With the 13th annual Meffys opening for entries on September 1st, we are taking a look at some of last year’s winners to find out what the accolade meant to them and what they’ve been up to since they celebrated their win.
This week, we speak to F-Secure and Executive Vice President, Kristian Järnefelt, 2015’s winner of the Consumer Trust award.
What did you win the Meffy for?
F-Secure Freedome, a personal VPN that protects your privacy online, keeps data trackers at arm’s length and lets you access online services from wherever you are.
It’s the perfect security app when you use public WiFi or when you want to change your virtual location so that you won’t see the text “this video/service/website is unavailable in your country” again.
Why do you think the judges picked your entry?
Simplicity. VPNs are nothing new and tech savvy users know how to stay private online or circumvent geo-blocking. But F-Secure Freedome gets you all this and more by pushing only one button. On the ease of use also PC Advisor said that “The program is ridiculously easy to set up”.
What has F-Secure been up to since winning last year?
We have been further driving for consumer trust in an ever complex connected world. What’s the use of being connected to everything if our data, our identities and our transactions aren’t secure? That’s why we have been working on providing 360 cyber security solutions for everyone.
What are your plans for the year ahead?
We are looking into making cyber security simple and easy-to-use for everyone. That’s why we have been working on a new product, a security Wi-Fi router and mobile app to secure your smart home with one device. F-Secure Sense will launch in winter and provide privacy and security both at home and on the go. It creates a secure network for all of your connected devices to monitor and protect them through one simple interface.
Apart from your own, which mobile company, sector or region is most exciting to you right now and why?
The Internet of Things is clearly one of the most exciting trends happening right now. However, experts say that the success will be determined also by how the industry will solve privacy and security issues raising with the trend. Mobile operators are having a crucial role in connecting new devices and services to the IoT and their expertise in dealing with customer data, protecting networks and regulatory compliance will surely guide the market.
Samu Konttinen, CEO of F-Secure at the 12th annual Meffys
Kristian Järnefelt
EVP Consumer Security
F-Secure
That means that they need to have SMS connectivity in different countries with different requirements for professional SMS messaging, provided by local companies at different terms.
Which mobile industry figure do you most admire or think is making game changing impact on the industry?
That’s a tough one, but probably Edward Snowden as his brave revelations about NSA’s surveillance made both consumers and the industry change the way they think and deal with data privacy.
Meffys 2016 is open now! Visit Meffys.com to submit your entry, deadline, October 1st
