IONOS receives C5 certification for Compute Engine, Cloud Cubes and S3 Object Storage

Karlsruhe/Berlin, 7 November 2023. IONOS has received the C5 certificate in accordance with the current "Cloud Computing Compliance Criteria Catalogue" (C5) of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). The Type 1 certificate applies to the Compute Engine, Cloud Cubes and S3 Object Storage services following an in-depth audit by an auditing company. The auditor examined whether the description of the actual design and organisation of the internal control systems is appropriate and whether the controls presented are adequately designed. 

In addition to the system description and the framework conditions of the audited cloud services, the auditors examined the implementation of over 190 control mechanisms with which IONOS implements the basic criteria of the requirements.

"IONOS has always been a strong partner when it comes to the digitalisation of sensitive data and applications. With the C5 certificate and our certification in accordance with IT baseline protection, we are once again proving that we fulfil the highest requirements in terms of data protection and IT security. Companies from regulated industries and the public sector in particular can benefit from this," says Achim Weiß, CEO of IONOS.

IONOS offers C5 certification and IT baseline protection

The BSI created the C5 criteria catalogue in 2016 and updated it in 2019, specifying minimum requirements for secure cloud computing based on 125 criteria in 17 subject areas such as access control, business continuity, backups and supplier management. 

"The C5 requirements catalogue has established itself as the highest standard for cloud security on the market. IONOS previously had its ISMS certified in accordance with the BSI's IT-Grundschutz standard, making it the first cloud provider to date to offer both certificates for its customers' services. We are very pleased that IONOS, a German cloud provider, has now received the certificate and previously the certificate, and this is a further step towards secure cloud services in Germany and Europe," says Claudia Plattner, President of the BSI.

The catalogue covers various areas of information security in a cloud environment. In addition to the C5 certificate, IONOS has also been certified according to IT-Grundschutz since September 2022. While the BSI uses C5 to define guidelines for the products, the IT-Grundschutz certification certifies that IONOS has implemented suitable IT security measures in accordance with the standard and operates an effective information security management system (ISMS). "We have invested a lot in the performance and security of our cloud platform in recent years. I am therefore all the more pleased that our high security standard has now also been certified by independent bodies," says Achim Weiß.