openDesk als Notfallarbeitsplatz: Sozialversicherer ziehen positive Bilanz im Krisenfall-Verbundprojekt

Bochum, 21 July 2026. The collaborative project ‘Cloud-based Communication for Critical Infrastructures’ (CKKI) has been successfully completed. The German Federal Pension Insurance Fund, the Federal Employment Agency, BITMARCK Holding GmbH and BG-Phoenics GmbH, in collaboration with the Centre for Digital Sovereignty in Public Administration (ZenDiS), tested whether and how the office and collaboration suite openDesk can be used as an emergency workstation for social security organisations. The result: openDesk is already suitable for use in crisis communication.

Four independent openDesk instances were used to test, on a case-by-case basis, interoperability, connectivity and the overall benefits of different cloud infrastructures. The project was implemented in collaboration with the consortium partners IONOS, STACKIT and T-Systems, and funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) with support from the European Union.

Positive test results under real-world conditions

In business continuity management (BCM) test scenarios under real-world conditions, test users assessed the openDesk modules – Files, Chat, Email and Video Conferencing – for their suitability in a crisis, with consistently positive results. The migration of instances between two different cloud platforms was also carried out successfully, confirming the solution’s flexibility when used in conjunction with different cloud providers.

Leonhard Kugler, Managing Director of ZenDiS, says: “The project demonstrates the potential of sovereign open-source solutions: openDesk can be deployed quickly, decentrally and reliably, even under crisis conditions. This sends a particularly strong signal for critical infrastructure: digital sovereignty is not an abstract goal, but a concrete capacity to act in an emergency.”

Findings feed into European cloud initiative

The project results are being directly incorporated into the European Union’s 8ra initiative, which aims to establish a secure and sovereign cloud and edge infrastructure in Europe, where different providers can work together seamlessly.

Dr Matthias Flügge, Director of the German Federal Pension Insurance Fund, emphasises: “Asone of Europe’s largest social security organisations, we bear a special responsibility to ensure that sensitive data and critical communication channels remain secure, protected and usable even in crisis situations. The successful completion of the CKKI project has demonstrated that high-performance open-source solutions represent a viable option for public administration. The ability to use digital data and infrastructure autonomously and independently is becoming increasingly important and ultimately benefits the insured.”

Consultation process to begin in August

Based on the project results, a public consultation process will begin at the end of August, in which interested stakeholders from the public sector can actively participate. The aim is to build on the insights gained in the CKKI joint project and to further scale up the use of openDesk as a sovereign emergency workstation. Anyone interested in sovereign, crisis-proof collaboration solutions is invited to take part in the process.

openDesk as an emergency workspace

openDesk can be used by public administration both as a standard workplace solution and for communication in the event of a crisis. As the product owner, ZenDiS is responsible for the further development of the solution and coordinates the ecosystem of operators. Organisations interested in implementing openDesk for crisis communication can contact the cloud operators IONOS, STACKIT and T-Systems – all of whom have been tested as part of the CKKI project – with any queries.

About openDesk

openDesk is a fully functional office and collaboration suite for public administration. The Centre for Digital Sovereignty in Public Administration (ZenDiS) developed openDesk, which was launched in October 2024. Currently, 100,000 administrative workstations are already equipped with openDesk. All components of openDesk are based on established open-source solutions from Germany and across Europe.

About ZenDiS

The Centre for Digital Sovereignty in Public Administration (ZenDiS) was founded in 2022 by the Federal Government. As a centre of expertise and services, ZenDiS supports public administration at federal, state and local levels in securing its long-term capacity to act in the digital sphere – primarily by eliminating critical dependencies on individual technology providers. To this end, ZenDiS is focusing in its initial phase on promoting the use of open-source software in public administration. ZenDiS is a limited liability company (GmbH) and is currently wholly owned by the federal government. The Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation (BMDS) is responsible for managing the federal government’s stake. ZenDiS is based in Bochum.