Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden

01. challenges

In 2020, when the second coronavirus wave was on the horizon, the employees of Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden realized that they needed a video conferencing solution to be able to consult and communicate with each other in the usual quality. “At the time, we were faced with the challenge of restructuring our processes so that they could be mapped 100% in the home office,” says Markus Petzold, Senior System Administrator for Organization/IT Operations. This also included an appropriate substitute for meetings and short consultations. “Pure conference calls with several participants were very exhausting,” Petzold recalls.

However, Ostsächsische Sparkasse did not have the appropriate infrastructure in-house to host a video conferencing solution itself. “We were looking for a competent partner who could provide us with a video conferencing platform that also met our data protection requirements,” says Petzold. Data protection and the fact that the solution is hosted in Germany were the top priorities in the search. It was the requirements and not the product name that counted.

02. solutions

The collaboration with NETWAYS came about in mid-2020. The Jitsi app from NWS is hosted in ISO-certified data centers in Nuremberg. Data security and data protection are a must for the systems engineers at NWS. “The software obviously met our requirements and the NETWAYS sales team was the quickest to respond to our inquiry,” says Petzold.

“With honest answers, even if we didn’t like them sometimes,” NETWAYS has won the trust of the savings bank. For example, when there was no spontaneous solution for something and you first had to go looking for it. “This type of communication is much more effective than empty promises and stalling tactics,” says Petzold.

Before the NWS Jitsi app was actually used, the IT team at Sparkasse Dresden tested it extensively. NWS has provided demo access free of charge for this purpose. “Based on our tests and after a few telephone conversations, we specified our requirements, which were then implemented iteratively.”

“Jitsi enables us to hold video conferences with internal and external participants,” says Petzold. The system does not store any information about past meetings. Furthermore, all Jitsi connections are fully encrypted. “This data protection friendliness meets all the requirements of physical meeting rooms in the virtual world. This means that important appointments, from departmental meetings to confidential discussions, can also take place in the home office.“

The particular advantages of NWS Jitsi for Ostsächsische Sparkasse are the consistent data protection, as well as the functional scope of the software, the user management and the scalability. The simple, uncomplicated operation, which does not require dedicated clients on the end devices, is also helpful.

Meetings can be created quickly and easily. No registration or app is required to participate, as it works from any device via a link in the browser. “Every employee now has the option of starting a video conference at any time and without prior planning. An important building block for overcoming the pandemic and enabling people to work from home“, says Petzold. Since then, there have been fewer on-site meetings at Ostsächsische Sparkasse and customers also have the advantage that they no longer have to come to the branch for certain appointments.

03. success

“Previously, we didn’t have a standardized video conferencing solution for the entire company. We have now been able to offer this solution to all 1,500 colleagues,” says Petzold, pleased with the milestone. Hosting from NWS offers a suitable replacement for the lack of in-house infrastructure. The Systems Engineers at NWS are constantly working on the further development and operation of Jitsi.

Petzold considers the excellent cooperation and communication of the NETWAYS Web Services employees to be particularly successful in the implementation of the project: honest, friendly, competent. “I was always informed about the current implementation status without having to ask any questions myself.” The same office hours of the core team in contrast to providers from other time zones were just as helpful here as the “dedicated team at NWS, which makes suggestions for improvement to us, but also accepts them from us,” says Petzold. “Even small customers are taken seriously.”

For the future, Ostsächsische Sparkasse hopes that the technology and features of NWS Jitsi will continue to evolve and for the type of cooperation: “Keep up the good work!”