Versasec Kickoff 2026: Trusting the Plan and Securing the Future in Riga

Date: 2026-07-15
Author: Yvonne Moebius, HR Manager

As a leader in identity and access management, coming together in person allows us to synchronize our vision for the future of our industry. Set against the rich cultural backdrop of Latvia, our agenda tackled the evolving cybersecurity landscape, internal operational excellence, and the aggressive growth goals that will define our trajectory this year.

Strategic Vision: “Trust The Plan”

The overarching theme of the week was clear and resolute: “Trust The Plan.” Spearheaded by our CEO, Joakim Thorén, this initiative serves as our strategic north star as we aggressively scale to achieve our ambitious growth targets. The kickoff reinforced that their achievements require more than just great technology; they require unified execution, operational optimization, and unwavering focus.

Future-Proofing vSEC:CMS: Cryptographic Agility & UI Evolution

At the core of Versasec is our commitment to providing secure, user-centric credential management. Our technical sessions zeroed in on two critical pillars for the upcoming vSEC:CMS 7.5 release:

• Post-Quantum Readiness: As the threat of quantum computing looms over legacy encryption, we are actively transitioning our product suite to support Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) standards. Deep-dive sessions on integrating ML-KEM and ML-DSA highlighted our commitment to cryptographic agility and keeping our customers secure against tomorrow’s threats.
• An Updated User Experience: Security must go hand-in-hand with usability; and we believe great security should also be easy to use. Our “UI Evolution” means we’re using better design tools to make the experience much smoother for the people who manage our systems every day. 

Operational Excellence: Smart IT & CI/CD

To build world-class security products, our internal operations must be equally robust. Kickoff 2026 highlighted our internal drive for efficiency:

• “Smart IT” Initiative: We are taking our own advice and unifying our internal access management. By phasing out fragmented identities in favor of a unified, smartcard-based access system integrated with Microsoft Entra ID, we are enhancing both our employee experience and our internal security posture.
• Pipeline Automation: To ensure faster feedback loops and highly reliable software releases, we are overhauling our CI/CD pipeline. Transitioning from manual, sequential builds to automated, parallel execution within GitLab will allow our engineering teams to innovate faster without sacrificing quality.

The Best Part: Our Time Together

A company is only as strong as the people behind it. Beyond the boardroom, the Riga kickoff was an opportunity to celebrate the Versasec team, spending time together, sharing laughs, memories, and immersing ourselves in local culture.

Through collaborative “Speed Hackathons,” cross-functional teams tackled complex problem-solving simulations. We also took time to recognize outstanding individual contributions during our PR Awards, celebrating the team members who consistently go above and beyond.

Our time in Latvia was capped off with unforgettable cultural experiences. Whether we were exploring the history of cryptography, walking Riga’s historic landmarks, or trying Black Balsam for the first time, those memories are what we’ll take home with us. The medieval feast at Rozengrals was a blast, and our fine dining experience at 3 Pavāru Restorāns was the perfect way to close out another memorable Kickoff.

Looking Ahead

Kickoff 2026 was a resounding success, and I’m feeling so proud of this team! We left Riga energized, strategically aligned, and technologically prepared for the road ahead. With an updated roadmap, a focus on post-quantum security, and a deeply connected team, we are ready for a landmark year.

We have the strategy. We have the technology. Now, we Trust The Plan.