Linz, Austria - 13.10.2020 -

Akarion and Hitachi Systems Security (HISYS-SEC) have reached a mutual agreement to bring their business vision, know-how and expertise together and work on promoting digital trust. The goal of this collaboration is to provide a unique data protection and information security offering that meets the needs of a wide range of stakeholders. The collaboration will focus on three areas:

- Data Protection Officer as a Service (DPOaaS) and Chief Information Security Officer as a Service (CISOaaS),

- Privacy and security methods and practices, and

- Privacy and security awareness and training.

Specifically, Hitachi Systems Security and Akarion will work together to provide a holistic solution for managing organizational compliance that includes security, data protection, reliability and data ethics for corporate assets. To this end, Hitachi Systems Security will offer its data protection and information security services to its international customers based on the Akarion Compliance Cloud.

This innovative compliance management ecosystem by Akarion is a state-of-the-art software platform with modules for information security management, data protection management and other compliance management modules to help companies meet legal requirements. Complex regulatory requirements can be managed through a combination of best practices, intuitive design and state-of-the-art software development. In this way, existing and future compliance requirements of different industries and company sizes can be mapped.

Through the cooperation between Akarion and Hitachi System Security, we offer a strong, competitive product in the area of data protection and information security by bringing innovative Akarion products to the market with experienced Hitachi System Security consulting services while developing new business models and added value for the society.

Akarion's CEO Markus Costabiei emphasizes how customers benefit from the partnership: "Hitachi is a strong, globally active partner with many years of experience. I am therefore convinced that by working together we will be able to understand and solve customer requirements even faster. We will combine our innovative solutions with Hitachi's technologies, expertise and customer channel to provide the best possible support to companies".

About Akarion
Akarion, a high-tech company based in Germany and Austria, develops solutions for professional compliance management and verifiably tamper-proof data storage. Akarion's vision is to innovate trust within the digital world.
The current main product is the Akarion Compliance Cloud with the modules Data Protection Management, Information Security Management, Business Continuity Management, Audit, Whistleblowing and eLearning. The Compliance Cloud enables companies and public institutions of different sizes and industries to check, monitor and authenticate compliance with industry-specific compliance requirements in a tamper-proof manner. Akarion's mission is to enable clients to achieve a new level of compliance and meet regulatory requirements with a solution that combines best practices, innovative design and state-of-the-art software development. Numerous industry leaders already rely on the Compliance Cloud.
With the Chroniql Trust Platform, Akarion uses blockchain technology to prove the integrity of any data. Akarion is also conducting further research on how blockchain technology can be used in the future to innovate trust.
For more information, please visit https://www.akarion.com/.

About Hitachi Systems Security Inc.
Founded in 1999, Hitachi Systems Security Inc. is a Global IT Security & Privacy Services Provider who builds and delivers customized services for monitoring and protecting the most critical and sensitive IT assets in our clients' infrastructures 24/7. Hitachi Systems Security was founded with one simple mission in mind - to make the internet a safer place for all. Now, our team of security experts helps our customers in over 50 countries to secure their critical data and strengthen their cybersecurity posture against security breaches, data leaks and intrusions. We are passionate about delivering converged cybersecurity services to address the security challenges of today and tomorrow and propel your business to the next level all while securing your IT, OT and IoT environments.
For more information, please consult: www.hitachi-systems-security.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is focused on its Social Innovation Business that combines information technology (IT), operational technology (OT) and products. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2019 (ended March 31, 2020) totaled 8,767.2 billion yen ($80.4 billion), and it employed approximately 301,000 people worldwide. Hitachi drives digital innovation across five sectors - Mobility, Smart Life, Industry, Energy and IT - through Lumada, Hitachi's advanced digital solutions, services, and technologies for turning data into insights to drive digital innovation. Its purpose is to deliver solutions that increase social, environmental and economic value for its customers. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.com.