Review
Looking back to the year 2000 just after it-systems worldwide had survived the transition into the new millennium without the widely feared crash, the ‘dotcom-bubble’ had burst and shook the New Economy.
At the same time, the Bluetooth-standard had its first appearance in consumer products, and Microsoft published its operating system ‘Windows 2000’.
It was at that time that Befine Solutions AG was founded in Freiburg im Breisgau in Southern Germany.
It started with an idea. The team’s experience in the IT-world illuminated a universal problem in the business world: There was no easy way for companies to exchange messages and large files in a simple, fast, and secure way with suppliers, customers or partners.
The focus of the company’s research was on email which had established itself as the universal way for communication in the business world. Their goal was to find a way to enhance the technology of the email systems so widely used, whilst getting rid of its’ known disadvantages and using it in a cost efficient, controlled, and secure way.
Email is dead, long live the email!
This realisation identified a universal problem that was found across all industries in small and mid-sized companies as well as large enterprises. On the one hand email was and is a universally accepted standard for communications, easy to use and globally available. Every user with a computer, smartphone, or tablet-pc can communicate with any other regardless of the device, operating system, or email application.
On the other hand, today’s standards and demands, especially for security often go far beyond emails existing capabilities. Almost every company or authority must exchange confidential files electronically – and often even the written messages in emails are of a sensitive nature and should be protected. It is at this point that security concerns come into play: email systems are a prime target of attack for criminals, hackers, and industrial espionage. Nine out of ten cyber-attacks start with an email!
Just like a digital postcard
email and its downsides
Taking a close look at how email works, it’s nothing more than a digital postcard: it’s cheap and quickly delivered, its content, however, is readable for everyone who carries or intercepts it, and whilst it usually arrives, you do not know the route it has taken.
In addition, the sheer amount and size of email attachments unnecessarily strains the email systems in companies. Often attachments surpass manageable sizes, create excessive cost – and are in many cases confidential.
Examples of such attachments are contracts, patient files in clinics, case files from court, or construction drawings of automotive suppliers.
Typically, they also include PowerPoint presentations, PDF files with graphs, spreadsheets, or even video files.
It is in particular those large digital files that can’t be sent or received via email and are rejected that lead employees and other stakeholders to use other means to exchange files.
Products like USB sticks, file-sharing solutions, or cloud-services, which they know from private use are readily available.
The result: the frequently invoked ‘Shadow-IT’ – the unwanted use of non-authorised software and tools in companies to exchange data.
The key to success
Encryption?
Complex file transfer and email encryption solutions try to eliminate those risks.
However, they often fail at striking a balance between security, usability, and cost.
Even though there are effective and established encryption methods that can be used for email they lack three basic demands:
- First, they usually involve complicated acquisition and set-up of public and private keys, and therefore cannot be used ad-hoc between two communication partners.
- Second, there is little focus on usability for the average office user or private customer. Many solutions are too complicated to use and therefore are not used at all.
- Finally, many solutions carry very high purchasing costs as well as maintenance costs.
The answer:
Cryptshare
The answer to all those challenges is Cryptshare – a digital communications solution for secure exchange of information. With it emails and files of any size can be exchanged ad-hoc – easily and securely, with auditability and at low cost. Cryptshare is easy to set up and is immediately available. The intuitive user interface and direct integration in existing applications makes it a workable and user-friendly solution.
The process is deliberately kept simple: the recipient is notified via email that a transfer is available for them. Separately they receive a unique password from the sender. With this they can then download the messages and files directly and securely from the server that is located at the sender’s company. Since the system works without user accounts there is no registration needed for either sender or recipient.
This has two advantages: The data is protected from unwanted external access, and it is possible to send much larger files than via common email. The system can handle messages and attachments of sizes of many gigabytes while most email systems are limited to just a few megabytes per transfer. Today however a simple image file can amount up to 5 MB, and PowerPoint presentations containing images or even videos can easily reach 50 MB, CAD files multiple gigabytes.
Cryptshare offers complete auditability across all in and outgoing transfers. It offers clear and understandable notifications for the sender about when the email and files were sent and delivered to the intended recipient. With all this and further functions it helps companies to meet compliance rules and regulations.
Using the metaphor from above: whilst a common email can be compared to a postcard, Cryptshare is a custom sized package that is delivered by a personal courier. With this the team realised the objective of overcoming the shortcomings of the email whilst building on its advantages. The approach was to group the right technologies and functions around the email to rid this ‘most-used’ communication method of its weaknesses.
A method that companies had already invested massive amounts in but couldn’t live up to the requirements of today’s business world. Until now with Cryptshare.
The Cryptshare Story
Geared for growth
the company today
A great deal has happened at Cryptshare since the team started its project. At first it was meant to be a custom-made software for a single blue-chip client. Today this German software-house from the Black-Forest area develops and sells solutions to companies world-wide that helps them support, optimize, and protect their business processes.
Cryptshare Version 1.0 was shipped to the first customer in 2007. In 2010 Befine Solutions created a dedicated sales team for Cryptshare and started cooperating with the first trading partners. Since then the number of customers is steadily growing and today there are more than 4 million certified Cryptshare users in more than 30 countries worldwide.
Not only is the software a growing success, but also the company behind it grows continuously: currently over 70 employees are working at Cryptshare and the number is increasing fast. Moving to a bigger office in Freiburg at the end of 2017 to has made room for new colleagues to join and it is here the development and support (national and international) teams are located that make up more than half of total staff.
Since 2010, the company has been led by Dominik Lehr, its founder. Recently, it has been expanded to include CMO Oliver Gäng, CFO Oliver Kenk, long-time technical leader and CTO Matthias Kess, CSO Ingrid Hagen, and COO Alexander Gavrylenko.
Excellent perspectives
awards and international growth
The year 2017 was a good one for the software developer from Freiburg being honoured with the ‘Cybersecurity Excellence Award 2017’ in the category of ‘Email Security’. This annual award is given to companies, individuals, or products from all over the world that are contributing exceptionally to the field of data security.
2018 has started fast with rapid international growth in the United States, UK and the Netherlands. The regional sales teams in Boston (subsidiary) and Arnhem (branch office) bring Cryptshare as an IT-solution ‘Made in Germany’ to the American and Dutch markets. A further branch office in Great Britain is steadily contributing to the international success.
In 2020, Cryptshare was recognised by the Computing Security Awards as the ‘Encryption Solution of the Year’. That same year, as a result of Cryptshare’s ongoing success, the Freiburg offices were expanded to make more room for the growing team.
Milestones
2022
Renaming to Pointsharp GmbH
Pointsharp and Cryptshare join forces to become a leading player in security software in Europe
2020
Interoperability: Cryptshare certified for NTA 7516
Learn more | Download certificate
Winner of the Computing Security Award 2020 in the category "Best Encryption Solution"
Security with validated procedures: Cryptshare now ISO 27001 certified
Learn more | Download certificate
2019
Launch of cloud service Cryptshare.express in Netherlands
Renaming to Cryptshare AG
2018
Launch of password transfer option SMS gateway for Cryptshare for Outlook
Launch of cloud service Cryptshare.express in Germany
Cryptshare V4.0 comes out with responsive design and GDPR features
The Cryptshare team grows to more than 60 employees
2017
‘Cybersecurity Excellence Award‘ in the category of ‘Email-Security’
Launch of the protective email classification, as well as the archiving and DMS interface, more than 2.5 million certified users
Foundation of Cryptshare Inc. in the USA
Moving the headquarters to a new and bigger office in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
2015
Launch of Cryptshare for Outlook v2.0 with new functionality and user-centred interface design
2013
Cryptshare V3.0 comes out with many new features and an enhanced administration-interface
2012
Cryptshare is in use in over 20 countries and available in numerous languages
2011
Opening of sales offices in Great Britain and the Netherlands
Market launch of Cryptshare for Outlook
2010
Renaming to Befine Solutions AG, start of a dedicated Cryptshare sales team, cooperation with first distribution partners
2007
Shipping of Cryptshare Version 1.0
2000
Foundation of Connect Software AG by Dominik Lehr as a service provider for specialist bespoke software
About Cryptshare
Owner-managed Cryptshare AG develops and supplies software solutions that help companies support, optimise, and secure their email processes and the handling of large files.
Founded in the year 2000, the company now with over fifty employees has its headquarter and development team located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. There are sales locations in the UK, US and the Netherlands.
The focus is on Cryptshare, a communication solution for the exchange of sensitive business information. It makes it possible to send and receive emails and large files ad-hoc, securely, easily and at low cost. Cryptshare also offers auditability which helps companies meet compliance rules and regulations. Today more than 2,000 companies with about 4 million users in over 80 countries use Cryptshare. This success is underlined by the “Cybersecurity Excellence Award 2017”.
Cryptshare embraces differences
Being there for one another – experience the #CryptshareSpirit
It is the Cryptshare team’s firm belief and an essential part of our identity that all people regardless of sex or gender, sexual orientation, religion, origin, ethnicity, nationality, neurodiversity, physical trait, or age are welcome.
We want to be a company that contributes to the promotion of equality and social justice in our society and one that is a role model for constructive cooperation.
It is nearly impossible to adequately describe the ways this manifests in our daily lives with just a few words.
For this reason, we encourage everyone to experience how we conduct ourselves and interact with each other during an interview or a trial workday.
The Cryptshare spirit is very important to us; it is part of what motivates and drives us. Come and see for yourself!
Of course, nobody is perfect and obviously that includes us, so we are striving to learn and evolve every day. Creating an equal-opportunity workplace culture is not an easy task; it requires honest and earnest discussions that can be held with colleagues as well as direct managers and HR. At Cryptshare, we welcome this challenge, together.