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Europe is still naive – in five years’ time all websites will be encrypted
4 min
Sonera is now Telia.
Sonera secures two million people’s data in Finland. For the past four years, all its Internet services have been protected by the company’s own SSL certificates. But many companies’ websites are still unprotected.
“Although we talk a lot about information security, many companies still have unprotected websites. We at Sonera began to use certificates in 2005. About four years ago, all our websites were protected by SSL certificates,” says Timir Bhose, who is charge of Sonera’s digital channels.
Sonera has about two million customers in Finland, and securing their data is one of the company's top priorities. Protecting network traffic is an important part of information security.
“People consider it increasingly important that they can surf everywhere without worries. SSL is no longer only something for online shopping and other corresponding transaction services."
Sonera – like the entire international Telia Company – has the company’s own Finnish SSL certificates in use. The company, known as a telecoms operator, has been developing encryption and authentication solutions for two decades. But not many people know that Sonera is the only body in Finland that has a root certificate required for the grant of SSL certificates.
Varying practices
There are numerous certificate providers in the world, but it is not insignificant where you buy your certificates. Sonera’s department manager Risto Kivisilta says that the certificate providers’ practices vary a great deal.
"If you buy certificates abroad, you will have to pay with a credit card, which may be difficult to the orderer. When certificates are bought from here and there, it often happens that it is the user and not the website administrator who notices when a certificate expires. And, of course, it should not be this way.”
In Sonera’s SSL service, Risto Kivisilta especially values centralized management and ease of use.
"The company has one worry less when there is a body that attends to all the routines related to certificates. For example, we need not wrestle with expired SSL certificates, as we will be notified automatically when a certificate is about to expire. And you can pay on online invoice,” he says.
SSL becomes a standard
The use of SSL certificates increases rapidly. The reasons are many. With the advancement of digitalisation and online transactions, more and more companies and organizations process customer data online.
“The digital world is expanding! Even small players can operate globally, and the range of services widens. Every day, we encounter new mobile applications, websites and product-specific services. This is why it is increasingly important that network users pay attention to information security. When a website is SSL protected, the user sees a lock icon and HTTPS in the address bar and immediately knows that making transactions is safe,” says Risto Kivisilta.
"In about five years’ time, all the websites will be encrypted. Unfortunately, identity thefts, which until now have bee a nuisance particularly in the USA, are gaining ground in Europe. We are still very trusting and naive here; just think how many companies have an order form, for example, on an unencrypted page. That will not do any longer.”
Text: Henna Rautiainen
Sonera SSL
Sonera Certificate Authority is the only Finnish SSL certificate provider. Our easy-to-use management portal allows you to introduce, manage and renew all your certificates in a centralized manner.
Contact us, we will be happy to help!
Anssi Hakkarainen, Sales Manager, Sonera
tel. +358 40 302 2614
anssi.hakkarainen[at]teliacompany.com