Anwendung Governikus

Product of the IT-Planungsrat

✓ Secure encryption, digital signatures and evidence-preserving long-term storage
✓ Media-break-free, legally binding data exchange
✓ Efficient, secure and legally compliant process design

The Anwendung Governikus is a central product of the IT Planning Council that is provided by Governikus. It supports federal states and local authorities in secure and legally compliant digital communication and identity management. It enables authorities, organizations and companies to transmit sensitive data in encrypted form, apply and verify electronic signatures and store documents evidence-preserving for the long term.

Thanks to its versatile basic services, the application covers the entire life cycle of electronic communication: From secure data transmission to managing digital identities and securing digital administrative processes.

This makes it easier for administrations to meet their IT security requirements, ensure data protection and increase their efficiency at the same time. The use of the application therefore makes a significant contribution to the digitalization of administration by making communication with citizens, companies and authorities more secure, transparent and economical.

Over the years, the Anwendung Governikus has developed into a comprehensive and functionally rich solution in the e-government sector. It is continuously being developed further. Cooperation with the (German) Federal Government, federal states and local authorities enables flexible management of development priorities so that central requirements can be addressed in a targeted manner.

Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What products are included in the Governikus Application?

The products included are the middleware and server products of the Governikus Suite (COM Tauri, COM Despina, DATA Varuna), Governikus COM Register Adapter (CRA), Governikus ID Panstar, ID Crucis, ID Mercury and Governikus DATA Sign as well as the client products Governikus COM Vibilia and Governikus DATA Boreum.
In addition, the application contains subcomponents of the TR-ESOR-certified product Governikus DATA Aeonia for evidence-preserving long-term storage.

To whom is the Application Governikus available and how can it be accessed?

The Anwendung Governikus is available nationwide the (German) Federal Government, federal states and municipalities. The application is accessed and supported by the so-called "Notified Bodies".

Are there any costs involved in retrieving the Application Governikus?

No! Maintenance of the Governikus Application is financed via the Governikus maintenance contract, to which all federal states have signed up, and the federal VPS maintenance contract.

The contract with the states also includes continuous further development. The costs are borne proportionately by the states in accordance with the Königssteiner Schlüssel. Additional developments can be commissioned separately by the federal government as needed via the federal VPS contract.

The use of the further developments by the federal government and the states is available to all participants.

How will the Application Governikus be further developed?

The Governikus Application is continuously developed further in line with demand and in coordination with our customers. In a regular exchange of experience and coordination, legal and technical innovations and challenges are discussed with representatives from the federal and state governments in the "Operator Committee" and "Technology Committee" bodies and then presented to the "Steering Committee" body. This committee decides twice a year on the existing use of funds for maintenance and support.

What is the IT Planning Council?

The IT-Planungsrat coordinates cooperation between the federal and state governments on information technology issues, adopts IT interoperability and IT security standards, manages eGovernment projects and plans and develops the connection network. To clarify its mandate, the IT-Planungsrat adopted a National eGovernment Strategy (NEGS) back in 2010, which was updated in 2015. In order to implement the NEGS, e-government projects are anchored under the umbrella of the IT-Planungsrat, which also includes the products of the IT-Planungsrat.

In use across the board

The Anwendung Governikus has a long history. The software has been around since 2004 and the Anwendung Governikus has been a product of the IT Planning Council, which was founded in the same year, since 2011. Over the years, the (German) Federal Government, the federal states and Governikus have managed to maintain and further develop the products of the Anwendung Governikus together. In doing so, it has been possible to meet the needs of the (German) Federal Government, federal states and local authorities at all times and to provide solutions that are used across the board. The products of the Anwendung Governikus can be flexibly integrated into a wide range of digitalization projects and other products of the IT Planning Council. This has been achieved not least because a committee structure for product management was established at a very early stage, which takes both strategic and political as well as technical requirements into account in the product orientation.

The Anwendung Governikus is used throughout the (German) Federal Government, federal states and municipalities. It consists of 9 products.

Product portfolio Anwendung Governikus — Figure: Product portfolio of the Anwendung Governikus

International standards and legislation

The portfolio is being consistently (further) developed. This also includes

EU directives,
EU regulations,
DIN and ETSI standards
and the implementation of technical guidelines issued by the Federal Office for Information Security.

The Anwendung Governikus thus ensures the interoperable handling of European eIDs, signatures/seals and their verification and other so-called trust services. The legal requirements for the mutual recognition of European eIDs resulting from the European Commission's eIDAS Regulation are supported by the application's components.

In the context of advancing digitalization in administration, the importance of standardized function modules for recurring tasks (basic services) for secure administrative services is increasing. Governikus modules can therefore also be used in the implementation of the Online Access Act.

Notified bodies for state authorities & local authorities

The retrieval and support of the application are coordinated by the so-called Notified Bodies. Please get in touch with the following contact persons:

List of all notified bodies by federal state

Baden-Württemberg

Ministerium des Inneren, für Digitalisierung und Kommunen Baden-Württemberg
Willi-Brand-Straße 41
40173 Stuttgart

Frank Schiele
Ref. 51: IT Coordination
Phone: 0711 | 231-3516
E-mail

For municipalities

Come.ONE
Krailenshaldenstrasse 44
70469 Stuttgart

KM-Connect
Phone: +49 711 | 8108-45354
E-mail

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