Bdrive®: Storing sensitive data in the cloud
Making sensitive and highly sensitive data available to more than one person in the cloud, whilst ensuring data protection and data security, and safeguarding data against misuse: this is achieved with Bundesdruckerei’s Bdrive® cloud solution – which is both secure and easy to use.
BSI Operational Authorisation
German/EU servers
Easy to use
Made in Germany
Bdrive®: VS-NfD file sharing
As work becomes increasingly distributed, mobile and collaborative, organisations need new ways to manage data. Highly sensitive information and “classified information – for official use only” (VS-NfD) needs to be shared securely with multiple users, protected against misuse and handled in compliance with data protection requirements – without making the technology difficult to use. Bundesdruckerei GmbH’s Bdrive® cloud solution makes this possible.
Public safety authorities and organisations (BOS), critical infrastructure (KRITIS) companies and security-cleared industry need to handle VS-NfD documents in compliance with the law while keeping the associated business processes efficient. One of the biggest challenges is sharing and jointly editing classified files across organisational boundaries, for example between public-sector institutions and security-cleared companies. Strict requirements for handling classified documents have, until now, meant that there have been very few cloud-based options for exchanging VS-NfD files. Bdrive® combines state-of-the-art encryption with our patented CloudRAID principle. Files can therefore be stored in accordance with VSA requirements while remaining accessible to other authorised users. Bdrive® has been granted general deployment approval by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) for use with VS-NfD data.
Bdrive® provides a secure way to store documents digitally and exchange VS-NfD files, both within an organisation and with relevant external parties such as customers, partners and service providers.
Benefits of Using Bdrive
The Bdrive cloud solution offers you the following benefits in day-to-day use and ensures the security of your data every step of the way:
BSI deployment authorisation granted for VS-NfD
Collaboration
Joint, legally compliant storage, editing and sharing of documents internally and with third parties in the cloud
Identity management
Multi-step authentication and key management on Bundesdruckerei GmbH’s highly secure infrastructure
Version management
To ensure that the same document version is used and that versioning is traceable
Security Made in Germany
Maximum data sovereignty through the use of innovative CloudRAID technology and hosting in Germany
Usability
Easy to use thanks to shared folders, download links and self-explanatory interfaces
Bdrive® in practice
Three areas where classified and highly sensitive documents are exchanged between organisations every day.
Share VS-NfD files across public authorities
A common use case in public administration is sharing files classified as VS-NfD, either within an authority or with another public-sector body. The file is made available in Bdrive® to authorised users, allowing another user to continue working on it directly.
Where files need to pass from one authority to another, existing transmission methods can cause lengthy delays. With Bdrive®, the receiving authority can access the classified document within seconds.
For security-cleared industry and critical infrastructure (KRITIS) companies, the main requirement is to transfer classified files from public administration to private-sector companies and then back again once the work has been completed.
This handover can involve numerous obstacles and significant delays. Bdrive® offers two ways around these: an authority can issue guest licences in individual cases, or companies can use Bdrive® themselves to communicate with the authority. Either way, files can be shared easily and intuitively.
Healthcare organisations deal less frequently with classified information, but health-related data is highly sensitive and often needs to be shared. Examples include medical letters, radiology reports, entries in patient records, research series and findings, and billing data.
All of this information requires protection and is not necessarily made available via the telematics infrastructure. Where different parties need access to the same datasets, that access must be secured in accordance with the GDPR. Bdrive® therefore also gives healthcare organisations a simple, legally compliant way to meet their data protection obligations.
How Bdrive® works
Files shared through Bdrive® are broken into fragments and stored with different cloud service providers. No single provider holds the complete document.
Technical details
When another authorised party needs to access a document in Bdrive®, they effectively receive only a “blueprint”. This allows the file to be reconstructed from the fragments stored with the different cloud service providers. Using these providers and the associated, separately encrypted “blueprints”, files are distributed to additional devices belonging to the same user or to devices belonging to other authorised users. They are also kept continuously in sync.
The blueprints are stored separately on Bundesdruckerei GmbH’s central cloud infrastructure, keeping them apart from the encrypted file fragments. Even Bundesdruckerei cannot view users’ data at any time.
Even if individual cloud storage services fail, the data and parity blocks created by the system allow your data to be restored reliably. Bundesdruckerei’s patented CloudRAID technology combines end-to-end encryption with a secure authentication process. This guarantees that your data can be recovered in the event of an outage while ensuring that only authorised users can access it.
The innovative CloudRAID approach provides a level of security that allows classified documents up to VS-NfD to be exchanged. VS-NfD files no longer need to be stored in classified IT infrastructures. Instead, they can be accessed over the public internet from a VS-NfD-approved end device. This makes both the exchange and collaborative editing of VS-NfD files significantly easier.
Access confidential documents from any location without compromising security or performance. genusecure Suite meets all BSI requirements for a VS-NfD-compliant remote workstation. It is available either as hardware-independent software or as the ready-to-use “HP Sure Station” notebook. genua – IT security made in Germany.
Working remotely in compliance with VS-NfD regulations
Access confidential documents from any location – without compromising on security or performance: the genusecure Suite meets all BSI requirements for a VS-NfD-compliant remote working station. Available as hardware-independent software or as a ready-to-use ‘HP Sure Station’ laptop. genua – IT security made in Germany.
Frequently asked questions about the Bdrive® cloud solution
Bdrive® works with a defined list of cloud storage providers, all of which exclusively use locations in Germany for Bdrive®.
Under the general deployment approval granted by the BSI (Federal Office for Information Security), Bdrive® can store and send files classified up to and including VS-NfD (classified information – for official use only).
Public safety authorities and organisations (BOS), critical infrastructure (KRITIS) companies and security-cleared industry.
Register for the free webinar or request a consultation.
There are three steps. First, you need a VS-NfD workstation – for example, genusecure Suite from genua GmbH, a company in the Bundesdruckerei Group, or another solution available on the market. Next, an administrator registers the device once. You can then start using Bdrive®, including when working from home. No migration is required.
