Background
Municipalities in the Netherlands face the growing challenge of managing confidential information securely and efficiently. They are responsible for various services, ranging from civic affairs to urban development, where sensitive data is handled daily.
Examples include sharing data with healthcare providers in the context of the WMO, providing financial information in the case of income support or debt assistance, and processing applications for benefits and subsidies. In contact with citizens, where sensitive information such as identity documents, pay slips or medical data must be exchanged, care plays an important role. This also applies to sharing personal data when applying for permits, processing reports of nuisances, and maintaining civil registry data such as births, marriages and deaths.
Traditional methods such as (standard) e-mail and physical documents are often inadequate, especially in light of stricter data protection requirements and the need for more efficient work processes. Data breach incidents and inadequate security have occurred in the past, highlighting the need for an effective solution.
According to the Personal Data Authority, municipalities were the target of most cyber attacks in 2023, including hacking, phishing and malware incidents. In terms of data breaches, most reports were made in the healthcare sector, followed by municipalities (source: Personal Data Authority, 2023 Data Breach Report 2023).
The challenge
Municipalities have the complex task of managing and sharing personal data and other sensitive information securely and reliably, both internally and with external partners such as healthcare institutions, educational institutions and other government organizations. This must be done in accordance with the strict requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG) and the Government Information Security Baseline (BIO). The BIO provides guidelines and measures to address information security systematically and structurally.
Municipalities face problems such as limited file sizes, transmission errors, insecure communication channels and lack of control over access to shared documents. This means that traditional methods no longer meet today's security requirements and expectations. There are also risks of data breaches, loss of information and unauthorized access to confidential data, especially in sensitive processes such as handling health information and financial records, for example.
There is a need for a solution that ensures high security requirements, is easy to use and integrates with existing work processes. Such a solution must comply with both the AVG and the BIO, with transparency, control and audit capabilities at its core. Municipalities should be able to monitor who has access to information, track which documents have been viewed, and manage access to or removal of shared files if necessary. It is important to strike a balance between security, ease of use and efficiency.
The solution
Every month, more than 25,000 employees of municipalities, municipal partnerships and implementing organizations use FileCap for secure file exchange. FileCap meets the specific requirements for security, efficiency and user-friendliness. It offers a reliable way to share sensitive information without compromising legal and internal data protection requirements.
Key features include:
- End-to-End encryption: All files shared through FileCap are fully encrypted both during transmission and in storage. This minimizes the risk of unauthorized access or data leakage.
- AVG-Conformant: FileCap is AVG compliant and supports BIO compliance, aligning with broader security requirements within the government.
- Ease of use: FileCap integrates with existing systems such as Microsoft Outlook, and does not require complicated software installations or extensive training. This allows employees to securely share files without disrupting their work processes.
- Complete control: Municipalities retain control over who has access to shared files and can manage and revoke that access at any time. FileCap provides audit logs, allowing organizations to track who accessed which files and what actions were taken.
- No file size limits: Unlike traditional methods such as (standard) email, FileCap has no file size limits, allowing large documents to be sent securely and quickly.
FileCap offers municipalities an effective solution for securely and efficiently managing and sharing sensitive information while keeping work processes running smoothly.
Results
Since implementing FileCap, the municipalities involved have observed significant improvements in their work processes, resulting in more efficient and secure exchange of sensitive information. Some key results include:
- Increased security: Since the introduction of FileCap, data security within municipalities has been further tightened. This promotes confidence among both employees and citizens.
- Efficiency increase: The time required to share files has been significantly reduced. Municipal employees can now share data faster and with greater confidence, for example, when providing information to health care providers or receiving job application documents securely.
- Better collaboration: External partners appreciate the simplicity and security of communicating with municipalities via FileCap. This leads to faster and more efficient collaboration processes, such as sharing reports and confidential data.
- Increased control: Municipalities have better visibility into access to shared files. Monitoring and auditing capabilities allow them to directly manage access as needed, providing peace of mind when sharing sensitive information.
- Improved user experience: Employees find the interface user-friendly, which has led to faster adoption of the system within the organization.
- Accelerated internal processes: Files can be easily and securely attached to emails, reducing ambiguities and helping to speed up internal approval processes, for example.
Through these improvements in security, efficiency, collaboration and control, FileCap offers municipalities an effective solution to their daily challenges in managing confidential information.
Conclusion
FileCap has proven to be a valuable tool for municipalities looking for a secure and efficient way to exchange files. By improving the security and efficiency of their processes, municipalities can better focus on their core business while meeting high data protection standards.
With FileCap, municipalities can not only minimize the risk of data breaches, but also facilitate cooperation with external partners and reduce administrative burdens. This leads to an overall increase in services to citizens and other stakeholders.
Want to learn more about how FileCap can support your municipality? Contact us for a no-obligation demo and discover for yourself the benefits FileCap has to offer. We will be happy to help you!
