Funding Programs for Financing the Cloud Encryption Solution Boxcryptor

Summary: This article gives an overview of the most important funding programs at federal and state level, with which one can finance the cloud encryption software Boxcryptor. It discusses the funding program, the type and amount of funding, and the process.

The Corona crisis at the latest showed how important a modern and secure IT infrastructure is for companies to remain capable of doing business even under difficult circumstances. To ensure a secure IT infrastructure, however, companies sometimes face considerable costs. Below you will find some funding programs from the federal and state governments with which you can have the Boxcryptor Company plan, or the Boxcryptor Enterprise plan subsidized so that your company can benefit from the Boxcryptor cloud encryption solution.

Digital Jetzt – Funding Program of Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

To enable small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) to exploit the economic potential of digitization, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy supports SMEs with the “Digital Jetzt - Investment Support for SMEs” program. It offers financial grants and is intended to encourage companies to invest more in digital technologies as well as in the qualification of their employees. The funding program runs until December 31, 2023.

What is supported: IT security, digitalized business processes, digital market development.

Who is eligible for funding: Small and medium-sized enterprises from all sectors (including craft enterprises and freelancers) with 3 to 499 employees that are planning digitization projects such as investment in software/hardware and/or employee training.

Type of funding: Grants of up to 70% for investments

Amount of funding: The minimum funding amount is 17,000 euros for the investment in digital technologies. The maximum amount of funding is 50,000 euros per company; in the case of investments of value chains and/or networks, it can be up to 100,000 euros per company.

Process: The opportunity to apply for funding in “Digital Jetzt” is determined monthly by a random procedure, i.e., application quotas are allocated among all registered companies on the 15th of the month until the available budget is exhausted. In the funding portal, it is made transparent for each registrant how many participants there are for the monthly quota and how high the chances of being awarded are. The applications submitted by the selected companies are then reviewed and approved in accordance with the funding guidelines. The companies have a maximum of 12 months to implement their funded digitization project. The grant is paid out after successful verification of the use of funds.

ERP Digitization and Innovation Loan from the Reconstruction Loan Corporation

The “ERP Digitization and Innovation Loan” from the Reconstruction Loan Corporation finances digitization and innovation projects in small and medium-sized enterprises. The core element of the funding is a low-interest loan that can be used to finance up to 100% of the eligible investment costs, or operating resources.

What is supported: Digitization of products, production processes and procedures.

Who is eligible for funding: Medium-sized companies, freelancers, and young companies in the process of being established with their registered office in Germany, or with their registered office abroad with subsidiaries, branch offices, operating facilities, or branches in Germany.

Type of funding: Loan with a maximum amount of 25 million euros.

Amount of funding: The maximum grant amount is calculated as a percentage of the fully disbursed loan amount and is paid out by Reconstruction Loan Corporation directly to the applicant in one lump sum once the loan has been fully disbursed. The subsidy amount is variable and is controlled depending on the capital market and volume development. The current development of the grant can be viewed here.

Process: First, a financing partner, e.g. a bank, must be found. Then the loan is applied for by the financing partner found. After the loan application has been reviewed by Reconstruction Loan Corporation, a loan agreement is concluded with the financing partner.

Digitalbonus Bayern

With the [Digitalbonus funding program] (https://www.digitalbonus.bayern/foerderprogramm/), the Free State of Bavaria aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises in equipping themselves for the challenges of the digital world. The funding program will initially run until December 31, 2023.

What is supported: IT security, expenditures to introduce, or improve products, services and processes through hardware and software.

Who is eligible for funding: Small and medium-sized commercial enterprises that have a place of business in Bavaria.

Type of funding: Grant

Amount of funding: Under the “Digitalbonus Standard” program, companies receive a grant of up to 10,000 euros. Under the "Digitalbonus Plus," companies receive a grant of up to 50,000 euros for measures with innovative content.

Process: The application for the Digitalbonus must be completed online. Once the application has been successfully checked, the applicant company is sent a notification of funding and can start digitization measures. Once the measures have been completed, the proof of use must be sent to the responsible district government. The grant is paid out after successful verification of the proof of use. A detailed description and all information on how to apply can also be found on our Digitalbonus Bavaria topic page.

For companies in other German states, there are similar funding programs, including the Digitalbonus Niedersachsen, or Digitalbonus Thüringen, DigitalStarter.Saarland, or Digitalprämie Berlin.

Encryption and Data Protection – Sponsored by the State

Would you like to use cloud storage in your company so that your employees can access important data at any time, from anywhere and with various devices? With Dropbox, OneDrive & Co. you can optimize data management and team collaboration. With more data finding its way into the cloud, protecting oneself becomes more important.
When using Boxcryptor, your data is already encrypted before it is uploaded to the cloud, thus increasing the security of your information. This procedure prevents the data from reaching the servers unencrypted. Thus, they are protected from the eyes of third parties. With Boxcryptor, you can collaborate securely in the cloud while being confident that internal and external compliance policies are being followed.

Conclusion: The federal and state governments offer various support programs for IT security in companies. If you consider buying the Boxcryptor Company plan or the Boxcryptor Enterprise plan, do not hesitate to apply to a grant program. In most cases, it is worth the extra time and effort.