Heidelberg shows that digital administration is the key to the future!

Heidelberg shows that digital administration is the key to the future!

Heidelberg, Deutschland - In Heidelberg, the digital administration has been very dazzling for 25 years. With a modern IT infrastructure, the city has put an impressive path, and this is not only important for the citizens. The use of a virtualized memory architecture, which has now survived five hardware generations, is a cornerstone of this development. The focus on highly available storage and seamless scalability shows that digitization goes far beyond the exchange of online applications and citizen portals. it-daily emphasizes that at the end of the 1990s there was an inconsistent IT landscape, which was massively hindered.

At that time the systems were linked directly to servers, and silo structures made it difficult to replace information. The step towards a storage area Network (SAN), which offers enormous flexibility, was therefore a real change. The choice fell on Datacore and their SANSYMPHONY, which was later to revolutionize the memory virtualization. Already in the test phase, the solution convinced by high availability and dynamics, while existing memory hardware could be used.

progress and projects

Nowadays, Heidelberg manages around 350 terabytes of data in a central storage pool, a huge increase in the initial 100 gigabytes. The IT landscape is distributed over over 2,000 virtual servers that serve a variety of specialist applications for more than 30 offices-a clear proof that digitization is not just a lip service here. It also shows that the continuous data protocol (CDP) and modern backup strategies such as those of Veeam, which reduce RTO and RPO significant, are of great importance. Grant Thornton adds that such IT infrastructures can become a blueprint for digital sovereignty.

However, the challenges for digitization should not be underestimated. While larger cities such as Heidelberg often have financial resources, smaller communities face significantly greater difficulties. Political and social requirements make high demands on public administration, which often cannot be met by outdated IT systems. The shortage of skilled workers in particular is a challenge that often delays the implementation of new systems, since more and more municipalities have to compete for qualified IT specialists.

digital infrastructure and proximity to the citizens

The need to modernize the technological infrastructure in order to be able to act efficiently for citizens and companies is undisputed. A long -term digitization strategy should not only include technological equipment, but also the training and training of employees. According to the motto "start small, get big", small projects such as Unified Communications or Open Data can make initiatives a significant contribution to transparency and proximity to the citizens href = "https://www.egovernment.de/digitization-in-kommunen-2025-es-voran-a-46da58ca0683d2fe8b80b382c2375/"> Egovernment emphasized

The development of public administration is a dynamic process, and technological progress, such as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of chatbots, further improves communication between citizens and the authorities. However, these technologies also require investments in IT and employee training in order to develop their full effect. In addition, security standards must be observed so that data protection and protection against cyber attacks are guaranteed.

The digital transformation of the administration is therefore an important topic, not only for Heidelberg, but for all municipalities in Germany. The exchange of best practices and the collaboration with each other are becoming increasingly important to keep up in this area. Heidelberg stands here as an example of successful digitization and a good knack in investing in future-proof IT strategies.