Awareness of data protection is growing, but by no means everyone is focusing on IT security and data protection in line with the GDPR, says LeitzCloud CEO Valentijn Koppenall. In an interview with eco Association, he gives tips for secure technologies that are accessible to customers.
Mr Koppenall, could you give us a brief introduction to your company
LeitzCloud is a German business cloud storage for companies of all sizes. LeitzCloud allows all employees to securely store, collaborate and share files and benefit from security made in Germany.
Which digitalisation topics are particularly important to you?
I find it particularly strange that European security in line with the GDPR is still not standard – not even for large companies or government institutions. For example, the German Federal Statistical Office was recently criticised for allegedly using the US service Cloudflare for the technical implementation of the 2022 census. The Privacy Shield has been suspended for several years and the CLOUD Act is active, which means that there is no longer any guarantee that data will remain within the EU. On the other hand, I welcome a stronger and growing awareness of the topic of data protection. This is what we see more and more with our customers and the high standards they expect from a cloud (infrastructure).
What are particular challenges in your industry at the moment and how are you working on them?
When it comes to digitalisation, the motto is “faster, higher, further”. A major challenge, therefore, applies to the topic of personal customer care. This is where worlds usually collide: The customer is tended to be served individually and personally without a chatbot (and rightly so!) – the company, however, wants to optimise and take less time per customer. We consider the personal care of our customers and, as a result, customer loyalty to be of the highest value. Our aim is to make technology simple and accessible for our customers. Customer satisfaction is simply essential in this regard. The customers also notice whether you are serious about what you do. It is a great accomplishment for me to see how customers remain loyal to the cloud over the years and enjoy being with us and interacting with us.
How do you expect your membership in the eco Association to support you in this regard?
We wish to drive digital transformation, continuously make our digital environment more secure, and make a significant difference: To achieve all this, strong partners are needed. Together, we can not only bring together our competencies but also have a strong voice in politics and science.
What opportunities does digitalisation offer us in the future?
Cooperation remains always a major point. Cloud enables companies to work on documents simultaneously and share them securely – it’s amazing how many people continue to send documents as email attachments, however, you might not be able to work on a document for days because it is “on hold” with someone else. The fact that you can view your documents from anywhere is also a change for most people. In the long-term, this will make us less dependent on the individual, but we will be able to respond more quickly and more effectively. Once these opportunities are properly seized by companies, the positive effects will be felt on multiple levels.
Mr Koppenall, thank you very much for the interview!
Valentijn Koppenaal founded the Dutch cloud and hosting provider vBoxx B.V. in 2012, which offers customised cloud services for companies of all sizes. LeitzCloud has been represented as an independent company with Koppenaal as Managing Director since 2019. Our company places great value on strict European data protection and the personal care of the customers.
