How Nokian Tyres found a cybersecurity partner it could trust

For Nokian Tyres, choosing Barracuda was about more than email protection — it was about trust, visibility, and long-term cybersecurity confidence.

Key takeaways

• Nokian Tyres strengthened its email security posture with Barracuda Email Protection, helping defend against phishing, impersonation and account takeover attacks.
• The company chose Barracuda based on proven technology, ease of management and an existing foundation of trust.
• Strong security tools matter, but trusted vendor relationships are equally important for lean IT and security teams.
• Barracuda’s layered approach helped Nokian Tyres improve visibility, confidence and operational efficiency.
• In the full case study, you’ll also learn why Nokian Tyres expanded its security strategy with Barracuda Managed XDR and Entra ID Backup.

Trust matters as much as security technology

When you’re responsible for protecting a global business, cybersecurity decisions are rarely based on features alone. Security leaders need confidence that their tools will work as promised, that they can respond quickly to threats and that their technology partners will be there when challenges arise.

That was the situation facing Aki Kemppi, Director of IT Operations at Nokian Tyres. As he evaluated the company’s security environment, he recognized a need for better visibility into threats and greater confidence in the organization’s ability to respond.

As Nokian Tyres looked for ways to strengthen its defenses, Barracuda emerged as a natural choice. Kemppi had worked with Barracuda solutions in previous roles and already understood the company’s approach to cybersecurity. That familiarity helped establish a foundation of trust that ultimately became one of the most important factors in the decision-making process.

“I had full trust that Barracuda would work for us,” he says.

Strengthening defenses with better email security

Email remains one of the most common entry points for cyberattacks. Phishing attempts, business email compromise (BEC), impersonation attacks, and account takeover campaigns continue to challenge organizations across every industry.

For Nokian Tyres, maintaining effective protection against these threats was a critical requirement. As the company adjusted its Microsoft licensing strategy, it needed a solution that would preserve strong email security while providing the flexibility and value the business required.

Barracuda Email Protection delivered a combination of advanced threat detection, layered defenses and straightforward management. The platform helps identify and block suspicious messages before they reach users’ inboxes while giving security teams better visibility into potential threats.

Just as important, the solution adds an extra layer of protection for employees when mistakes happen.

“Awareness training is important. But when you make a mistake, it’s an even better feeling when you know that somebody like Barracuda has got your back,” says Kemppi.

For organizations facing increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks, that additional safety net can make a big difference.

Building confidence through partnership

Technology was only part of the equation for Nokian Tyres. The company was also looking for a vendor that could serve as a long-term security partner.

Many organizations struggle with growing security complexity, limited staff resources and increasing threat volumes. In those environments, having a trusted advisor can be just as valuable as having the right technology.

Barracuda helped Nokian Tyres simplify daily operations while providing visibility that supported security investigations, compliance efforts and executive communications. Over time, the relationship evolved beyond individual products and became an important component of the company’s broader cybersecurity strategy.

The result was a stronger sense of confidence across the organization and greater trust in its ability to identify, understand and respond to threats.

A broader security strategy

Email security was the starting point, but it was not the end of the journey.

As you will discover in the full case study, Nokian Tyres expanded its relationship with Barracuda to address additional security priorities, including managed detection and response and protection for critical Microsoft Entra ID environments. Kemppi shares why the company selected Barracuda Managed XDR and how additional layers of protection fit into its long-term security strategy.

If you’re evaluating ways to improve email security while reducing the burden on your IT team, the Nokian Tyres story offers practical insights into what organizations should look for in both a security platform and a cybersecurity partner.