Cybersecurity 2024: synaforce Reflects

7 Min. Reading Time

The BSI has once again published record numbers in its annual report on the state of cybersecurity in Germany. The threat landscape for German companies remains persistently high. synaforce looks back on an eventful year that brought not only many challenges but also some successes.

Key Takeaways

What is Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is a concrete lever for companies in 2024 because it directly affects scalable data center performance, energy efficiency, and compliance. This article uses the example of synaforce to show which requirements, key figures, and operational steps count in practice.

According to the IT Security Situation Report by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), around 309,000 new malware variants were identified daily in 2024, a 26 percent increase compared to the previous year. Attacks on cloud systems, critical infrastructures (KRITIS), and mobile devices were particularly in focus. At the same time, cybercriminals continued to professionalize their methods, exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities and relying on modular attack tools like malware-as-a-service. Another decisive factor influencing the threat landscape was the progress in AI. Generative AI facilitates cyberattacks by creating convincingly genuine phishing messages, programming malicious code, or cracking passwords.

There were also significant regulatory developments. The NIS2 directive, which sets higher cybersecurity standards in critical sectors, was supposed to be transposed into German law by October 2024. The corresponding law has not yet been passed (as of December 2024), leaving uncertainty for companies.

synaforce positions itself in 2024 as a trusted partner for advanced cybersecurity solutions

In 2024, synaforce took decisive steps to strengthen its position as a provider of advanced IT security solutions. The goal was to offer customers comprehensive and secure services while aligning its own systems with the increasing challenges. A key milestone was the C5 certification by the BSI in March 2024, confirming that synaforce’s cloud services meet the highest security standards and are particularly suitable for KRITIS customers.

Furthermore, synaforce specifically prepared for the implementation of the NIS2 directive. The existing certification basis, including ISO/IEC 27001, ISAE 3402, and EN 50600, was further strengthened by the C5 certification. This enables synaforce to support companies in complying with the tightened EU-wide minimum standards.

A second strategic milestone was the deepened partnership with the European security provider TEHTRIS. The joint rollout of the TEHTRIS XDR AI PLATFORM created a modular security architecture that links endpoints, networks, and cloud services and detects attack patterns in real-time using AI. The combination of synaforce’s managed services expertise with TEHTRIS’ platform stack opens up a security setup without US dependency, particularly for industries like finance and KRITIS, an argument that gained significant weight in 2024 due to debates around the US Cloud Act and European data sovereignty.

“We are proud of what we achieved in 2024. However, the threat landscape shows how important it is to consistently expand our position. 2025 will be another year of progress for us, in which we will further intensify our commitment to cybersecurity.”
– Tobias Lehner, CTO synaforce, at the end of 2024

What’s in store for companies in 2025

In 2025, the IT security landscape will face even greater challenges. Cybercriminals are increasingly using deepfake technologies to bypass voice recognition systems in verification processes, for example. Industries like the financial sector are tasked with developing new defense strategies to protect themselves against these advanced deception techniques.

Additionally, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are returning to the forefront. Characterized by their longevity and precision, they pose a serious threat to companies by enabling attackers to access valuable information over the long term. KRITIS companies are increasingly being targeted.

Alongside these technological challenges, there is uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the NIS2 directive. Although the deadline for implementing the EU-wide regulation has already passed, the legislative process in Germany is being delayed. Companies should not wait until the legal situation is clear; proactive measures remain the key to secure IT systems in 2025.

“The threat landscape was already enormous in 2024, and it’s unlikely to improve in 2025. It comes down to our collective resilience to counter the increasingly complex threats. The implementation of the NIS2 directive plays a crucial role here. synaforce actively supports companies with comprehensive consulting and the planning and implementation of targeted measures to minimize cyber risks and establish sustainable security strategies,” says Andreas Braidt, CEO of synaforce.

What the C5 certification specifically means

BSI-C5, the Cloud Computing Compliance Criteria Catalogue, is a comprehensive audit catalog covering 17 areas, issued by the German Federal Office for Information Security. It systematically examines cloud providers on technical, organizational, and procedural security controls. A C5 certificate is more than just a seal of approval; it’s an independent audit report following the international ISAE 3000 auditing standard, which transparently documents sub-service providers, data flows, and controls.

For clients from regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, or government, a C5-certified cloud partner is often a basic prerequisite for commissioning. This significantly simplifies their own compliance documentation, as many audit points are already covered by the certificate. For synaforce, the certification means direct market access to customer segments that were systematically excluded without C5. At the same time, the company distinguishes itself from competitors in the German mid-market segment who cannot or do not want to manage the effort of a C5 audit.

XDR and Managed Detection and Response as a growth area

The partnership with TEHTRIS addresses one of the strongest trends in the cybersecurity market: consolidating isolated security tools into Extended Detection and Response platforms. Instead of separate endpoint detection, network monitoring, and cloud security solutions with their own user interfaces, XDR offers a centralized view of all attack vectors. For MSPs, this is an efficiency gain; for end customers, it’s a better detection rate for complex threats.

Managed Detection and Response goes a step further. Here, a specialized service provider not only supplies the tools but also operates the security monitoring. 24-hour monitoring, incident response, and threat hunting are provided as a service. For companies that cannot operate their own Security Operations Center, this is often the only economically viable option to achieve the level of large corporations within their own operations. With the TEHTRIS partnership, synaforce positions itself in this growth area, opening up new revenue and growth opportunities within its own network of Managed Service Providers.

What KRITIS companies must implement in 2025

For companies considered critical infrastructure, the combination of NIS2, BSI law, and DORA creates a dense regulatory framework. Specifically, KRITIS operators must ensure the following by 2025: documented IT risk management, formalized incident response processes with reporting deadlines, regular resilience tests, and active management of third-party service provider risks. The effort is significant, and implementation can take several months to years.

Many mid-sized companies underestimate the organizational aspect. IT security is no longer just a technical issue in modern regulations but a governance task at the executive level. Those who still believe that setting up a firewall and conducting an annual penetration test makes them DORA- or NIS2-compliant are systematically wrong. The new regulations demand comprehensive process documentation, clear roles and responsibilities, and evidence of a lived security culture.

Why compliance evidence becomes a market access condition

An often-underestimated side effect of the regulatory wave is that compliance evidence increasingly becomes a market access condition. Those who enter public tenders without BSI-C5, ISO 27001, and documented NIS2 readiness systematically end up at the back of the pack. Even in private procurement processes of large corporations, security evidence is increasingly being queried as a must-have criterion.

For IT service providers in the mid-market, this creates a clear strategic direction. Either they actively build the relevant certifications and position them as a competitive advantage, or they will be gradually pushed out of the high-margin customer segments. With its C5 investment, synaforce has taken exactly this path and positions itself as a provider that not only meets regulatory requirements but actively uses them as a differentiator. For its customers, synaforce becomes a partner that takes compliance risks off the table instead of amplifying them.

Deepfake protection as a new field of action

Among the threats expected for 2025, Deepfake-based social engineering attacks hold a special position. Unlike classic phishing attacks, they not only use manipulated text messages but also deceptively real voices and videos. Examples from 2024 show that attackers were able to convince CFOs to transfer multi-million Euro amounts to foreign accounts using AI-generated voices. These attacks bypass classic two-factor authentication because they target trust between people.

Defense strategies require a combination of technical and organizational measures. Out-of-band verification for sensitive transactions, documented approval processes with a multi-eyes principle, continuous awareness training, and the use of detection tools for synthetic media are becoming the new standard. For MSPs, this creates another consulting field that goes beyond classic IT security and deeply intervenes in customers’ processes and communication rules.

Looking ahead

The threat situation in 2024 was a record, and it is likely to exceed it in 2025. At the same time, however, the maturity of defense tools, regulatory frameworks, and specialized service providers is also growing. For German companies, this creates a clear alternative to purely reactive damage limitation: a structured combination of certified infrastructure, modern XDR platforms, and experienced consulting partners. Those who build this combination in time not only reduce risks but also gain competitive advantages with customers and supervisory authorities. synaforce has taken this path in 2024 and will continue it consistently in 2025 and 2026.

For IT decision-makers in the Mittelstand and KRITIS environment, an annual self-analysis along the four core questions is recommended: What is the current maturity level of your security architecture, which certifications are still missing, which third-party service providers are critical, and who bears operational and legal responsibility in an emergency. The answers to these four questions will significantly determine future competitiveness in a regulatory environment that is changing much faster than many established internal security roadmaps currently provide for.

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