03.03.11 optivo first company in the European internet economy to receive SaaS quality seal

Berlin, 3 March 2011 – optivo is the first company in Europe to receive the "EuroCloud Star Audit SaaS" quality seal for its Software as a Service solution (SaaS), optivo^® broadmail. A comprehensive audit process examining operating procedures, network infrastructure, compliance guidelines as well as implementation and training concepts preceded the awarding of the seal. Besides security and accessibility, other key issues of vital importance for cloud-based email marketing encompass performance, resources and scalability. The quality seal was officially awarded to optivo in a ceremony conducted by the EuroCloud Germany_eco initiative, which took place at the CeBIT trade fair in Hanover, Germany, yesterday. 

 

Cloud computing is currently having a larger impact in the IT industry than perhaps any other topic. IT infrastructure issues such as computing power, data storage and entire software environments are increasingly being made available as services via networks such as the internet. A growing number of business processes are nowadays being transferred to the "Cloud" due to advantages that include continuous accessibility, being constantly up-to-date and often representing a cheaper alternative to having full installations on local computers. Web-based dispatch solutions for email marketing such as optivo^® broadmail are used by companies to handle large volumes of data and to profit from specialist know-how. Clients thereby place high demands on the credibility and professionalism of service providers along with the issues of security, accessibility and reliability.

 

This is precisely where the EuroCloud initiative comes into play. The cloud service industry association, EuroCloud Germany_eco, has developed a quality seal for the certification of SaaS solutions. The criterion for quality seal assessment was prepared in close collaboration with the Federal Office for Information Security in Germany (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, or BSI). It aims to make comparisons between the services of various providers easier. Users of software as a service thereby have a basis for making informed, balanced decisions when selecting service providers. Simultaneously, the quality seal offers a framework for the orientation of new service providers entering the market. Providers of software as a service are appraised via a self-assessment questionnaire in addition to an on-site inspection by authorised auditors.  

 

Ulf Richter, Managing Director of optivo GmbH, welcomes this initiative of the European internet economy: "Email marketing is a sensitive area of business due to the plethora of technical and legal demands that need to be observed. The availability of independent certification taking into account all aspects from the definition of SLAs to operational processes was long overdue – especially considering the growth in the number of SaaS solutions. We anticipate that the EuroCloud quality seal will result in a greater level of transparency along with better comparability for selecting cloud services in the European enterprise market for email marketing.

 

Richter continues: "Naturally, we are extremely pleased to be the first European cloud service provider to be certified. It accentuates the high quality of our product – and proves to our customers that they have made the right choice." optivo is one of Germany’s leading email marketing specialists. More than 600 companies use the optivo® broadmail SaaS solution for their email marketing needs with the total number of current users being significantly higher at around 2,500. Tchibo, Germanwings, Sixt, QVC, Plus.de and the HypoVereinsbank are just a small sample from the client list.

 

The key to optivo’s success can also be found in its high quality standards, as Ulf Richter explains: "Since our inception, we have done everything possible to fulfil the most stringent demands for security, accessibility, performance, flexibility and scalability. For this reason, our cloud infrastructure is located in a secured computing centre in Germany. We offer extremely high accessibility, boasting real-time operation levels of 99.95%. Furthermore, our software is configured to deal with the demands of high-volume senders. Our customers can send up to two million emails within just ten minutes. To enable this, optivo® broadmail is based on a dynamic resource allocation system that allows us to provide additional capacity for our customers easily and quickly, on demand. We simultaneously regularly adjust our solution to the growing sizes of our clients – and do this very successfully as the 'EuroCloud Star Audit SaaS' quality seal impressively confirms."

 

The pan-European governing body for cloud services, EuroCloud (www.eurocloud.org), is represented in more than 20 countries.

optivo:
optivo is one of the largest email marketing service providers in German-speaking Europe. Since establishment in 2001, the Berlin-based company has counted among the technologically leading providers and trendsetters in the area of email marketing. optivo offers comprehensive email marketing including SMS and fax from a single source. The portfolio extends from the distribution of newsletters and campaign emails with a secure, reliable and powerful email marketing software (optivo^® broadmail) to individual strategy and entry consultation, email optimisation and address generation (optivo^® consulting) as well as providing market relevant infomartion and best-practice knowledge (optivo^® campfire). More than 600 clients from diverse sectors put their trust in optivo know-how and technology, including well-know brands such as Accor Hotellerie, BILD.de, Bosch Power Tools, buch.de, Die Bahn, Die Zeit, Germanwings, Henkel, HypoVereinsbank, Panasonic, Plus.de, QVC, Sixt, Tchibo and TUI Cruises. optivo actively promotes transparency and high quality standards in email marketing. It is a member of the Deutschen Dialogmarketing Verband "DDV" (German Dialogue Marketing Association), the Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft "BVDW" (Federal Association of the Digital Economy) and the Verband der Deutschen Internetwirtschaft “eco” (Association of German Internet Business). As one of the earliest members of Germany’s largest whitelist project 'Certified Senders Alliance' optivo stands for highest email delivery rates. In March 2011, optivo received the first "EuroCloud Star Audit SaaS" quality seal in Europe for its optivo^® broadmail cloud service.

Media contact:
optivo GmbH
Harald Oberhofer
Marketing Director
Wallstrasse 16
D-10179 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0)30-76 80 78 117
Fax: +49 (0)30-76 80 78 499
press@optivo.net
www.optivo.net

MärzheuserGutzy Kommunikationsberatung GmbH
Jochen Gutzy (Managing Director)
Theresienstraße 6-8 / Ecke Ludwigstraße 21
D-80333 München
Phone: +49 (0)89-2 88 90 480
Fax: +49 (0)89-2 88 90 45
optivo@maerzheusergutzy.com
www.maerzheusergutzy.com