Security is an investment in the future – How Visma Sign ensures reliability and protection

Summary:
In this article Riku Tarkiainen, Visma Solutions’ Director of Security and Data Protection, outlines how Visma Sign ensures strong security, reliability and continuous service availability for organisations using e-signing and digital archiving.

Key points

• All partners go through a strict Vendor Management process to meet security and privacy requirements.
• Visma Sign is part of the Visma Application Security Program, which continuously monitors and assesses cloud security.
• Security is built in from the start: encrypted document storage and strong authentication across the Nordics.
• Ongoing development improves reliability, even when updates are invisible to users.
• Companies use Visma Sign’s web forms for secure processes such as KYC and GDPR identity verification.
• Visma prepares for risks like cyber threats and power disruptions to ensure uninterrupted service.

Organisations increasingly store their critical documents digitally. E-signing and digital archiving save time, money and space – and, in many cases, documents are even more secure in a digital archive than in a filing cabinet.

At Visma Sign, trust is at the heart of our business. Our customers expect their systems to work securely and reliably at all times, and it is our responsibility to ensure that. Although the Visma Group consists of more than 200 independent companies, we share a unified, fundamental belief: our customers’ data must always be protected.

Visma’s own security programme

To support this, Visma has developed the Visma Security Program, a group-wide framework used by most Visma companies to ensure strong security across their products.

All Visma Solutions products, including Visma Sign, are part of the Visma Application Security Program (VASP) – a specialised security monitoring and assessment programme designed for cloud services. Security is reviewed from multiple perspectives, giving each product:

• a defined security target level
• and a real-time assessment of the current security posture

The programme is based on industry best practices and widely recognised security standards.

Secure and reliable Visma Sign

We develop our services continuously – not only by adding new features, but also by improving security and reliability behind the scenes.
Much of this work is invisible to users, yet essential to ensuring a stable and trusted experience.

In some cases, improvements are visible to customers as more secure versions of existing features or entirely new enhancements designed to strengthen protection.

From day one, Visma Sign has been built with strong security principles:

• documents are stored encrypted
• e-signing supports strong authentication
• and the service architecture is designed for long-term resilience

Visma Sign now supports strong authentication not only in Finland but also for users in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands – making secure e-signing widely accessible across the Nordics.

Versatile protection in practice

Many organisations also use Visma Sign’s features to design additional security around their own processes.
Some of the most impressive examples come from customers who use Visma Sign in innovative ways to strengthen internal controls.

For instance, many companies use Visma Sign web forms as part of their KYC processes or to validate the identity of individuals submitting GDPR-related requests. This helps ensure that sensitive information is handled safely and correctly.

Over the past year, we have also closely monitored global developments and carried out targeted preparations relating to cyber threats. The goal is simple: Visma Sign must remain available and secure in every situation.

Preparing for disruptions – including potential power shortages

Possible electricity shortages have been widely discussed in the Nordic region.
We have been preparing for such scenarios for a long time, ensuring that Visma Sign and our customer services remain available even during unexpected disruptions.

This preparation includes:

• close cooperation with our data centre partners
• internal contingency planning
• and readiness to offer customer support even during power interruptions

Our partners follow the same high security standards

To deliver reliable services, Visma also relies on trusted partners – both domestic and international. These include data centre providers, whose expertise is crucial for ensuring service continuity.

All partners go through Visma’s Vendor Management process, which assesses:

• their security and privacy capabilities
• their readiness to meet required standards
• and even their environmental and sustainability practices

Every one of these actions contributes to the same goal: to provide our customers with the secure, dependable services they expect – and deserve.

Riku Tarkiainen is information security and data protection specialist, with a strong background in IT management and cybersecurity. As a member of Visma Solutions’ management team, he is responsible for ensuring that the company’s products are secure and fully compliant with applicable legislation. For Riku, cybersecurity isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life.