Together.

Together.

Hauptstraße 58, 3021 Pressbaum, Österreich - On March 30, 2025, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and Johannes Pressl, the President of the Austrian Association, signed a new security cooperation under the name "Together.Ifich". This initiative aims to strengthen cyber security in the communities of Austria. The focus on digital security is particularly important because municipalities are currently facing considerable challenges in IT security.

The official signing of the agreement will take place on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 1 p.m. in the Pressbaum municipal office, Hauptstraße 58, 3021 press tree. Media representatives are invited to this date, whereby an accreditation is necessary. Information on the accreditation can be found at this link . Ministerial Councilor Markus Haindl is available as a press officer for questions.

challenges of municipal IT security

IT security in municipalities is diverse and difficult to overlook in many areas. According to a study by the Foundation, the new responsibility and the German City Day from 2023, the cybersecurity compass shows that there is an urgent need for action to improve information security. The study emphasizes that municipalities and small cities have to concretely consider which improvements are necessary to achieve an adequate level of security.

The Federal Office of Information Technology has developed the IT basic protection compendium, which serves as a comprehensive answer to information security. Nevertheless, it is found that this approach is often impractical for smaller organizations and municipalities. For this reason, alternative, slimmer concepts were developed. These include, among other things, the "Way to the Basic Control (Wiba)" and the "IT Grundschutz-Prooffil basic security municipal administration". These approaches offer a compromise between comprehensive security requirements and the practical feasibility for municipalities.

need for clear structures

In order to strengthen IT security sustainably, it is essential to determine clear responsibilities and structures within the municipalities. Knowledge of central questions and measures for IT security must be distributed in every community to ensure effective protection. In this context, the new cooperation "Together. Safe" is considered an important step to help bundle and support the cyber security initiatives for municipalities.