Managed Open Source: Strong IT security despite low resources

IT security is no longer a luxury — it is essential for survival.

Cyber attacks pose a massive threat to companies, while IT budgets do not increase at all (or only moderately) and are used inefficiently. Proprietary software solutions are expensive and inflexible. At the same time, there is increasing pressure to maintain digital sovereignty and comply with legal requirements.

Managed Open Source offers a solution: more flexibility, more security — less effort.

In this article, you will learn how you can use managed open source to increase your IT security, enable digital sovereignty and benefit from attractive cost advantages at the same time.

The reality of IT security in Germany

The figures speak for themselves — and they are alarming:

• 64% of employees in German companies use the same password multiple times.
• 84% of companies in Germany have already been victims of a cyber attack.
• The annual costs of cybercrime amount to 203 billion euros.

The question is therefore not whether action must be taken, but how. Companies need security strategies that ward off cyber attacks and are sustainable and economical at the same time.

What makes good IT security — and what stands in its way

A good IT security strategy has three goals:

1. Confidentiality: Protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access.
2. Integrity: Ensuring that data is not manipulated.
3. Availability: IT systems must be reliably ready for use.

In the practice of many companies, however, there are numerous obstacles:

• high costs with low budgets for cybersecurity and compliance • increasing cyber attacks, which are fuelled by AI, among other things • Weaknesses caused by hybrid IT/OT systems and legacy infrastructures • limited resources and skills shortages in IT departments • Vulnerable people due to low awareness and operating errors

In addition, many companies rely on proprietary software, which is expensive and inflexible. Many IT teams that use such software feel externally controlled. New product versions are presented to you, even if you don't want or need them at all.

Open-source software: The perfect alternative for your IT security?

Open source software offers a significant increase in flexibility and independence compared to proprietary software.

The open source code allows you to tailor software exactly to your needs. You save on high licensing costs, remain independent of manufacturers and benefit from rapid security updates from a dedicated developer community.

But there is a downside.

Security gaps can arise if the open-source software is not regularly maintained and patched. It is complex to manage the various license terms and avoid legal risks. In addition, there is no central control and maintenance is complex.

That's where managed open source comes in.

Managed Open Source: Take advantage, avoid risks

Managed Open Source combines the best of two worlds: You use the flexibility and cost advantages of open source without having to worry about technical details, risks such as security gaps or high maintenance costs.

In concrete terms, this means that a managed open source provider professionally manages and supports your open source software for you. It takes care of all important tasks for you that are often so annoying and time-consuming with open source: deployment, maintenance, security updates and support.

This is how you benefit from managed open source:

• Proactive support: Automatic security updates and rapid responses to new threats reliably protect your systems.
• Compliance security: Professional license management ensures that legal requirements such as GDPR and the like are met.
• Scalability: Your IT grows flexibly with your company — without additional effort for your internal teams.

Which open source should you rely on?

Keycloak is one of the most common open source solutions in the IT security environment. It is used by companies all over the world to securely manage digital identities. With features such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO) and an active international developer community, Keycloak has established itself as the market standard in identity and access management.

Nevertheless, Keycloak is barely manageable for many companies (especially those with low IT resources) in-house due to the challenges of open source mentioned above.

Bare.ID offers an attractive solution here.

Bare.ID: Keycloak at its core — but safer and easier

Bare.ID uses Keycloak as the core of its managed open source service and adds key features to provide you with a fully managed solution:

1. Easy to use: Bare.ID supplements Keycloak with an intuitive user interface and preconfigured applications that make it easy to set up and operate.
2. Comprehensive managed services: Bare.ID takes care of hosting, operation, updates and maintenance in full — so you can concentrate fully on your core tasks.
3. Deployment flexibility: Whether as a SaaS, hybrid or on-premise — Bare.ID offers Keycloak in a way that fits your IT strategy.
4. Security Made in Germany: Bare.ID guarantees the highest security and data protection standards. Your data is processed exclusively in Germany.
5. Automated patch management: Security updates are carried out reliably without you having to intervene.

Bare.ID not only makes Keycloak more secure, but also significantly easier to use.

Protect your business — and future-proof your IT

With Bare.ID, you are always one step ahead of cyber attacks. Benefit from a secure, flexible, and easy-to-use solution for your identity and access management without having to worry about technical details or compliance requirements. Learn more about Bare.id and how our software helps you to increase your IT security: