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Trust is the foundation for secure transactions – both in the analogue and digital world. Ulrich Hamann, CEO of Bundesdruckerei GmbH, talks about the challenges posed by the share economy and solutions for protecting data.
Mr Hamann, the keynote theme of CeBIT 2013 in Hanover is the “Shareconomy” – i.e. pooling data, knowledge and experience via the Internet. Why is this theme so interesting?
Thanks to growing digitisation, we can make processes more efficient, save resources and cut costs – both in business and in our day-to-day lives. One important technology trend in conjunction with the share economy is cloud computing which makes it possible to make data and IT services available via the Internet – almost always and everywhere. The web service Dropbox is a prominent example: this service provides its users with free memory on its servers. The user can access the data from any computer or internet-enabled mobile phone – as can people who have the required access authorisation. When it comes to data security and access control, however, cloud services do pose new challenges.
You are referring to data misuse and industrial espionage. What role does secure identity management have to play in the share economy?
A very important one! According to estimates by the auditing and consulting firm of Ernst & Young, data theft in Germany accounts for economic damage in excess of €20 billion each year. In my opinion, doubt-free proof of identity is the only way to ensure effective protection against fraud in the online world. Secure solutions for electronic identities are needed so that service providers and customers can trust in each other’s identity in the share economy. Bundesdruckerei sees itself as a pioneer here. With our solutions and products, we aim to protect people’s identities and to shape secure transactions and communications on the net.
How is Bundesdruckerei helping to achieve secure ID?
Our full ID management offers everything from a single source: from data capture and management to the production of state-of-the-art documents right through to document verification and the provision of secure infrastructures. The introduction of the new German ID card with its online ID function has been our most important project up to now. This ID card is considered to be the world’s most secure electronic ID card. Thanks to its Internet function, the card has a key role to play in the management of access rights in the online world. In the near future, holders will also be able to use their ID cards to sign documents online. That’s why we developed the sign-me web app which combines all the steps needed and can be easily integrated into the online portals of public authorities and private companies.
How does Bundesdruckerei develop the know-how needed for such innovative projects?
In order to strengthen our position as a leading ID systems supplier, we are permanently expanding our expertise. This includes networked collaboration in interdisciplinary future projects. It goes without saying that we also live the share economy: Bundesdruckerei is working, for instance, with various institutes of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and is participating in a number of projects, some of which are backed by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research. In our determination to promote basic research in our country, we have also established Germany’s first-ever chair for Secure Identity at Berlin’s Freie Universität. Thanks to this outstanding networking and to many years of experience in identity management, Bundesdruckerei is excellently positioned for the development of the share economy.
This interview was published by Bundesruckerei on http://www.bundesdruckerei.de. Photo: Copyright Bundesdruckerei GmbH.