HSH

What HSH does

HSH Soft- und Hardware Vertriebs GmbH is a German software company founded in 1991 and headquartered in Ahrensfelde (Brandenburg, near Berlin) that develops specialist administrative software (Fachverfahren) for municipal and district governments across Germany. The company is wholly owned by the FORUM Family Office Gruppe, operates with 101-250 employees, and serves more than 650 administrations covering approximately 16 million inhabitants across at least eight German federal states including Berlin, Brandenburg, Hesse, Thuringia, Saxony, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The core of HSH's offering is the VOIS platform (Verfahren Oberfläche für Interkommunale Software), a modular Baukastensystem that integrates municipal specialist procedures and online citizen services. Core products include MESO/VOIS|MESO for population registration (Einwohnerwesen), GESO/VOIS|GESO for trade and business administration, AUSO for foreigner authorities, CIVISO for citizenship matters, and supporting modules such as archivo (digital long-term archiving), Gebührenkasse (fee management with 20+ accounting interfaces), Biometric Go® (BSI-certified biometric photo capture), and OLIWA (online ballot applications that achieved 30-35% time savings for election offices). The company reports 98% market penetration among Mecklenburg-Vorpommern registration offices and a 99% customer retention rate from the 2017 mps public solutions migration.

HSH monetizes through a combination of one-time software licenses for the specialist procedures, recurring maintenance and support contracts, and professional services including data conversion, installation, and training. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: a direct sales team engages municipal IT directors and registration office managers, supplemented by regional IT service providers and system integrators (regio iT, ITEBO, ivl, DVZ, eGo-MV, ITDZ Berlin), with demand generation via CeBIT, KommDIGITALE, MODERNER STAAT, RISER, and four annual VOIS-Anwenderkonferenzen user conferences. Marketing channels emphasize regulatory positioning around the Bundesmeldegesetz, OSCI data transmission, BSI certification, and OZG compliance. The company has received the eGovernment Platinum Award (2017) and TOP 100 innovation management recognition, and pricing is quote-based with no public disclosure.

Name

HSH

Legal name

HSH Soft- und Hardware Vertriebs GmbH

Website

https://hsh-berlin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

HSH develops modular municipal software (VOIS platform, MESO, GESO, AUSO, CIVISO) for German registration offices, trade authorities, foreigner agencies, and citizenship offices. It serves 650+ administrations covering 16 million inhabitants and is owned by FORUM Family Office Gruppe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ahrensfelde

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing: Sale of software licenses for municipal specialist procedures (Fachverfahren) including MESO, GESO, AUSO, and VOIS platform modules.
2. Software Maintenance and Support: Ongoing software maintenance, updates, service packs, and technical support services for installed software.
3. Training Services: Classroom and online training programs for software products including election preparation courses, VOIS training, and PC-KLAUS training.
4. Data Conversion: Data migration and conversion services when municipalities switch from legacy systems to HSH solutions.
5. Installation Services: Software installation and configuration services at customer sites.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HSH develops and sells specialist municipal software (Fachverfahren) and the VOIS modular platform for German public administrations. Core products cover population registration (MESO), trade and business administration (GESO), foreigner authorities (AUSO), citizenship matters (CIVISO), long-term archiving (archivo), and BSI-certified biometric photo capture (Biometric Go®), delivered with installation, data migration, training, and ongoing maintenance services.

Product overview

HSH offers a portfolio of municipal administration software solutions based on a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core VOIS platform serves as the foundational technology (Baukastensystem) for integrating municipal specialist procedures and online services. Key products include GESO for trade/business administration, AUSO for foreigner's authorities, CIVISO for nationality matters, archivo for digital long-term archiving, and Biometric Go® for BSI-certified biometric ID photos. The MESO-based EWO (population registry) procedures operate under the VOIS sub-brand, alongside specialized modules like VOIS|GEKA (fee management), VOIS|PAM (parking permits), and VOIS|GESO (trade and permits). Supporting products include the HSH-Bürgerterminal for citizen self-service, OLIWA for online voting permit applications, the Gebührenkasse fee management module, and the Unterkunftsverwaltung accommodation management. Services include software maintenance, data conversion, installation, and training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VOIS: Modular software platform for integrating municipal specialist procedures and online services for public administration.
• GESO
• AUSO
• CIVISO
• archivo
• Biometric Go®
• OLIWA

Quantifiable outcome

• 30-35% reduction in election office workload through online ballot application processing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• eGo-MV (Zweckverband elektronische Verwaltung)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 28 January 2019Led the Greifswald migration to VOIS|MESO as the inter-municipal IT association for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
• DVZ GmbH (Datenverarbeitungszentrum Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 28 January 2019Data processing center providing hosting infrastructure for Greifswald's VOIS|MESO system.
• ITEBOcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 November 2018Integration of VOIS-Online services into ITEBO's OpenR@thaus citizen portal for Niedersachsen municipalities. Enables compliance with Onlinezugangsgesetz (OZG) requiring all administrative services online by 2022.
• regio iTcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 30 October 2017IT service provider for Bielefeld deployment of VOIS|MESO. Responsible for secure data center operation and software availability.
• ivlcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 November 2016IT service provider for Leverkusen deployment of VOIS|MESO and AUSO, collaborating with HSH on implementation.
• Brandenburg and EU (EFRE funding)minorOthers · 7 October 2014HSH-Bürgerterminal development project funded by Brandenburg state and EU EFRE (European Regional Development Fund) for citizen terminal automation of government services using the new identity card.
• migewa (naviga GmbH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2014Joint development of OSCI data transmission module for GESO trade administration software, leveraging components from MESO EWO procedure to meet electronic data transmission requirements of the new Gewerbeanzeigenverordnung.
• bremen online services (bos)coreTechnology or Integration · 17 July 2012Cooperation on Governikus Bürgerterminal project, integrating Governikus Autent for nPA eID authentication into HSH specialist software to enable citizen self-service at terminal devices.
• ITDZ Berlin (IT Dienstleistungszentrum Berlin)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2012Lead partner in goBerlin online marketplace project, a Trusted Cloud initiative funded by Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. HSH provides integration of municipal services into the cloud platform.
• Fraunhofer-Institut FOKUScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2012Technical partner in goBerlin Trusted Cloud project providing research and development expertise for secure cloud platform architecture.
• AtoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2012Technology consortium partner in goBerlin online marketplace development.
• Immobilien Scout GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2012Associated partner in goBerlin project, contributing real estate marketplace integration to the citizen services platform.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AKDB (Anstalt für Kommunale Datenverarbeitung in Bayern): Bavarian state-owned IT service provider for municipal administrations, offering Fachverfahren and eGovernment solutions. Directly comparable to HSH as a public-sector software and services vendor serving German municipalities with specialized administrative procedures.
• Bundesdruckerei GmbH: German federal identity and document technology provider (maker of the German ID card and eID infrastructure). Comparable to HSH where its biometric and document-capture solutions intersect with HSH's Biometric Go® and Bürgerterminal offerings.
• KISA (Kommunale Informationsverarbeitung Sachsen): Saxony-based municipal IT association providing Fachverfahren and eGovernment services across Saxon municipalities. A direct peer that competes for the same municipal specialist-procedure budgets as HSH in eastern German states.
• ekom21 – KGRZ Hessen: Hessen-based municipal data center and software house providing municipal IT solutions including population, trade, and citizen-service software. Directly competes with HSH's VOIS and GESO offerings in German municipal administrations.
• Dataport: IT service provider for public administrations in northern German states (Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen), offering municipal software and eGovernment solutions. Directly comparable in mission to HSH with state-public-sector reach.
• KDRS / KIVBF: Baden-Württemberg municipal IT service provider (KIVBF) operating alongside state partners to deliver Fachverfahren and digital administration. Comparable as a regional municipal IT specialist competing in the same German municipal software market.

Broad incumbents

• Atos (Public & Health / Municipal eGovernment): Global IT services and systems integrator active in German public sector digitalization, including as a partner in the goBerlin Trusted Cloud project alongside HSH. Comparable through overlapping public-sector eGovernment services rather than direct product parity.
• SAP SE (Public Services / S/4HANA Public Sector): Large enterprise software vendor offering an end-to-end public-sector suite that overlaps with several HSH modules at the procurement layer. Serves the same German municipality buyers but as part of a much broader horizontal portfolio.

Emerging players

• ITEBO: Lower Saxony-based IT service provider operating the OpenR@thaus citizen portal and integrating specialist procedures for municipalities. Partial-overlap peer; HSH actively partners with ITEBO for VOIS-Online integration, making it both a channel and partial competitor.
• Governikus Bremen (bremen online services): Provider of Governikus Autent authentication middleware used for nPA/eID citizen authentication at terminals. Comparable to HSH's Bürgerterminal stack through adjacent functionality in secure citizen-government identity workflows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hsh-soft-und-hardware-vertriebs-gmbh

Compliance1 record

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 HSH