TeleSign helps secure more than four billion end-user accounts for the world’s largest brands
Today, just about everyone has one or more usernames and passwords to protect a wide variety of online accounts, from banking to social media and more. Despite their ubiquity, passwords are failing us. Some 70 per cent of consumers no longer trust passwords to adequately protect their online accounts, while 68 per cent want companies to provide them with an extra layer of security (as per TeleSign’s 2015 Consumer Account Security Report).
TeleSign, which is headquartered in Marina Del Rey, California, has a significant presence in Belgrade and is leading the way in developing the next generation of account security. Twenty of the top 25 global internet brands use TeleSign products to protect their users and, in total, TeleSign helps secure more than four billion end-user accounts for its customers around the world today.
We sat down with Mr Nenad Vučinić, General Manager of TeleSign Belgrade, to talk about the history of the company, its presence in Belgrade, and its vision for the future.
How long has TeleSign operated in Belgrade and which job functions are there?
– TeleSign opened its Belgrade office in 2012, with about 20 employees. Today we have grown to encompass more than 150 employees spanning all departments across the entire organizational structure. From engineering to marketing, knowledge engineering to technical support and more, our office features a diverse range of talent.
As we continue to look for talented individuals with strong educational and work backgrounds to become part of TeleSign, we believe the combination of our attractive international work environment, competitive compensation package and exciting company culture are the keys to attracting top talent.
What are the biggest challenges facing the account security industry?
– As the growth in data breaches over the last several years has shown, cybercrime is a rapidly growing industry. According to one study from IBM (2015 Cost of Data Breach Study: Global Analysis), the average total cost of a data breach rose 23 per cent to a whopping $3.79 million from 2014 to 2015.
TeleSign opened its Belgrade office in 2012, with about 20 employees. Today we have grown to encompass more than 150 employees that span all departments across the entire organizational structure
Beyond financial implications, however, these breaches have also led to a rise in stolen account credentials and more account takeovers around the world. Despite this increased threat, many people are still not using available security features, such as two-factor authentication, which can be used to protect users even when their account credentials are stolen.
The 2016 Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report concluded that 63 per cent of confirmed data breaches were a result of weak, default or stolen passwords, an issue that can be drastically improved by TeleSign’s services.
Where are you seeing innovation in this area of security?
– We believe the future of online account security lies in a layered security approach that balances security with seamless user experience. The best way to accomplish this is through the use of mobile devices and phone numbers, which are unique to every user in the world. To accomplish this vision, we have developed new products like TeleSign Auto Verify, which seamlessly verifies users through their phone number in the background, while they are registering for a mobile app. Not only does this reduce friction for users and thus increase registrations, but it also reduces costs for our customers over SMS-based verification alone.
Why do customers choose TeleSign?
– Customers turn to TeleSign for our complete account security and fraud expertise. Thanks to our proprietary data and analytics products, innovative fraud solutions, and experience protecting users of some of the world’s largest internet brands, we are able to provide our clients with the best solutions to stop fraud at the most important points.
Our highly experienced team is passionate about customer success and is well-versed in online security work with our clients to ensure they can provide their users with a seamless and secure experience built around tested and proven account security best practices.
Beyond our expertise and customer service, customers come to TeleSign thanks to our robust global network. We operate in more than 200 countries and territories across 87 different languages, making us a unique global security partner in the modern era.