Arek renewed its cybersecurity monitoring with Loihde to meet the growing demands of its operating environment. The 24/7 CSOC service provides this critical operator with continuous situational awareness, expert support and the ability to respond quickly to anomalies.
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Arek has renewed its cybersecurity monitoring together with Loihde to meet the growing demands of a critical operating environment. Through the cooperation, Arek adopted Loihde’s 24/7 CSOC service, which provides continuous situational awareness, rapid response capability and Loihde’s expert support around the clock. The service was deployed in phases, starting with the most critical functions and environments. Cybersecurity is being developed together in a determined and goal-oriented way.
Arek is a Finnish IT company founded in 2003 and jointly owned by pension insurance operators. It develops and maintains the sector’s key shared information systems. As an organisation critical to security of supply, Arek handles highly sensitive data, which means cybersecurity monitoring must meet high standards for operational reliability, continuous development and trusted partnership.
The previous cybersecurity monitoring model, which focused on weekdays and office hours, no longer met Arek’s needs. Arek therefore began looking for a new partner. The goal was to find a CSOC service that operates around the clock, including evenings, nights and weekends.
“In practice, data on every Finnish citizen passes through our systems. In a way, we act as a gatekeeper, so a 24/7 CSOC service is absolutely necessary,” says Janne Vulli, Chief Information Security Officer at Arek.
Loihde emerged as one of Arek’s options through recommendations. The final choice was also influenced in particular by the ability to deliver the service from Finland, an understanding of the requirements of a critical operator and the opportunity to build a solution suited to Arek’s diverse environment.
Arek’s environment combines cloud services, on-premises solutions, various server environments and systems delivered by partners. Arek needed a partner capable of bringing this whole into a manageable monitoring model that could be expanded step by step. Lightweight MDR implementations were never an option for Arek.
“Our own information security resources are limited, so a 24/7 CSOC was the best and only option for us. Loihde’s DFIR service also carried weight in the selection. If something happens, the situation can be brought under control quickly. Loihde was also able to tailor certain aspects specifically to our needs,” Vulli says.
The CSOC service was deployed in phases. The most critical functions and key environments were brought under monitoring first. The project started in March 2025 and was completed in December of the same year. Since then, the CSOC service has been expanded further.
The deployment was therefore not a one-off project, but a continuously evolving whole, as is often the case with CSOC services. Starting with cloud environments was more straightforward, while on-premises environments required more planning and coordination.
“The most important thing was to bring the critical functions under monitoring and get the service fully operational. After that, the whole could be developed further step by step,” Vulli describes.
With the 24/7 CSOC service, the organisation gains access to a broader pool of experts who monitor the environment around the clock, respond when needed and also support Arek in identifying areas for improvement.
“Loihde kept well to the deployment schedule, and we have been satisfied with the CSOC service. The cooperation has been smooth throughout. Loihde has a broad pool of experts we can draw on, and that is valuable to us,” Vulli says.
From Loihde’s perspective, the success of the cooperation has been supported by Arek’s clear understanding of the importance of information security and its commitment to developing the whole in the long term. The service has been built in phases according to the customer’s priorities, technical realities and resources.
“We offer genuine partnership and make things happen. Few organisations have sufficient resources of their own to provide the level of cybersecurity monitoring and development work that a CSOC service offers. Our service provides both monitoring and sparring. Customers can ask us questions, and we also suggest improvements,” emphasises Tuomas Peltola, owner of Loihde’s CSOC service.
At Arek, the CSOC service is seen above all as continuous protection. The service gives the Chief Information Security Officer and management a clearer situational picture, enables response to anomalies and supports the development of cybersecurity in a changing threat environment.
“Insurance may not be the perfect word for this, but in practice it provides continuous protection,” Vulli sums up.
The next cybersecurity development steps with Loihde are already in mind. One of them is a POC planned for autumn 2026 to integrate a phishing simulation service into the existing CSOC service.