There is a week left to upgrade your email security infrastructure to meet the "Market Communication 2020" requirements if you work with the German energy sector. The new Energy Module from Zertificon allows email exchange in compliance with guidelines.

The email encryption provider Zertificon Solutions has rolled out its EDI@Energy compliant solution for market communication and schedule data exchange with German energy companies. Emails with schedule data that before only needed to be digitally signed will now additionally be encrypted in compliance with Stage 2 of MaKo 2020.

As a subset of EDIFACT, the EDI@Energy communication standard regulates the electronic data exchange between the German energy market partners. According to the "Market Communication 2020" regulation (Marktkommunikation 2020 - MaKo 2020), all files and emails for Schedule Data Exchange (Fahrplanaustausch) with the German market must be digitally signed at Stage 1 and additionally encrypted at Stage 2. The implementation day for the second stage was postponed from July 1, 2020, to October 1, 2020, due to COVID-19. In 6 days both a signature and encryption are required for data exchange.

Zertificon has been securing email communication for over 15 years. Its Energy Module is available as an extension to the core Z1 SecureMail Gateway product. The latest product release fully complies with the requirements of the current EDI@Energy regulations for communication with market partners and schedule data exchange between Balance Responsible Parties and Transmission System Operators. The Energy Module (specification) allows the exchange of emails conveniently, automatically, and instantly in compliance with guidelines.

"Modernization processes in Germany's energy sector call on energy suppliers to adapt rapidly to new regulatory requirements. The latest MaKo 2020 brings significant changes to electronic communication and demands the highest level of security for data exchange processes. Therefore, it's our honor to offer timely support to the energy sector with the compliant scalable solution for secure exchange of critical business data between the German energy market partners." — Dr. Burkhard Wiegel, CEO of Zertificon Solutions.


Zertificon Solutions GmbH is a security IT company headquartered in Berlin, Germany established in 2004. The team of 100 employees delivers software for centralized email encryption, signing, and file transfer to over 800 companies from the energy, finance, insurance, automotive, engineering, public service, healthcare, pharmacy, accounting, legal and other sectors. Zertificon's software products carry the "IT Security Made in Germany" quality seal from the German association for IT security, TeleTrust.
Alongside PKI based encryption (S/MIME and OpenPGP), the company supports key-less password-based encryption for recipients without a PKI. Zertificon's solutions enable a spontaneous exchange of emails and large files with business partners and end consumers, providing effective protection against industrial espionage and satisfying IT compliance requirements.