Where do we sign?

It has been two years since inSign joined BSI. In this interview, Markus Brunold, CEO of BSI and Martin Hierhager, Managing Director of inSign, explain what has been happening since 2022, what the future holds, and why they would sign the merger agreement again any time.

InSign has been part of the BSI family for two years now. How far is BSI from inSign’s office in Marzling?

Markus: "If it’s urgent, Marzling is only a phone call away. BSI and inSign have grown together substantially over the past two years, not only on the product side. One of the things good teamwork requires is continuous communication. We see each other online, but also in person, whenever possible. For example, this past summer we celebrated Midsummer together.”

Can you give us some insight into which milestones the company has achieved since 2022?

Markus: "The legally binding electronic signature has become an integral element of the BSI Customer Suite. BSI inSign successfully rounds off our BSI Engage module. It also extends our corporate customers’ process chains because their clients can sign contracts on their own online or during video sales consulting sessions. The contracts are then automatically transferred to black box processing and archiving. This is a pleasant gain in efficiency for all sides."

Martin: "During the first six months after the merger, our task was to move on from our previous company and the associated systems. That was no easy task, but thanks to the close collaboration and outstanding teamwork with BSI, we mastered this challenge successfully.

It is particularly gratifying to see how quickly and easily inSign was integrated into the BSI Customer Suite. In the meantime, e-signature processes have become a separate entity in the Suite and create added value in various places.

Another significant milestone was the completion of the remodeling of our office in Marzling, which is north of Munich. Although the construction had been planned independently of the merger with BSI, it ended up being implemented as a joint office. You can see this, for example, in the display of our values and the photos of our BSI colleagues on the walls. And by now, the office has become really smart and comfortable."

Can you give us an example of a successful customer project?

Martin: "Our joint customers continuously use the two systems in combination and provide valuable input for use cases that generate added value. I am particularly proud that AMAG (Automobil- und Motoren AG), as the first current BSI customer, has newly licensed inSign. In the meantime, we have done a comprehensive roll-out of inSign at AMAG and are already talking about the next upgrades."

Which common values have shaped your collaboration?

Martin: "During the first few months as inSign GmbH, we discussed and developed our values on the basis of BSI’s values. Fortunately, inSign and BSI are very similar in many ways: For me, the strong goal orientation, the pragmatism that is necessary at times, and the collaboration that is always full of appreciation are the essence of what we embrace."

Did you have joint teams or working groups? If so, how were they set up?

Martin: "Initially, the communication between the two companies involved only a few people, which was very effective. Over time, however, a network has developed between many people, and by now we have great synergies in IT, finance, and the cloud. In service and support, too, we are becoming increasingly interconnected."

Your vision for the future: Where do you see BSI and inSign in 5 years?

Markus: "inSign is one of the most promising projects in our innovation incubator. Our business development team weighs in with clever ideas for inSign that we can test without dependencies, translate into measurable goals, and ultimately implement. So, as you can see, we have quite a bit to look forward to in the future."

Martin: "I am sure that in 5 years, we will have gained a foothold in new industries and will have significantly expanded our footprint in our focus industries – the same applies to our partners in Eastern Europe. Our features will fully cover all the needs of our increasingly regulated customers, and the EUDI wallet will be seamlessly integrated. By then, we will have digitized a great many process chains for our customers end-to-end together with BSI!"

A question for fun: If you could choose a superpower for each of your companies, what would it be?

Markus: "My first pick would be the ability to “beam” each other back and forth. Then BSI employees would be able to communicate even better and get to know each other faster."

Martin: "I would even dare say that we already have a superpower! ;-) Our superpower is clearly the speed at which customers can execute signature and handover processes with inSign."

inSign x BSI

inSign stands for state-of-the-art signature software. With its "inSign Seal" product package, the company provides a seal service in addition to the electronic signature solution. As part of the BSI software, inSign’s products are also available in the BSI Customer Suite.