From fax system consultant to digital workplace advisor

“We want to show our customers how easy digital working is. Both users and administrators benefit from real added value thanks to EBF’s services,” says Markus Adolph, summarizing the vision of the Cologne-based IT service provider. What is now achieved by around 90 employees began in 1994 as a two-man partnership offering services related to fax systems—the prevailing communication technology at the time—and collaboration solutions in the IBM Lotus Notes environment.

When the world’s first smartphone was launched in the early 2000s and the first iPhone in 2007, EBF quickly realized that this would change the way we work in the future and foresaw the need for device management. From that point on, mobile devices and, from 2010, enterprise mobility management solutions became the focus of its corporate strategy. Today, the company is a partner to many leading UEM providers and other technology companies and offers many of its own products and services that make the digital workplace a reality in companies.

Proprietary products and services for specific customer challenges

EBF has developed many proprietary solutions that simplify mobile working and offer significant added value for both users and administrators. In 2006, for example, the company launched the EBF Connector, which enables access to numerous data sources and enterprise applications. In 2015, EBF Onboarder was launched, enabling a largely automated switch from one UEM system to another. Due to the large number of UEM systems that had become established in the meantime, such a switch was becoming increasingly necessary. To date, more than 750,000 devices have been successfully migrated.

EBF also recognized early on that customers wanted to reduce the load on their internal infrastructure and began offering hosting services in 2012. This offering was and continues to be very well received. Today, more than 200,000 devices are hosted in EBF’s certified German data center.

These products and services, combined with the large network and, above all, the consulting expertise and agility of the EBF team, make EBF a valuable partner for many companies—today and in the future.

Identifying and implementing the right trends early on

“We are very proud of the last 25 years and what we have achieved together with our team and our partners. We have repeatedly proven in the past that we can identify industry trends early on and transform them into valuable solutions and services for our customers,“ says Marco Föllmer. ”This will continue to be our goal in the future, so that we can help our customers realize and continuously optimize the digital workplace,” Föllmer continues.

Well equipped for the future

Many indicators clearly show that companies need to change: trends such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, the drive for location-independent working, and increased cyber risks are forcing companies to transform themselves and also change the world of work.

“Only if we address future challenges and trends in the market today and think about possible solutions can we continue to survive in this fast-moving market. Cooperation is also very important in this context,” says Markus Adolph. That is why EBF founded the Enterprise Mobility Expert Alliance in 2015 – a network of leading IT service providers in Europe. Through collaborations such as this and professional exchange, it is possible to quickly develop solutions for existing and future challenges. In 2011, EBF also began a collaboration with Telekom and developed a comprehensive joint mobility portfolio that is constantly being further developed. This gives Telekom’s business customers a major advantage, as they receive all mobile solutions from a single source.

The EBF anniversary event on the future of the digital workplace

The company’s 25th anniversary was cause for celebration, inviting employees, customers, partners, and long-standing companions to a unique, innovative event. In September, EBF hosted an event on the future of the digital workplace in Cologne, where the history and beginnings of the company were commemorated, while an inspiring keynote speech, exciting start-up pitches, and interactive breakout sessions provided insight into the future of mobile working. The event also offered plenty of opportunity for networking and celebration.

“We would like to thank our employees, partners, and customers for their trust and look forward to the next 25 years,” says Markus Adolph, summarizing the anniversary.

With this in mind, the EBF team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We look forward to continuing to support you in the implementation of digital workplace projects in 2020.