Förster IT-Dienstleistungen

What Förster IT-Dienstleistungen does

Förster IT-Dienstleistungen GmbH is a privately held German managed services provider headquartered in Neumünster, with additional offices in Kiel and Oldenburg. Founded in 2004, the company specializes in IT outsourcing, cloud hosting, and digital transformation services for tax advisory firms (Steuerberater and Kanzleien) and small-to-medium enterprises in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. Its core platform, FÖRSTERasp365, delivers cloud-hosted IT infrastructure inside DATEV data centers, integrating Microsoft 365, ELO ECM document management, FP Sign digital signatures, NFON cloud telephony, and a wide partner stack (Veeam, MailStore, Baramundi, 1Password). The firm holds DATEV Solution Partner status since 2004, DATEV Corporate Partner status since 2009, and as of 2025 the only DATEV PARTNERasp Premium-Partner designation in Schleswig-Holstein and Niedersachsen. It is ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified by TÜV Rheinland.

The business model combines recurring managed services (FÖRSTERasp365 hosting, UEM per-user subscription, annual software licenses) with project-based consulting, system migration, and digitalization work. Pricing is overwhelmingly quote-based, with scannerbox.RA (€69/month from January 2025) being the only publicly listed product. The customer base spans tax advisory (ATN, ETL Kiel, 900 Grad Steuerberatung), non-profit (DRK Kreisverband Rendsburg-Eckernförde), public administration (Kreisverwaltung Dithmarschen), and commercial accounts (JTEKT Sales, KUM Ventures). The go-to-market is sales-led, with field consulting, free initial consultations, online booking, a content-driven F:IT Blog, event presence (ELO Experience, ELO ECM Tour), and customer testimonials.

AI is integrated as a feature layer across the stack rather than developed in-house: scannerbox.RA provides AI-powered document classification into DATEV Meine Steuern; Microsoft Copilot, DATEV Einspruchsgenerator, and DATEV LEXchat are leveraged via partner platforms. Leadership is held by Geschäftsführer Daniel Hammler (current CEO), with founder Frank Förster referenced historically. The company is fully self-funded with no external investment, parent company, or M&A activity identified, and operates as a niche specialist rather than a generalist MSP.

Name

Förster IT-Dienstleistungen

Legal name

Förster IT-Dienstleistungen GmbH

Website

https://foerster-it.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Förster IT-Dienstleistungen is a privately held German managed services provider founded in 2004, specializing in cloud IT outsourcing and DATEV-integrated digitalization services for tax advisory firms and SMEs in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Managed IT Services for Tax Advisors

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Cloud & Infrastructure Support (Servers, Storage, Virtualization) (BPAAACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Service Desk & ITSM Outsourcing (BPAEAMAF), E-Signature & Digital Transaction Management (DTM) (HDAEAGAF)

Keywords

• Managed IT services
• Cloud hosting solutions
• DATEV consulting
• IT outsourcing
• Document management

Headquarters

HQ city

Neumünster

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. IT-Outsourcing und Managed Services: Recurring managed services for IT infrastructure, cloud solutions (FÖRSTERasp365), and ongoing IT support. Services hosted in DATEV data centers. Monthly per-user billing for UEM services.
2. IT-Beratung und Projektgeschäft: Individual IT consulting, digital transformation projects, system implementation, and migration services. One-time project fees plus ongoing consulting engagements.
3. Software und Lizenzen: Sales and licensing of software products including ELO ECM, DATEV solutions, and specialized add-ons like scannerbox.RA. Software licenses typically billed annually in advance.
4. Support und Wartung: Ongoing technical support, maintenance, and monitoring services for client IT infrastructure. Includes remote support and on-site assistance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Förster IT-Dienstleistungen provides managed IT outsourcing and cloud hosting built around its proprietary FÖRSTERasp365 platform, which is hosted in DATEV data centers and integrates Microsoft 365, ELO ECM document management, FP Sign digital signatures, Baramundi-based Unified Endpoint Management, and NFON cloud telephony. The company sells DATEV consulting and corporate partner services, AI-based document scanning (scannerbox.RA), GoBD- and TR-RESISCAN-compliant digital workflows, and e-invoicing solutions (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD 2.0), primarily to tax advisory firms (Steuerberater, Kanzleien), mid-market companies (KMU), and non-profits in Schleswig-Holstein and the Oldenburg region of Germany.

Product overview

Förster IT-Dienstleistungen operates as a specialized IT services company serving tax advisors, tax firms, and small-to-medium enterprises (KMU) in Germany. The core offering is FÖRSTERasp365, a unified IT outsourcing and cloud hosting platform built on DATEV data center infrastructure. This core platform integrates with the broader Microsoft 365 ecosystem (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Exchange Online) and the DATEV accounting/ERP suite. Around this core, Förster IT offers modular add-on solutions including ELO ECM for document management, FP Sign for ELO for digital signatures, scannerbox for document scanning with AI-powered scannerbox.RA classification, cloud telephony via NFON/NCTI Pro, and specialized security packages. The company also provides consulting services for digital transformation, e-invoicing (XRechnung/ZUGFeRD 2.0), email archiving, and endpoint management (UEM). All services are positioned specifically for the German tax advisory and Mittelstand market, with deep integration into the DATEV ecosystem as a certified DATEV Solution Partner, Corporate Partner, and PARTNERasp Premium Partner.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FÖRSTERasp365 Proprietary cloud-based IT outsourcing platform hosted in DATEV data center providing secure, scalable and flexible IT infrastructure without on-premise servers; includes Microsoft Office 365 integration, terminal servers, and multi-location data backup for tax advisors and KMU.
• FÖRSTERasp365 UEM (Unified Endpoint Management) Centralized endpoint management for office PCs and field laptops based on Baramundi, automating software management, security updates, monitoring and policy enforcement via a catalog of nearly 400 BSI-aligned security measures; sold to FÖRSTERasp365 customers on a per-user monthly basis.
• DATEV Consulting and Hosting Services Consulting, hosting, and support for the full DATEV software suite — DATEVasp, DATEV Unternehmen Online, DATEV Meine Steuern, DATEV Personal, and DATEV Rechnungswesen — delivered as a certified DATEV Solution Partner and DATEV Corporate Partner.
• ELO ECM Implementation Services End-to-end Enterprise Content Management services covering planning, implementation, training and support for the ELO ECM platform, delivered as a certified ELO Business Partner to enable digital document management and workflow automation.
• FP Sign for ELO Certified digital signature interface enabling legally valid, media-break-free electronic signatures (including QES) directly within the ELO environment, with automatic routing to the correct ELO folder; eIDAS- and DSGVO-compliant.
• scannerbox.RA (Rapid Automation) AI-powered document classification module that automatically categorizes scanned income tax documents into DATEV Meine Steuern categories, eliminating manual pre-sorting; offered on a monthly subscription basis (€69/month starting January 2025).
• IT-Beratung (Individual IT Consulting) Individual IT consulting and digital transformation services for Steuerberater and KMU, including digitalization roadmaps, IT strategy, and modernization guidance; free initial consultation offered via online booking.
• Security Package for Tax Advisors Comprehensive security package combining attack simulation, 1Password enterprise password management, and Microsoft 365 tenant hardening to protect tax advisor employees, systems, and sensitive client data from phishing and credential theft.

Quantifiable outcome

• Kanzleien can save up to 50% time on document workflows with Canon uniFLOW
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration20 records

AI capability8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• DATEVcoreTechnology or IntegrationAs DATEV Solution Partner since 2004 and DATEV Corporate Partner since 2009, Förster IT provides certified DATEV solutions including DATEVasp, DATEV Unternehmen Online, DATEV DMS, and e-invoicing (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD). They also achieved DATEV PARTNERasp Premium-Partner status - the only company in Schleswig-Holstein and Niedersachsen.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Partner providing Microsoft 365, Azure, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, and Copilot AI solutions. Förster IT implements Microsoft 365 for tax advisory firms and KMU with DATEV integration.
• ELO Digital OfficecoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified ELO Business Partner providing Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions. Förster IT offers ELO implementation, training, and support for document management and digital workflows.
• FP SigncoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified interface for digital signatures directly in ELO workflows. eIDAS and GDPR compliant, supports QES signatures for legally valid electronic signatures.
• NFONmajorTechnology or IntegrationCloud telephony partner providing NCTI Pro integration with DATEV for tax advisory firms. Supports efficient communication and Microsoft Teams integration.
• CanonmajorTechnology or IntegrationCanon solutions including uniFLOW for secure printing, scanning, and document workflow automation. Canon scanners used for digital mail processing.
• scannerboxmajorTechnology or IntegrationScanner solutions for document capture and processing. scannerbox.RA extension uses AI for automated document classification in DATEV Meine Steuern.
• 1PasswordmajorTechnology or IntegrationEnterprise password management included in security packages for tax advisory firms. Protects against phishing and credential theft.
• VeeammajorTechnology or IntegrationData backup and recovery solutions for enterprise data protection and business continuity.
• MailStoremajorTechnology or IntegrationEmail archiving solution for GoBD-compliant email storage in DATEV data center. FIT Standard with MailStore provides legally compliant email archiving.
• Duale Hochschule Schleswig-Holstein (DHSH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership for dual study programs in Wirtschaftsinformatik (Business Informatics). Provides recruitment pipeline for talent.
• Connect BerlinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional partner network for Berlin area.
• ATNminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-term customer and partner (20+ years), using DATEV PARTNERasp hosting services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CANCOM SE: German-headquartered managed cloud services and IT solutions provider for SMEs and enterprises; comparable as a Germany-based multi-vendor managed cloud/IT outsourcing player with recurring services revenue.
• msg systems AG: German IT consulting and services firm serving financial services and adjacent regulated industries; comparable as a German-headquartered IT services peer focused on vertical specialisation.
• Allgeier SE: German IT services group covering managed services, enterprise software and digital transformation; overlapping customer verticals (KMU/mid-market) and vendor ecosystem.
• Ratiodata GmbH: German IT services subsidiary specializing in IT for banks/financial sector with similar DATEV/Ecosystem connections and regulated-industry compliance posture (ISO 27001).
• q.beyond AG: German cloud and managed IT services company focused on SMB and mid-market customers; same cloud-outsourcing + Microsoft ecosystem positioning as Förster IT.
• Bechtle AG: Largest German IT system house offering IT outsourcing, managed services, cloud and Microsoft/Multi-vendor integration; directly comparable business model to Förster IT at larger scale.
• SVA System Vertrieb Alexander GmbH: German IT system integrator and managed services provider of similar scale focused on enterprise and mid-market customers with multi-vendor stack.

Broad incumbents

• Capgemini Deutschland: Global IT services and consulting firm with German operations covering cloud, managed services and digital transformation at much larger scale and broader industry coverage.
• Computacenter plc: Large UK-headquartered IT infrastructure provider with major German operations offering managed services, cloud and workplace services; broader portfolio, larger scale than Förster IT but overlapping services.
• Atos Deutschland: European IT services incumbent with significant German footprint covering managed services, cloud and digital transformation; broad portfolio compared with Förster IT's specialist tax-vertical focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/foersterit

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Förster IT-Dienstleistungen