Internet
Federal administration awards major contract to Ionos
The Federal Information Technology Center is a central service facility of the German federal administration that is responsible for the provision and operation of IT services (symbolic image). photo
© Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
Cloud solutions often come from US providers such as AWS, Microsoft and Google. The federal government has now awarded a major contract to a provider from Germany to manage particularly sensitive data.
The “private enterprise cloud” for the federal government, which was certified by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), among others, is to be operated in the data centers of the Federal Information Technology Center (ITZBund).
What’s special about the Ionos solution is that this platform is not connected to the public internet. This uses a concept known as “air gapping”. This makes it almost impossible for outsiders to access sensitive information. With “air gapping,” the computers are separated from the networks and the data traffic for software updates is then handled, for example, using portable storage media.
A complex requirement
Users in the administration access the “private cloud” via shielded and secured federal data networks. The federal government’s IT applications include over 1,000 specialist administrative procedures, including the points account of the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg (“Driving Suitability Register”) or the calculation and payment of benefits in accordance with the Federal Training Assistance Act.
“Offering such a platform as an air-gapped solution outside of your own data centers is a complex requirement that only a few providers can meet,” said Ionos CEO Achim Weiß. The solution not only meets the high security requirements, but also represents an important step towards digital and efficient administration.
The Federal Information Technology Center is a central service facility of the German federal administration that is responsible for the provision and operation of IT services. As an institution under public law, the ITZBund is intended to increase the efficiency and security of information technology within the federal administration and promote the digitalization of the administration.
The order from the North Rhine-Westphalia State Office for Information and Technology (IT.NRW) has a volume of 8.4 million euros and a term of four years. The implementation of a multi-cloud strategy for North Rhine-Westphalia will lead to a more efficient provision of government services, said State Digital Minister Ina Scharrenbach (CDU).