In this article you will read,

• why professional secret keepers can use the Open Telekom Cloud without hesitation,
• how Telekom is committed to protecting secrets in accordance with § 203 of the German Criminal Code (StGB) and
• how the Open Telekom Cloud meets the highest security standards.

From doctors to lawyers and auditors to journalists - all these professions have one thing in common: they are subject to professional confidentiality, meaning that it is forbidden to disclose confided secrets to third parties. In the case of doctors, for example, this could be information about their patients. § 203 of the German Criminal Code (StGB) stipulates that data on patients or clients of professional secrecy holders must be given special protection. Violations of these obligations can be punished with fines or imprisonment.

For a long time, therefore, new technologies such as the cloud could not be used by professional secrecy holders without further ado - and thus also the advantages of cloud computing. Outsourcing data was practically inconceivable. It was only with the revision of § 203 of the German Criminal Code (StGB) in 2017 that it became easier for professional secrecy holders to use external IT services such as cloud services.

However, professional secrecy holders can only use the cloud without hesitation if the cloud provider signs an additional agreement on the protection of secrets in accordance with § 203 StGB (German Criminal Code). Deutsche Telekom has made this possible for the Open Telekom Cloud since the beginning of 2021: "With the agreement on the protection of secrets, Telekom commits itself to the professional secrecy holder to keep the specially protected data secret and thus also takes into account the requirements under professional law for the use of cloud services," says attorney Dr. Melanie Stein from Telekom's Law & Integrity department. "Access to the protected data on the part of Telekom as a cloud provider is limited to what is most necessary for the use of the service. The obligation to maintain confidentiality applies equally to the subcontractors involved in providing the service." The data can also be encrypted, which means that professional secrecy holders can use the Open Telekom Cloud without hesitation for storing and processing information that requires special protection.

One way to tell whether an IT service provider meets the highest security requirements is by looking at its Certificates. T-Systems' services, for example, are certified in accordance with ISO 27001 and TCDP 1.0. In addition, the Open Telekom Cloud has been awarded the Trusted Cloud Seal of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. In the future, the TCDP certification will be replaced by the "Auditor" certification. This enables Telekom to demonstrate the compatibility of data processing operations with data protection requirements of the GDPR.

Telekom's data centers in Magdeburg and Biere are also among the most modern and secure facilities in the world. The goal: the greatest possible security for data in compliance with strict German data protection and the GDPR. The buildings are protected by state-of-the-art security systems. Access is strictly controlled; powerful emergency power generators ensure the power supply at all times. Telekom also protects its data centers from cyberattacks at the highest technical level. Permanent data availability is ensured by up to 99.999 percent - this corresponds to the Tier 3+ security level.