Broad-based multimedia group Hilla Group has been systematically developing a unified approach to physical and digital security. As the company has expanded, the requirements for security have grown, and its partnership with Loihde has deepened.
Hilla Group reaches nearly half a million people every day and employs 300 professionals. In addition to its publishing and distribution business, the group also develops SaaS services for communities, companies, and municipalities, and produces events. Its diverse business operations and presence in more than 20 locations set high requirements for comprehensive security.
“We wanted a trusted security partner who could manage both physical and digital security,” says Hilla Group’s CIO and Director of Development, Juha Erkkilä.
Hilla Group has been building one security — a strong combination of digital and physical security — for more than five years. Loihde has been a partner throughout the journey.
“Our discussions showed that we had very similar views with Loihde on building one security. It is important that the partner can, so to speak, play with the same cards.”
According to Erkkilä, One Security is not only a comprehensive set of security services, but also about building company culture and being an essential part of it.
“One Security is a company culture issue. Both management and all personnel need to be involved. For example, we have a group-level corporate security steering group that meets regularly to review the security view and current topics. In addition, personnel regularly participate in cybersecurity training.”
Both Loihde and Hilla Group emphasize the importance of people. This is also reflected in security and its development. Erkkilä notes that while it is, of course, important for technology to be in good order from a security perspective, that alone is not enough.
“Software, hardware, monitoring, and supervision must be at a good level. At the heart of it all, however, are people and the everyday actions each individual takes to promote security. Cyber threats have increased, and phishing messages and other challenges, for example, are now a major issue for information security. This is why we continuously invest in developing people’s cybersecurity skills,” Erkkilä says.
Information security work is guided by Loihde’s digital security model and the related operating platforms and processes.
“We also have our own e-learning platform, as the need to train personnel increased when the global situation took a more concerning turn. Because we operate in the media industry, our firewalls have been probed frequently.”
At Hilla Group, the development of security is guided not only by laws and regulations, but also by the company’s own ambition to do things even better. For example, the NIS2 cybersecurity directive also affects Hilla Group. Erkkilä says it is important to look at security as a whole from a sufficient distance — as if from a helicopter view.
“We consider what aspects of security development we should handle ourselves and where it makes sense to involve a partner. We decided to invest in raising the security culture of the entire group to the right level. Ultimately, this happens through people and through continuous learning, practice, and training.”
The collaboration between Loihde and Hilla Group began more than 15 years ago with firewall and locking solutions. Since then, the cooperation has expanded to include CSOC services, camera and access control, monitoring and maintenance services, as well as network services and connectivity.
Erkkilä appreciates the open collaboration with Loihde. Together, the teams have shared successes and failures, solved problems, and found ways forward through bottlenecks.
“There have been challenges in the cooperation too; that is part of everyday life. I think it is important that discussions are not driven by services or technology, but that we look for solutions together. A key reason why our cooperation with Loihde has deepened is that I feel we are sitting on the same side of the table. Loihde is also a highly competitive service provider.”
Loihde’s Sales Director for Security Solutions, Jarno Karvonen, also praises the smoothness of the collaboration.
“We have good and open cooperation. We always keep cost-effectiveness in mind and consider where it makes sense for the customer to invest. We want to share useful information and build a genuine partnership. Developing security is a long game,” Karvonen describes.
At Loihde, One Security® customer relationships always have one named contact person who can be approached in all matters related to the customer relationship and the services included in it.
“Separately, we also have experts for each service, and these experts are involved in planning and cooperation as needed.”
According to Erkkilä, it is convenient that much of the communication related to services can be handled through Loihde’s own OneManage customer service portal.
“One channel is a convenient thing, as matters can be handled centrally. I also consider our regular face-to-face meetings important, as they help create a broader security view of our needs and cooperation as a whole. If these matters had to be handled with several different partners, the calendar would be quite full,” Erkkilä laughs.