press releases

Bavarian CIO Franz Josef Pschierer visits secunet at the Moderner Staat trade fair

[Berlin, October 27, 2010] The IT representative of the Bavarian government, Franz Josef Pschierer, visited secunet today at the Moderner Staat specialist trade fair in Berlin. Mr. Pschierer found out about the authentication solution that will be used for the Bavarian employee portal in the future and tested the prototypes on-site.

"In Germany, Bavaria is assuming a pioneering role when it comes to e-government and related IT security," explained Torsten Henn, head of the Government business unit at secunet, to Mr. Pschierer. "e-government portals can only be made secure using strong authentication. The solution used for the employee portal of the Free State of Bavaria is based on proven technology that has been successfully integrated in the ELSTER electronic tax return system for many years now."

The Free State of Bavaria plans to set up a portal for its employees that allows them to access confidential personal data – their pay slips, for example – securely online. Bavaria's employees and civil servants should be able to access the data from the closed and secure Bavarian government network as well as from outside. According to the specifications, external access must be connected using strong authentication.

To comply with security requirements, the Bavarian CIO administrative department has decided to fall back on the proven IT security platform based on ELSTER technology. Thanks to their experience with the ELSTER project, secunet and mgm Technology Partners were commissioned with the development of the authentication solution for the employee portal. The authentication service ensures that employees will be able to use the portal to communicate securely with their employer in the future about personnel matters such as applying for vacation or benefits. The solution can also be used as the basic security component in the future throughout the Bavarian regional government authority.