Back in 2015, Bitkom, in cooperation with the Electronic Invoicing Association (VeR), published the guide “Electronic Archiving and GoBD – 10 Notes for Business Practice”. This is still current after the new version of the GoBD was published at the end of 2019. In several blog posts we will cover these ten principles in detail and show how GetMyInvoices adheres to them.
Electronic archiving is technology-neutral The Bitkom guide explains this first sentence as follows: “Technical specifications and standards for the electronic archive system to be used are not prescribed and cannot be prescribed given the very large differences in the organizational environment of the various companies. The entrepreneur is therefore free to choose an appropriate solution as long as it meets the requirements for proper accounting and documentation.”
The letter from the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) on GoBD 2.0 also states that it does not matter “whether the IT systems in question were purchased and used by the taxpayer as their own hardware or software or in a cloud or as a combination of these Systems are operated.” Incidentally, the cloud was not mentioned in the “old” GoBD from 2014 and was therefore not allowed. Apparently, the BMF has now recognized that cloud solutions are secure if they meet certain requirements.
What does this mean for taxpayers? You have more flexibility and can operate your invoice management in the cloud and archive documents and receipts there. A hybrid solution, which consists of your own hardware and software and the cloud, is also possible in order to display accounting digitally in accordance with the law.
Now come the doubters “Are my documents in the cloud even safe?”, “Who guarantees me that unauthorized people cannot access them?”, “What happens to my documents if the cloud provider goes bankrupt?” – these are just a few typical ones Questions that skeptics ask themselves. Let’s be honest: Aren’t these concerns also justified when it comes to the IT installed in the house? Many company servers can be scanned without much effort or “equipped” with a virus so that they are paralyzed for a certain period of time and the company is unable to act. In order to protect themselves to some extent, conscientious IT managers regularly create backups. But this can also be accomplished with the data stored in the cloud without much intervention.
So check… Of course, a company should always take a close look at the providers in question, regardless of whether they have cloud or on-premise solutions in their portfolio.
The cloud provider should demonstrate the following points:
- Server locations in Germany
- ISO certified data centers
- Regular backups
- Use of the latest encryption methods and algorithms
- Two-factor authorization
If the provider meets these requirements, there is no cause for concern. On the contrary: the data is then probably safer in the cloud than on the home server. Another important argument in favor of the cloud: If clients fail, e.g. For example, if the hard drive breaks down, a company can still continue to operate. All you need is a web browser to access the applications.
By the way, GetMyInvoices uses leading technologies to secure data and protect the user’s privacy. You can find out more about this here read up. GetMyInvoices also offers numerous Interfaces to various document management systems through which users can additionally secure their data.
