Finnish technology company Insta and telecoms provider Telia say they have signed a partnership agreement to jointly offer services aimed at organisations that process classified information, including public authorities, defence organisations and critical infrastructure operators in Finland and other NATO member countries.
According to the companies, the joint service combines data centre environments for classified information, secure communications and controlled data transfer between different security domains. They said the offering is intended to support the processing and protection of classified information across an organisation’s operating environment.
The companies said the arrangement builds on an existing working relationship and is designed so that “the secure physical environment and the solutions required to protect and transfer classified information are designed to work together.”
The service combines Telia’s secure network connections and data centre services for classified information with Insta’s high-security VPN and Cross Domain Guard services. Insta said its VPN service is based on its Insta SafeLink technology, which it said has been developed in Finland, approved by Finnish authorities and used in security-critical environments.
Insta said the technology is approved for protecting information classified at Finnish security classification levels TL IV, TL III and TL II, as well as NATO RESTRICTED and EU RESTRICTED information. The company also said its Cross Domain Guard product has been approved by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom’s National Cyber Security Centre for use up to Finnish security classification level TLII (SECRET).
“Protecting classified information requires the physical environment, communications and data transfer between different security domains to form a controlled entity. By working with Telia, we can combine the strong expertise of both companies and offer customers a service that meets the requirements of security-critical operating environments. The partnership also puts us in a strong position to serve demanding customers outside Finland,” says Marko Hautakangas, Vice President, Cyber Security, Insta Advance Oy.
“The role of digital services and data is growing rapidly, including in critical operations. It is therefore increasingly important to consider not only the security of networks and connections but also how information is stored and processed across the entire digital environment. Together with Insta, we can offer customers processing critical information a comprehensive solution that protects their data throughout the environment,” says Jari Collin, Head of Customer Segment Defence, Telia.
The announcement comes as governments and critical infrastructure operators face tighter controls on how classified information is stored, processed and transferred, with the companies pointing to growing requirements around location, control, availability and secure transfer across a system’s lifecycle.
Insta and Telia said the service is built on technologies “developed and managed in Europe”, and that they plan to continue developing it based on customer requirements and operational needs.
