03/16/2015

QSC to supply innovative encryption service to Vodafone Enterprise customers

• Consistent end-to-end encryption
• Automatic key exchange
• Integration and further use of existing e-mail accounts
• Operations at QSC AG data centres in Germany

Cologne, 16 March 2015. Vodafone will be relying in future on encryption technology from QSC’s subsidiary FTAPI. At its CeBIT press conference, Vodafone has now presented its “Secure E-Mail” for Enterprise customers. The product is based on an FTAPI technology enabling convenient and secure transmission of encrypted e-mails and documents.

Secure e-mail transmission with genuine end-to-end encryption from sender through to recipient is still not widespread. One reason is the complex technological handling involved, which often makes it impossible for users to send messages confidentially at the click of a button in their day-to-day work. Complexity and habit mean that thousands of pieces of information, often highly sensitive, are sent as transparently as postcards via the internet every day.

The Munich-based software company FTAPI, which specialises in security technologies, set itself the goal of making e-mail communication not only secure but also easily operable for users. The result is a product enabling not only e-mails but also attached files up to a terabyte scale to be sent securely and conveniently via web browser, mobile, desktop application or Outlook plugin.

This is based on the SecuPass technology developed by FTAPI in Germany, which facilitates the consistent encryption of any data. Prior to transmission, the data is already encrypted on the user’s end appliance and is only reconverted into plain text once it has reached the recipient. FTAPI relies here on the “zero knowledge” principle. This means that even the provider has no access to the data.

“By using our technology, senders and recipients waste no time first compiling and then manually exchanging keys. FTAPI’s technology fully automates this process”, explains Stephan Niedermeier, Managing Director of FTAPI GmbH. Well-known companies are already relying on FTAPI. Customers can select whether to operate the servers used for data exchange under their own management or have them managed at one of QSC’s data centres in Germany.

At CeBIT 2015 in Hanover, Vodafone is now presenting its new “Secure E-Mail” product for Enterprise customers. This is based on FTAPI’s technology and will make future communication more secure, convenient and – via apps for smartphones and tablets – mobile too. This way, Enterprise customers will be able to send their messages with the utmost security, and most probably as soon as autumn 2015. The solution is operated at a TÜV and ISO-certified data centre at QSC AG in Germany.

“With Secure Call, we recently brought effective protection for secure telephony to market. Now, we are following this up with secure end-to-end encryption for mail communication at our Enterprise customers”, comments Philip Lacor, Chief Customer Officer Enterprise at Vodafone Deutschland. “Our customers can work with Secure E-Mail not only on their PCs but also on all mobile phones and tablets. And that at a price that any entrepreneur in Germany can afford.”

FTAPI technology is made available by QSC as a white label cloud service. This means that resellers have the option of successfully setting themselves apart in the market by developing proprietary value-added services offering great customer benefits.

“This cooperation between Vodafone and QSC shows that secure cloud services developed in-house by QSC are also extremely attractive for major resellers”, comments Jürgen Hermann, CEO of QSC AG, with regard to the latest agreement.

• Further information is also available online at www.ftapi.com
• An introduction to FTAPI technology is also available on YouTube at http://youtu.be/irBQ1jj48VM (video lasts around two minutes)

QSC: ICT solutions for small and mid-sized enterprises
QSC AG offers small and mid-size enterprises one-stop shopping for an extensive range of ICT services: from telephony, data transfer, housing and hosting right through to IT outsourcing and IT consulting. As an SAP and Microsoft partner, QSC AG additionally possesses special expertise in the fields of SAP and Microsoft implementation. Cloud services developed in house for a wide range of applications round out the portfolio. With its own cutting-edge network infrastructure, as well as TÜV and ISO-certified data centres in Germany, QSC numbers among the leading SME providers of ICT services in Germany. The company offers both custom-tailored solutions for individual ICT needs as well as a modular product portfolio for smaller business customers and marketing partners. QSC employs a workforce of some 1,700 people and is included in the TecDAX.

FTAPI Software GmbH offers software solutions for secure business file transfers and storage. Its FTAPI SecuTransfer product is based on proprietary technology whose development was promoted by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry of Economics. Founded in 2010, the company has set new standards when it comes to securely and efficiently exchanging business files and offers absolutely consistent (end-to-end) encryption of all files. QSC AG acquired a 51 percent stake in FTAPI Software GmbH in February 2014.

Further information is available from:

QSC AG
Arne Thull
Head of Investor Relations
Mathias-Brüggen-Str. 55
50829 Cologne, Germany
Tel.: +49 221 669-8724
E-mail: invest@qsc.de