About Methics
Methics Oy, established in 2002, is a technology company headquartered in Finland. Methics is specialized in developing mobile subscriber management and mobile authentication products. Methics is known for providing secure and innovative software products of digital identity based on open standards and mobile PKI services.
Methics excels in tailoring their solutions to precisely match the demands of digital signature, consent, and authentication for users. Methics current priority lies in eIDAS 2.0, related standards and High Level-of-Assurance, demonstrating a forward-thinking approach to cutting-edge technologies. In line with this, Methics strive to deliver a cost-effective, secure, and scalable infrastructure for identity through Mobile PKI. This strategic emphasis enables organizations to enhance security, streamline processes, and foster a seamless user experience, making Methics a trusted partner in the digital security landscape.
The executive team is led by Stefan Engel-Flechsig as the Chairman of the Board and Jarmo Miettinen as the Founder & CEO.
History and timeline
Since its beginning in 2002, Methics has been delivering standard based technology. Our core technology offering is based on ETSI standards published 2003 and IETF PKIX standard RFC 3280 published 2002. As a pioneer in mobile signature service technologies, Methics was the first company in the world to launch a product (the Kiuru MSSP 1.0) based on these standards. Below are some of the milestones we have achieved over the last 21 years.
In 2005, TeliaSonera and DNA performed the world first successful mobile signature roaming between their mobile signature service provider (MSSP) platforms based on the Kiuru MSSP 2.0 platform developed by Methics Oy. On account of roaming, service providers and mobile subscribers can use their certificate services seamlessly between DNA’s and Sonera’s mobile networks. All three major Finnish mobile operators – DNA, Elisa and TeliaSonera – started to offer mobile identification and mobile signature services to their users 2011, based on a jointly implemented mobile signature service roaming. Interoperability is based on open standards, which means a customer of one operator can authenticate to a service in another operator’s network. Operators commonly published statement was that “Methics helped us achieve interoperability and implement the service. End users may visit a point of sales or do self-registration using bank ids”. Methics delivered the Kiuru MSSP 4.0 platform to DNA. Major new upgrades in the 4.0 platform included new high performance integrated RFC5280 certificate validator with both CRL and OCSP support, interoperability with several other MSSP vendors and built-in registration processes and highly rigorous mobile user life-cycle management. Similarly, Methics delivered Kiuru 4.0 MSSP platform and Alauda applet for Mobile ID service in Switzerland 2012.
The solution was awarded a Special Award at the European Identity Awards 2012, for Mobile Security, for secure and easy authentication using the mobile phone with minimal impact on hardware based on ETSI Mobile Signature Standard. Swisscom launched their service 2013 for consumers and Sunrise and Salt started their services afterwards 2014 and 2018 using the Kiuru 5.0 MSSP platform, which has now been upgraded to Kiuru 6.0.
Morpho (now IDEMIA), a global leader in identity and security solutions, announced 2015 that its GSMA Mobile Connect-compliant solution is now available for deployment, as part of its wider Mobile ID portfolio. The service is based on Methics Kiuru 5.0 MSSP technology. Morpho has supported the GSMA Mobile Connect initiative since its inception, which will solve the issue of remembering an ever increasing number of usernames and passwords by providing a single, trusted, secure and convenient mobile phone-based authentication solution that respects online privacy.
Methics announced the Mobile ID Standard solution in Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, 2017 – a ready-made, complete and easy-to-deploy solution for Mobile Signature Services. The MIDS combines Methics’ robust Kiuru 5.0 MSSP platform and a built-in SCP80 OTA with the well proven Alauda P38 applet for SIM cards compliant with all common Java Card versions.
In 2018, Methics launched Kiuru 5.0 compliance with CAdES; PadES, and XAdES standards as defined in the eIDAS regulation which enhances and repeals the Electronic Signatures Directive 1999/93/EC. To support spreading best practices in digital signatures, Methics launched the Kiuru KDSS platform for its customers for easy cost-efficient way to sign documents.
At the end of 2019 Methics integrated smartphone offering with the Kiuru 5.0 MSSP. New offering consists of new front-end Kiuru AFE and back-end Kiuru SAM servers. Kiuru AFE communicates with the smartphone directly or via Google/Apple notification services and can be scale-up to millions of simultaneous users. Kiuru SAM is compliant with the EU’s eIDAS regulation and CEN EN 419241-2 protection profile.
In 2021 Methics released upgrade to Kiuru MSSP 6, Alauda PBY 2.0 and Alauda P38 2.0: This update improved Kiuru and Alauda performanc. Methics became the only solution provider in the world to offer Mobile Identity over SIM, eSIM and App. This achievement which allowed Methics to offer multiple digital identities per user on one device from remote and local key stores, and smartphone app keystores etc.
In 2023, Kiuru MSSP won major recognition in Future Digital Awards, which declared Methics’ offering as ‘Best Mobile Authentication Solution’. As currently Kiuru MSSP 6.0 is deployed in all customer sites, it orchestrates services like Mobile ID, eIDAS QTSP, strong authentication, and high LoA digital signatures.