Digital Souverignty in German Public Administration: Why Independent IT is Crucial
Public administration in Germany is facing a crucial challenge: How can it regain its digital sovereignty and make itself less dependent on IT providers from outside Europe? In this article, we examine the risks of so-called lock-in effects, show strategies for strengthening digital independence and explain why Beta Systems is a reliable partner for the public sector striving for digital sovereignty.
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Regaining Digital Sovereignty
Public administration in Germany is facing one of the greatest challenges of the digital era: regaining its digital sovereignty and ensuring its independence. For decades, public administration organizations have relied on IT solutions from international providers – with significant consequences.
Dependency on large technology providers, so-called lock-in effects, threaten control over critical administrative processes and can cause significant financial and technical expenses, since switching to alternative solutions often involves high migration costs.
Current initiatives in Germany, such as the strategy to strengthen digital sovereignty for the IT of public administration at the federal level, as well as EU-wide projects such as GAIA-X, underscore the urgency of this topic. The most important milestones of this digital sovereignty movement include:
Establishment of the Center for Digital Sovereignty (ZenDiS GmbH) in December 2022
Start of the implementation of the German Administration Cloud (DVC) in July 2023
Adoption of the amendment to the law on the preferential use of open source software by the German federal government in July 2024
But what exactly does digital sovereignty mean and how can public institutions make themselves independent?
Definition: What Is Digital Sovereignty?
Digital sovereignty means that administrations and IT service providers retain full control over their digital infrastructures, software solutions and data. They should be able to decide independently which technologies they use, without relying on providers that are outside their area of influence.
Why is this important?
Data protection & security: Sensitive administrative data must be protected by strict data protection guidelines such as the GDPR and BSI standards and processed in trusted IT environments.
Avoiding dependencies: Proprietary solutions tie administrations to specific manufacturers in the long term and make it difficult to switch to alternative systems.
Flexibility & innovation: In-house developments and open-source solutions enable a more adaptable and future-proof IT infrastructure.
Strengthening regional IT businesses: The use of European and German IT solutions promotes local companies and reduces technological dependencies on non-European providers.
Benefits of Choosing Regional IT Suppliers
Studies show that Germany is highly dependent on IT services from the US and China. According to a Bitkom analysis on digital sovereignty, 81% of German companies source digital technologies from the US, and 79% are dependent on China. This dependency is particularly evident in cloud services, software solutions and hardware components such as chips and server infrastructures.
Why regional IT solutions are the better choice:
Tailor-made solutions based on regional expertise: Regional know-how enables companies to receive IT solutions that are specifically tailored to local requirements and regulatory requirements.
Highest data protection standards: Regional providers are subject to European data protection laws such as the GDPR, ensuring maximum security for sensitive company and government data.
Control over updates & further development: With regional partners, companies and authorities retain direct influence over product development, support and updates without being dependent on the business decisions of global corporations.
By consciously choosing IT solutions from Europe, as offered by Beta Systems, companies ensure their digital sovereignty, optimize their IT strategy and remain competitive in the long term.
Strategies for Strengthening Digital Sovereignty in the Public Sector
How can public authorities and municipal IT service providers strengthen their digital independence?
Promoting German and European IT Solutions
To strengthen digital sovereignty, public administrations should prioritize the use of software solutions from Germany or other European countries. This not only promotes the domestic economy but also supports compliance with high data protection standards.
Modularity and Open Interfaces
IT systems should be designed to have interchangeable components. Open interfaces (APIs) make it easier to integrate new applications and prevent dependence on a single provider.
Independent Operation of IT Infrastructures
Instead of relying exclusively on cloud providers from the US, municipalities and public administrations should consider operating their own data centers or use European cloud initiatives such as GAIA-X.
Clear Legal Requirements for Digital Sovereignty
Procurement laws should be adapted to favor IT solutions that guarantee digital sovereignty. This means, for example:
Requirements for data sovereignty and storage locations
Mandatory interoperability for more flexibility
Beta Systems: A Strong Partner for Strengthening Digital Independence
Digital sovereignty is not an abstract vision of the future, but a necessity for public administration in Germany. To ensure independence, security and innovation, reliable IT solutions developed in Germany and other European countries are needed.
Beta Systems is a leading independent software manufacturer based in Germany and a trusted partner for public authorities and municipal IT service providers. As a member of the TeleTrusT IT Security Association (German: Bundesverband IT-Sicherheit e.V.), Beta Systems is committed to the highest security standards and develops innovative software solutions for workload automation and IT security. With ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certifications, the company guarantees tested quality and compliance with data protection regulations.
From workload automation with ANOW! to efficient Identity Access Management with Garancy: Beta Systems’ product portfolio offers tailored IT solutions for public administration to ensure digital sovereignty. While ANOW! enables the secure and efficient automation of IT processes, Garancy ensures the precise management and monitoring of access rights in sensitive IT infrastructures.
These and other solutions from Beta Systems help public authorities to meet the highest security standards while also making their IT environment adaptable and independent.
Act Now to Ensure Digital Independence
Public administration in Germany must act now to strengthen its digital autonomy. The targeted use of open-source software, European IT solutions and sovereign cloud alternatives can pave the way to a self-determined digital future.
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