I met Ilmo on January 31st in the year 2000, on my first day at SSH Communications Security. It was the beginning of the new millennium, as well as my career in cybersecurity. I remember Ilmo wearing a three-piece suit and an infectuous smile. It was one of the most memorable encounters in a day that would set the stage for well more than a decade in my life, learning from enthusiastic and smart young people, as we worked to make the Internet more secure for everyone, and gradually gained families along the way.

I continued work with Ilmo as he moved to California to build his life in the US. Along the way we sought out experiences outside of work as well, from raves in San Francisco to sensory deprivation flotation tanks. I remember Ilmo climbing out from his tank after the session, with his senses recalibrated and dashing out into the world to experience it in its extended spectrum, wandering into the fresh produce section of the next-door supermarket to savour the scents that surrounded him.

I also remember his visible, unbridled happiness when he first showed me Hayzell’s photo and described all her capabilities, virtues and achivements.

As my work focused more on the financial institutions on the East Coast and I traveled less to California, I saw Ilmo much more rarely over the years. If you had asked me when I saw him last, I would’ve told you a couple of years ago. I was dismayed to realize that it was on February 23rd 2020, over four years ago, as we took a self-driving car to lunch in Palo Alto, near the original SSH US office. We had made a couple of attempts since, but something in our schedules, or a case of illness (not to mention two years of covid quarantines) got in the way. The last time I was in the Bay Area was in mid-September this year. I was too exhausted from travel (I told myself) and did not reach out to Ilmo (or much anyone else). Some weeks later I learned it would have been my last chance to see him again. I have few regrets in my life, but Ilmo will continue to remind me never to pass over a chance to see an old friend.

I am exceptionally lucky to have made many good friends in my life. The best kind are the ones that teach you a new way to look at the world, or something about yourself, practically every time you meet them. When we sat down for lunch in a Thai restaurant in Palo Alto on that now distant February day, I told Ilmo something that troubled me in the world. Ilmo immediately recommended a book to me, that would help to understand the phenomenon. As I reached back in my mind to that conversation, I realized I had never got the book Ilmo recommended. I have ordered it now – and when it arrives, I will let Ilmo teach me something new about the world one more time.

Thank you Ilmo. I wish I could get more glimpses into the world through your eyes.

Tommi Lampila