Nord Security

CHALLENGE

European company lacked expertise in security standards required to do business in North America

Nord Security, a European company founded in 2012 that created the #1 VPN – NordVPN, had a robust security posture and a high level of knowledge about compliance. While they were certified in standards more commonly used in Europe such as ISO 27001, when expanding to the North American market, they found that these companies required different frameworks– specifically, SOC 2.

According to Sigita Jurkynaitė, Information Security Manager at Nord Security, “We were very mature in information security and compliance with other standards. We just didn’t have the specific knowledge for these frameworks that are specific to the market or the geographical area.”

The Nord Security team was looking for expert help to guide them through the SOC 2 process. 

In addition to an easy-to-use platform, they wanted a partner who could understand their pain points and goals, and provide them a bespoke solution.

Sigita explained, “we were looking for someone to walk us through that unknown territory. A lot of our decision had to do with the human element: someone who understood us and we felt like we could trust.”

SOLUTION

A partnership built on communication and efficiency

The Nord Security team found the compliance partner they were looking for in Thoropass. Their Thoropass Customer Success Manager functioned as part of their team, helping them every step of the way as they prepared for their audit. 

With more than 50 people involved in the compliance process at Nord Security, communication was extremely important. Sigita appreciated the Thoropass team’s friendly and approachable communication style that made her and her team feel at ease. 

Speaking to her experience with the Thoropass team, Sigita explained “their down-to-earth nature really helps us to promote security compliance in our environment. This helped in getting the team involved, motivated and enthusiastic about the process.” 

At the same time, the audit requirements were clear and detailed, which helped her team prioritize and work efficiently. Flexible scheduling and the options to Slack, call, or email made it convenient to collaborate across time zones. During the audit, the Nord Security team and the auditor easily communicated within the Thoropass platform.

RESULTS

A successful SOC 2 audit led to North American customer acquisition and ongoing compliance

Nord Security successfully passed its SOC 2 audit. As a result, it has acquired North American customers and differentiated itself in the market. 

According to Sigita, “we can’t imagine not having SOC 2. We have a huge competitive advantage and is absolutely something that we will continue working on, always.” 

This past summer, Nord Security renewed with Thoropass to help maintain its SOC 2 certification. 

Sigita explained, “we decided to stay with Thoropass for continuity, because everything was already in the platform. We also love that the platform constantly improves. If we have suggestions, we are really listened to.”

LESSONS LEARNED

Finding the right compliance partner pays off

Sigita’s advice to other European startups? Get SOC 2 compliant.

Elaborating on that point, Sigita stated, “if you know that the American market is what you’re going for, then start as early as possible. You’ll regret it later if you don’t.”

While some companies may be able to achieve SOC 2 alone, she doesn’t recommend it.