Prowise wins German government approval with BSI IT-Grundschutz certificate

The German Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) has awarded Prowise with the ‘IT-Grundschutz’ hallmark. The Dutch market leader in digiboards is the only EdTech company worldwide to be able to present this demanding security certificate, thereby reinforcing its proposition for the ‘safest solution for education’.

It is now official: Prowise software meets the highest security requirements! The Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (the German Federal Office for Information Security) is responsible for the IT security of our eastern neighbours. The global cyber security authority also tests and evaluates how companies deal with information security and data storage. The associated prestigious IT-Grundschutz certificate is only awarded if the highest requirements for data protection are demonstrated.

Recognition German government
Specifically, Prowise receives this certificate for the development of Prowise Presenter, Prowise Screen Control and Prowise Cloud Services, the umbrella name of the cloud infrastructure. The recognition by the German government is essential because these programmes and services are used in schools all over the world. Whether it is sharing a maths lesson, remotely installing an app on the touchscreen or something as simple as saving a photo, Prowise guarantees that this is done according to the highest data protection requirements. For example, data is stored on Prowise’s own servers in the European Union, not shared with third parties and not commercially marketed. This way, schools are assured of education without privacy concerns.

Strict audits
For schools, the approval of the strict German authorities is an extra confirmation that Prowise handles their data with care. The audit takes about a year and focuses on thousands of varying elements in the areas of privacy regulations, information security, data storage, risk management systems and corresponding applications or platforms. The first round requires extensive documentation and determines whether a company may actually be audited. This is followed by a comprehensive on-site audit in which all internal and external processes and systems are examined.

Unique position worldwide
“The certified products and services are developed, monitored and maintained entirely by our own colleagues. We are therefore enormously proud that our vision of privacy and security has been confirmed by the German Federal Office for Information Security. There is no other touchscreen provider in the education market that can provide the same independent privacy and security certificates as Prowise,” says Development Director Luuk Loeff.

Right to privacy
Prowise has a deep belief in the right to privacy, especially when it comes to vulnerable groups such as children. Therefore, all hardware and software are developed in-house and privacy is the first aspect that is taken into account. With the IT-Grundschutz-certificate Prowise proves what the company has been claiming for years: no other educational software is as secure as Prowise software. For example, Prowise has been ISO 27001 and Privacy Verified certified for many years. In addition, the independent German AV-Test Institute confirmed the security of the top model Prowise Touchscreen Ten (including software) with a ‘Tested IoT Product’ recertification.