgin Hyperloop faces security challenges as both a startup and a transportation company. Lean, investor-fed budgets preclude hiring a massive IT department; previously unheard-of intellectual property attracts the unwanted attention of hackers; and the company moves so fast it can be tough for security to keep pace.

Virgin Hyperloop could change the world, offering infrastructure that’s faster, more scalable, less expensive and more environmentally friendly than high-speed rail. VP of IT Dawn Armstrong says Virgin Hyperloop’s mission is to “reinvent public transportation as we know it. We’re developing a mode of transportation that takes people in pods, and they’re in a tube,” she explains. “That tube can be above the ground or in a tunnel. It’s an autonomous driving vehicle propelled through a vacuum.”