Press Release 135/2011

audriga: Moving E-mail Accounts Among Cloud Providers

Startup of KIT and FZI Is Granted Innovation Award by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology
Ausgezeichnet: Zwei der drei audriga-Gründer nahmen den Preis  auf der IFA entgegen Hans-Jörg Happel (links) und Dr. Thomas King.  (Foto: privat)
Two of the three founders of audriga, Hans-Jörg Happel (left), and Dr. Thomas King, were presented the award at the IFA. (Photo: private)

The “audriga“ startup of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the FZI Research Center for Information Technology is granted an award in the “Gründerwettbewerb – IKT Innovativ" (startup competition IKT Innovativ) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and the special award “Internet of Services“ for its service to move e-mail accounts and files on the internet. Today, State Secretary Stefan Kapferer from BMWi handed over the award to the audriga founders Dr. Thomas King and Hans-Jörg Happel at the IFA, Berlin.

Moving an e-mail account on the internet, together with all e-mails, images, and files, from one provider to another so far has been associated with a high expenditure. With a self-service that moves the data directly on the internet’s data highway, account holders will be able to move their data easily and safely from one to another Cloud provider in the future. For this idea, the Karlsruhe startup audriga cloud information logistics has now been granted the award of the “Gründerwettbewerb – IKT Innovativ" (Startup Competition – IKT Innovativ) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. At the IFA, Berlin, today, this award was presented by Stefan Kapferer, State Secretary of the BMWi, to two of the three audriga founders, Dr. Thomas King and Hans-Jörg Happel. In addition to the BMWi award, the startup of KIT and the FZI Research Center for Information Technology also won the THESEUS Special Award “Internet of Services” of Attensity Europe, SAP, and Siemens.

The Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Dr. Thomas King describes the principle of the new offer as follows: “Conventional tools for moving e-mails transport these mails via the computer of the user. Typically, such computers are only connected via DSL. The audriga service is directly connected to the data highways of the internet that are mostly quicker than DSL by a factor of 1000. By means of the audriga service, e-mails can be moved among Cloud providers at maximum speed.”

The new service also offers important information for planning large relocations that are frequently made at companies. For example, the duration of moving a high number of e-mails accounts is estimated. With the help of this novel, flexibly scalable service, it is possible to move hundreds of e-mail accounts within hours. A special focus of audriga lies on IT security that is ensured by compliance with international security standards.

“The business idea of audriga is highly promising, because it directly maps the flexibility of the Cloud,” says the Cloud computing expert, Professor Dr. Stefan Tai, holder of a chair at KIT and Director of FZI, who also is the mentor of the startup of the young scientists. Frank Dengler, the third founder of audriga, and Hans-Jörg Happel contribute their know-how from their work as researchers in the field of information and knowledge management. Dr. Thomas King previously worked as a product manager and security expert for 1&1 Internet AG and DE-CIX Management GmbH.

With the start of the IFA, audiga will start the closed beta phase to test the e-mail account moving service by registered first users. Test use is cost-free: http://www.audriga.com/beta.html
 
Background
Companies and end users increasingly store data, such as e-mails, files, or images, with Cloud providers rather than on their local computer. This allows for access from various end devices (PC, laptop, or smart phone) as well as for easier data exchange with other users. However, these advantages go at the expense of strong binding to the respective Cloud providers. Change to a cheaper or better Cloud provider so far has been technically complicated, error-prone, and time-consuming. Here, audriga helps the users with its safe, rapid, and easy-to-operate moving service. It links to various Cloud provideres and directly moves the data of the users.

Further Information
FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik
Haid-und-Neu-Str. 10-14, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Johanna Barsch, FZI Corporate Communications and Media
Phone: +49 721 9654-904
E-mail: barsch does-not-exist.fzi de
Internet: www.fzi.de

Vera Münch PR+TEXTE
Phone: +49 5121 82613   
Mobile: +49 171 3825545
E-mail: muench does-not-exist.fzi de


About audriga
audriga helps users move their data, such as e-mails, files, or images, among Cloud providers. This is accomplished by means of a secure, rapid, and easy-to-operate moving service that connects to various Cloud providers and directly moves the data of the user. audriga offers a flexible moving service that can process efficiently even large amounts of data. The special focus of audriga lies on IT security that is ensured by compliance with international security standards.

audriga is a startup of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the FZI Research Center for Information Technology. The company was founded by Frank Dengler, Hans-Jörg Happel, and Dr. Thomas King.


Contact Partner:
Dr. Thomas King, CTO and founder
audriga cloud information logistics
E-mail:king does-not-exist.audriga com

About the FZI Research Center for Information Technology
FZI is an institution of the State of Baden-Württemberg and the former Universität Karlsruhe (TH), now Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). It has the legal status of a non-profit foundation under civil law. Its mission is the transfer of latest scientific findings of information technology from computer science, engineering sciences, and economic sciences to companies and public institutions. In cooperation projects and under contract research agreements, the FZI develops concepts for organizational tasks as well as software and systems solutions for its business partners and implements them in innovative projects, services, and business processes.

Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,800 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.

vm, 02.09.2011
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Press Officer
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