The city of Straubing equips 275 professionals with a secure tool for data exchange

The Challenge

Secure Data Exchange – Even for Sensitive Information

For administrative staff working on PCs, secure digital data exchange is becoming increasingly important. A large portion of the data is personal and highly sensitive, requiring strict protection. "Data transfer is inherently a security risk," says Stefan Boiger, Deputy Head of the Office for Information and Communication Technology in the City of Straubing. For this reason, physical data carriers such as USB sticks, CDs, and DVDs are strictly prohibited.

The IT department initially provided three different solutions for secure data transfer, each complementing the others in functionality, including features like mobile cloud access. However, in the long run, this combination proved inefficient for both users and IT support. "Even after the rollout, we received almost daily support requests for password resets and minor usability issues," Boiger recalls. Additionally, these solutions were never fully adopted by all professionals across the administration.

"Data transfer is inherently a security risk."
— Stefan Boiger, Office for Information and Communication Technology

The Solution

User-Friendly and Secure

The requirements for the new software were clear: ease of use without compromising security was the top priority for end users. From a technical perspective, the solution also needed to be fully integrated into Outlook, support end-to-end encryption, and enable single sign-on (SSO) to eliminate one of the key issues with previous solutions. "It was important to us that users had to enter as few credentials as possible," explains Stefan Boiger.

During the selection process, FTAPI impressed both technically and functionally. "Our contact at FTAPI pinpointed our pain points without us having to spell them out. That was a clear sign we were on the right track. The simplicity—whether in automatic key exchange or usability—was something we hadn’t seen elsewhere," Boiger adds.

The Result

How the City of Straubing Uses FTAPI

After a highly successful internal test phase within the IT department, the City of Straubing decided to implement FTAPI SecuMails and FTAPI SecuRooms, gradually replacing the existing solutions.

The rollout began with 275 licences for administrative staff with the highest need. Feedback from departments came quickly: "Colleagues immediately noticed the intuitive usability, especially of FTAPI SecuMails," reports Stefan Boiger. FTAPI solutions are now widely used both internally and externally across the city administration, facilitating communication with service providers, citizens, and other authorities.

Many administrative professionals have integrated their individual SubmitBox into their email signatures, providing external contacts with a secure and direct way to communicate digitally. "Encryption is generally a complex topic—FTAPI has simplified it beautifully," says Boiger.

FTAPI SecuRooms have proven particularly useful in urban planning, enabling secure plan exchanges with architects. "We are even considering using FTAPI SecuRooms as an alternative to larger project management platforms," he adds.