By Bert Lorenz
Lessons learned in Germany
The Department of Home Affairs has unveiled an ambitious plan called “Home Affairs @ Home,” aiming to completely transform into a digital organization during the current government’s term, as announced by Minister Leon Schreiber. The goal is to digitize and automate all routine services, making them accessible online, so no one would need to visit department offices in person.
While this is an ambitious vision, it is also a challenging undertaking that will require innovative and bold approaches to become a reality.
Thinking Outside the Box
HSH Soft- und Hardware Vertriebs GmbH, the market leader in municipal software in Germany, has a proven track record of developing various software solutions over the past 30 years. Germany faced a similar challenge, requiring fresh thinking and a shift in approach. The German municipal software market has long been under pressure due to ongoing regulatory and technical changes, resulting in a consolidation of providers over the years. Notably, the sector is largely dominated by medium-sized software companies rather than big names.
Success in this competitive environment has depended on continuous investment in innovation. For us, the goal was not just to strengthen our market position with better products and acquisitions but to create something transformative.
Integration Over Fragmented Solutions
Around 15 years ago, a disruptive idea emerged, which today has evolved into VOIS (www.vois.org), a comprehensive management platform that addresses the needs of modern, secure, and citizen-friendly software solutions.
The core concept of VOIS involves collaboration. The national VOIS community, launched by the software producer association DATABUND, brings together various competitors to co-develop a shared management operating system. The VOIS platform offers a suite of products that address regulatory, security, and technical challenges at the VOIS|BASE level, enabling companies to share costs and resources.
This shared foundation allows individual companies to focus on developing specific administrative applications while benefiting from common features like standardized software interfaces, a unified security architecture, and a consistent user interface. As the public sector strives to keep pace with the digitization of citizens’ private lives, virtual administration services are becoming more of a reality, providing services independent of time and place.
Today, the success of this idea is evident, with 15 software manufacturers participating in the VOIS community, collectively capturing 75% of the German market by population.
Collaboration: The Key to Overcoming Challenges
Minister Schreiber has clearly identified the problems within the ministry and is calling for widespread participation in the restructuring process. He has welcomed contributions from all who are willing to support the achievement of these goals.
The VOIS concept has expanded beyond Germany, with VOIS-INTERNATIONAL now offering a platform that has been successfully introduced in South Africa. One example of this success is the university town of Stellenbosch (Stellenbosch Municipality).
A Conference to Shape the Future
As part of the VOIS community’s international efforts, we have established HSH Global Software (Pty) Ltd. (Registered South African Company) in Somerset West. In collaboration with our German partners, we held this year’s global strategy conference in Somerset West in October.
We are eager to respond to Minister Schreiber’s call and support the ministry’s restructuring process, demonstrating our willingness to engage in constructive dialogue.
VOIS: Paving the Way for Digital Government Administration
The future of government administration is rooted in efficiency, digital solutions, and citizen engagement—and VOIS is the platform leading the way. More than just software, VOIS is a revolutionary, modular platform designed specifically for local governments and public institutions. It connects administrative departments, streamlines processes, and offers citizens a seamless, digital-first experience.
What makes VOIS unique is its modular flexibility. Local governments can integrate essential services like civil registration, vehicle licensing, and business permits into one unified system. This approach not only saves costs and increases transparency but also enables the full digitization of citizen requests. VOIS is adaptable, making it the ideal solution for small towns and large metropolitan areas alike, allowing municipalities to customize their systems to meet specific needs.
With VOIS, citizens can manage their administrative tasks entirely online—whether it’s applying for ID cards, registering vehicles, or submitting requests—all from the comfort of their homes. Security is a top priority with VOIS Protector, which encrypts all transmitted data, ensuring that sensitive information is accessible only to authorized personnel.
For citizens, this means faster, more convenient, and secure services. Many applications are processed in real time, providing instant feedback, and eliminating the need for long lines at city offices or dealing with paperwork. For local governments, VOIS ensures secure and compliant data handling through certified data centres.
VOIS turns the vision of a paperless, efficient, and user-friendly administration into reality. By setting a new standard for the digitization of public services, VOIS empowers cities and municipalities to confidently embrace the digital future. Ready to future-proof your city? VOIS is just a click away.
VOIS – The Future of Digital Government Administration
VOIS marks a transformative shift in administrative communication, providing a powerful and modular platform tailored to the specific needs of local governments. Its innovative design is built on a flexible building-block system that allows for the seamless integration of various specialized procedures and online services, enabling administrations to work more efficiently and offer citizen-centred services.
A key strength of VOIS is its versatility. The platform supports a wide range of administrative functions, including civil registration, vehicle registration, business licensing, EPWP management, Social Housing management, DMS and Asset management to name a few. Each module is customizable and can be integrated into existing systems internal or external, offering administrations exceptional flexibility to meet their unique needs.
One of VOIS’s major advantages is the complete digitization of administrative processes. Citizens can access a wide array of services online, these services are backed by a highly secure communication infrastructure. VOIS Protector ensures that sensitive data is transmitted securely and encrypted, with access limited to authorized personnel only.
VOIS employs modern encryption technologies to safeguard data during online transactions. A standout feature of the platform is its ability to process applications in real-time. For instance, citizens submitting a request for a data protection block can receive immediate feedback on whether their application has been approved.
In addition to secure real-time processing, VOIS also supports asynchronous processing, allowing citizens to submit applications online that will be processed by the administration later, without requiring physical presence or immediate feedback.
With its flexible architecture, VOIS enables administrations to efficiently implement e-government services while improving service quality for citizens. Data processing is conducted in certified data centres that meet the highest security standards, ensuring that municipalities can comply with legal and technical requirements while reducing costs through digital transformation.
In summary, VOIS is a modern, secure, and forward-thinking software solution designed to meet the unique needs of municipalities, effectively bridging the gap between citizens and government authorities through digital innovation.
