There have been significant changes in public administration: The pandemic in 2020–2021 placed enormous demands on government agencies—and at the same time served as the number one catalyst for digital transformation. States, municipalities, and counties enabled remote and mobile work in record time. But there is still more to be done.
Read about how to develop the digital administration of the future in a secure and user-friendly way.
Key Points at a Glance
- Digitalization is a must for the public sector—but standardizing IT takes years.
- Many government agencies need to act now and require pragmatic solutions rather than in-house developments.
- A mobile workplace is a key factor in the competition for skilled workers.
- BYOD and COPE, combined with container technology, enable secure mobile work—even for VS-NfD data.
- The solution can be procured through the Federal Department Store without a competitive bidding process.
Mandatory Digitalization Program
The Online Access Act (OZG) and IT consolidation efforts by the federal and state governments have established the legal framework for digitization in government agencies. Then, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought public life—and nearly the entire government—to a standstill. A lack of digital strategies, unreliable internet connections, stringent security requirements, and a cumbersome procurement process continue to hinder mobile work to this day. Sending vital data via fax can no longer be the norm. Bitkom and the German Association of Cities and Municipalities put it succinctly: Digitalization is neither a gimmick nor a luxury, but a necessity for the entire public sector.
Opportunity: IT Standardization in Government
The lack of standardization in government IT is to be addressed through a network of portals. To enable citizens to access government services entirely online, more than 7,000 procedures across approximately 60,000 government agencies must be digitized. This monumental task can only be accomplished
- through a networked approach that integrates government IT and enables new, needs-based solutions, and
- with long-term digital strategies—which, so far, only a small number of municipalities have.
Challenge: Speed of Innovation
Long-term roadmaps are necessary and important. However, many IT decision-makers need to meet digital requirements—preferably by tomorrow. They cannot wait for the lengthy IT consolidation process, yet they have hardly any resources for in-house development. This raises two questions:
- How can we adopt or make use of existing solutions—and do so through a streamlined administrative process?
- How can our employees collaborate efficiently without the right technology and tools?
Approach: Bring Your Own Device—But Do It Safely
A pragmatic approach is the use of personal mobile devices, or BYOD. Long common in the private sector, BYOD makes sense in government wherever agency devices cannot be procured quickly enough. The high security requirements for government agencies remain unchanged.
In the 2021 “Government and Administration” Future Panel, participants cited the following benefits of BYOD: greater user-friendliness thanks to using just one smartphone (55 percent), cost savings in procurement and administration (44 percent), and more satisfied employees thanks to using devices they’re familiar with (43 percent).
Cultural and personnel changes are necessary
Public administration is becoming more digital, but the pace is still too slow. The technology is partly in place, but attitudes must also change: working from home is still work, and working on the go is also work. In the Bitkom/DStGB survey, 50 percent of the municipalities surveyed categorically ruled out working from home before the COVID-19 crisis—and 37 percent did so even during the crisis.
“War for Talent” in the Public Sector: The public sector is Germany’s largest employer and faces two challenges:
- Demographic-driven labor shortage: The average age is rising, and a large proportion of civil servants will retire by 2030.
- IT Skills Shortage: Qualified IT professionals—as well as young professionals just starting out—expect a modern, mobile workplace.
That is precisely where the greatest opportunity lies for government agencies.
Opportunities: The Mobile Digital Workplace
Remote work ensures that the government can remain operational at all times and stay in touch with citizens. Government agencies with flexible work models are significantly more attractive to young professionals and to employees with children or family members who require care. At the same time, the government can collaborate more quickly and efficiently—for example, through messaging apps and shared documents.
Challenges: Professional Competence and Cybersecurity
Today, IT is crucial to the functioning of government—and as a result, its vulnerability is also increasing. Hybrid infrastructures consisting of paper-based processes, on-premises systems, and the cloud add to the complexity. As government work becomes more mobile, it also becomes more vulnerable to data breaches and cyberattacks.
The “Government & Administration 2021” Future Panel highlights the need for action: 76 percent see an urgent need for mandatory, cross-agency cybersecurity standards. Only 31 percent believe the public sector is adequately protected, and only 23 percent have sufficiently raised their employees’ awareness of the issue.
Approach: Use BSI-approved tools. IT administrators and security officers should have a say in the procurement process. Solutions for mobile devices approved by the BSI eliminate the need for in-house development and provide data protection right out of the box—whether for BYOD or COPE.
Mobile Work Until VS-NfD Is Implemented in Your Agency:
Discover our solutions for the public sector.
BYOD and COPE as Approaches to Digital Governance
- Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): Employees use personal devices and software for work purposes.
- Corporate-Owned, Personally-Enabled (COPE): Employees are allowed to use work devices for personal purposes—and don’t need a second device when they’re on the go.
Since the GDPR took effect in May 2018, government agencies have also been required to strictly separate personal and work-related data, encrypt it, and comply with technical standards. Security vulnerabilities typically arise from shadow IT—that is, unverified devices and software.
Effective solutions are based on container technology. A container solution isolates government data, emails, phone calls, messaging apps, and documents within an encrypted environment—regardless of the operating system’s security. No access to private apps is possible from within the container, and a gateway encrypts the data transmission. Integrated, encrypted messaging is increasingly replacing email as a faster tool for work.
SecurePIM Government: Everything Secure in One App
SecurePIM Government isolates emails, contacts, calendars, notes, tasks, documents, intranet access, and messaging on iOS and Android devices within an encrypted container. Materna Virtual Solution developed all security-related components in-house—security “Made in Germany.”
- Intuitive to use: The interface is modeled after iOS and Android, so employees can be productive right away.
- Self-service deployment: Download from the App Store or Google Play; no MDM profile required.
- Full control for IT: Manage security rules and users centrally in the SecurePIM Management Portal.
- Up to VS-NfD: SecurePIM Government is based on the same technology as SecurePIM Government SDS, the VS-NfD solution approved by the BSI for iOS and authorized for Android.
Materna Virtual Solution also offers WorkSPACE for iPhone and iPad on the indigo government platform.
IT Procurement Directly Through the Federal Government’s Online Store
Materna Virtual Solution has a framework agreement with the Federal Procurement Office and is listed in the Federal Government’s Procurement Portal (KdB). The federal and state governments procure these secure mobile communication solutions without a competitive bidding process under framework agreement number 52281. Counties, cities, and municipalities procure these solutions through partners and municipal procurement associations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can government agencies work securely on the go?
With a BSI-approved container solution that encrypts work data and keeps it separate from personal data—on both work and personal devices.
Is BYOD allowed in government agencies?
Yes, provided that the security requirements are met and personal and work-related data are technically separated.
How do government agencies procure SecurePIM without a competitive bidding process?
The federal government and the states through the Federal Department Store (Framework Agreement 52281); municipalities through partners and municipal procurement associations.
Further information:
White Paper: Implementing BYOD Models Simply and Securely
Webinar: Secure Ultra-Mobile Work for Municipalities and State Agencies
Contact us
Do you have questions about our solutions? Do you want an individual live demo? Or an offer right away? We will get back to you immediately by phone or e-mail.