A quarter of a century of IT security
Governikus was founded on November 16, 1999 and a lot has happened since then: We are making a significant contribution to the digitalization of public administration, have steadily expanded our product portfolio and now have over 300 employees at five locations.
In our blog series on "25 years of Governikus", we would like to look back at all the important milestones and start our company anniversary with a foreword by Managing Director Dr. Stephan Klein.
A young, innovative team with an eye on the digital future
At the end of 1997, the then German government announced a competition entitled "MEDIA@Komm" for local authorities to develop integrative concepts for the introduction of innovative electronic services for citizens and businesses. This concept was to be implemented through a public-private partnership. Our concept for the introduction of electronic signatures in the Bremen city administration was convincing and we were able to book a lucrative win for ourselves.
The predecessor company of Governikus was founded in November 1999 with eight private investors (49.9%) and the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (50.1%): bremen online services Entwicklungs- und Betriebsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG.
Although our focus was on the city of Bremen, from the outset we also looked for business transactions that fall within the jurisdiction of the federal state (e.g. in the justice system) and initially contacted the seaside city of Bremerhaven. This contact was successful and we were able to pilot our new software outside of Bremen. This was only possible thanks to the innovative attitude of b.i.t and its managing director at the time (Jörg Wiegand). Jörg was one of my closest business friends and a committed board member of Major Cities of Europe until his death in 2015.
When we then held further discussions with other federal states and municipal IT service providers, the uncertainty often arose as to whether we, as a young company, were offering software that might soon no longer exist. But the opposite is the case! The CIO Jörn Riedel, who is still successful in Hamburg today, once said: "We normally only buy from large companies such as Microsoft or Siemens, but we are now making an exception for bos / Governikus from Bremen." This statement made us very happy at the time - and still does today!
A quarter of a century full of developments, common goals and commitment
At the time, we were not predicted long-term success with our company and our software solution. However, when the Federal Ministry of the Interior showed such great interest in our software after our 4-year funding period and wanted to use it nationwide, the knot was tied. That was an accolade for us at the time. Our thanks now go to every single employee, partner and customer who placed their trust in us from the very beginning and made this journey full of innovation, partnerships and further development possible. A vote of confidence that still impresses me today.
I remember this and many other stories and anecdotes fondly when I think back to 25 years of Governikus.
Governikus Summit 2025
Together with you, we would like to present at our upcoming Governikus Summit and look forward to the future, new products, new partners and new challenges. You can expect inspiring presentations, exciting discussions and networking opportunities - join us as we celebrate 25 years of success!