Adva Network Security is providing BSI-approved Layer 1 encryption that SAP is using to secure connectivity between its German data centers in Walldorf and St. Leon-Rot. The deployment targets data-in-transit protection for workloads that need controlled processing of sensitive data in Germany, including public sector, regulated industries, and critical infrastructure use cases.
The Layer 1 encryption is implemented at the optical transmission layer, encrypting data before it’s transmitted between sites. Adva Network Security says the technology is approved by Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) for information classified up to “Verschlusssache – Nur für den Dienstgebrauch” (VS-NfD), translated as “For Official Use Only.”
Because the encryption sits below traditional network and application security layers, it applies across all traffic on the connection. SAP’s inter-data-center link protection covers replication, backup, management, and operational data, with the stated goal of reducing risks including interception, manipulation, and unauthorized access during transmission.
For data center engineers, the practical point is straightforward: inter-site links are a frequent boundary between “secure inside the building” controls and the reality of traffic moving over physical transport infrastructure. Encrypting at Layer 1 pushes protection down to the transmission layer and does it in a way that’s independent of the specific applications generating traffic.
Adva Network Security characterizes the deployment as “high-performance, low-latency and transparent” encryption and says it uses established cryptographic methods combined with quantum-secure mechanisms intended to help prepare infrastructure for future quantum computing threats.
“With BSI-approved Layer 1 encryption, SAP is able to protect data in motion between its data centers, supporting applications with heightened requirements for confidentiality, compliance and digital sovereignty,” said Christoph Glingener, CTO of Adtran.
“Together with SAP, we’re securing a critical part of cloud infrastructure by protecting data in transit between data centers,” said Josef Sißmeir, GM of Adva Network Security. “Our technology meets stringent regulatory requirements, including BSI approval, and is designed for deployment in highly sensitive environments.”
Source: Adva Network Security
