At a Glance
The BAUER Group is the leading provider of services, machinery and products for ground and groundwater. Its worldwide network includes over 110 subsidiaries. The operations of the Group are divided into three segments: Construction, Equipment and Resources. In 2017 the Group employed around 11,000 people and achieved total Group revenues of 1.8 billion euros.
Bauer benefits greatly from the interaction between the three business segments and positions itself as an innovative and highly specialized supplier of products and services for demanding specialist foundation engineering and related markets. Bauer offers suitable solutions to the major challenges in the world, such as urbanization, the growing need for infrastructure, the environment and water, oil and gas.
The Challenge
From a small craft business, founded in 1790, to a leading international group: over the past two centuries, the BAUER Group has changed just as much as the day-to-day work and working environment of its employees. Nowadays more and more people are working remotely, often using their mobile devices to work quicker and more effectively. In addition to the many benefits, increasing employee mobility poses some risks for both the company and its employees. Therefore, a reliable Enterprise Mobility Management solution (EMM) was crucial for the security and further development of the BAUER Group.
The BAUER Group is a versatile company with equally varied fields of activity: from plant operators and soil improvement project managers, right through to tourist sales representatives. “Remote work and real-time information exchange play a key role in our company’s daily work,” explains Marco Fröhlich, head of the BAUER IT Helpdesk. Secure data exchange, as well as productive and user-friendly applications have top priority. For this reason, the BAUER Group has been relying on BlackBerry® Enterprise Mobility Suite for several years.
The Solution
The secure and convenient management of end devices - regardless of manufacturer, type or operating system - makes remote work in companies possible. The BAUER Group relies on the corporate-owned, personally-enabled (COPE) model. In other words, the company provides its employees with company-owned equipment that can also be used privately. Most employee devices run on the Android operating system. Combining business and private use places special demands on mobile security. With BlackBerry® Dynamics™, business data is encrypted, protected and separated from the user’s private data.
“Internal data cannot leave the company at any time. This is an important prerequisite for fulfilling the legal requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)”, explains Fröhlich. If a device is stolen or goes missing, company data can be blocked or completely deleted within a very short time. “It was important to us that employees could use the devices as freely as possible. We wanted a secure solution that could be rolled out quickly with newly activated devices,” says Fröhlich. BlackBerry was able to meet these requirements better than competitors: “No other company offers a comparable container solution with this range of functions”, explains Fröhlich.
When implementing the new solution, the BAUER Group placed great emphasis on extensive employee training. This made it easier for users to understand that a container solution not only protects business data, but also their privacy. Tutorial videos and a top-down introduction from management and executives already using the solution contributed to its adoption.
Marco Fröhlich advises companies considering an EMM solution to start small, with BlackBerry® Work or BlackBerry® Access, the secure browser from BlackBerry. “Depending on user needs, the portfolio can then be gradually expanded to include other applications,” continues Fröhlich.
Additionally, BlackBerry Work allows BAUER Group employees to perform their tasks securely. By integrating email, calendars, contacts and documents into one app, BlackBerry Work enables faster communication and effective collaboration across different time zones. Microsoft® Apps, such as Skype for Business, can also be used seamlessly on mobile devices through BlackBerry Work.
The Results
With 11,000 employees and steady business growth, the ability to swiftly connect new employees and their mobile devices to the corporate network is crucial. “It was very important to us to ensure that new employees are integrated as quickly as possible,” emphasises Fröhlich.
This need was also met by the BlackBerry Work App. “Each new employee downloads the app to their smartphone and can log into the company network within a few minutes using their email address and an activation code,” continues Fröhlich. The employee receives the activation code from the company’s IT-Helpdesk. Emails, calendars and contacts are automatically synced after registration. Once registered, employees can unlock additional private devices in the BlackBerry Self-Service Portal.
Digitalisation will remain the dominant topic in the coming years, and not only in the construction industry. The security aspect is becoming more and more relevant as a guard against increasingly interconnected cyber criminals. In this respect, the BAUER Group is well-prepared with BlackBerry’s solutions and can securely write the next chapter in the company’s successful history.
Organization Profile
Industry Construction, Mechanical Engineering
Employees 11,000
Location Germany
http://www.bauer.de