Managing employee access in a data-secure manner
Sector: Quaternary sector · Industry: IT security · Organisation: DB Systel · Maturity level: Pilot
DB Systel trialled a wallet-based login for Jira with 160 employees over two months. Staff scanned a QR code and verified their authorisation via decentralised identities; the underlying SSI infrastructure was embedded in the German research and consortium environment SSI4DE and IDunion respectively. An internal pilot is documented, but no company-wide permanent rollout.
Documentation status
- Project status: Pilot — Internal two-month pilot with 160 employees; no company-wide production operation documented.
- Evidence: Evidence high
- Editorial review: SapientBlock Redaktion, 24 October 2026
Description
As part of a two-month project, DB Systel trialled how employee access to software applications could be achieved without classic passwords. Instead of storing login data on central servers, employees manage their credentials directly in a digital wallet on their device. When logging in, they cryptographically verify their identity by scanning a QR code.
As part of the SSI4DE and IDunion research consortia, the IT service provider DB Systel investigated the use of Self-Sovereign Identity for operational practice. Specifically, 160 employees took part in a two-month pilot operation in which access to the internal project management tool Jira was controlled via a decentralised identity solution. Instead of the usual combination of username and password, scanning a QR code with a wallet application was sufficient. In the background, the solution checked the validity of the identity credentials anchored in the network. The pilot project demonstrated the technical feasibility of this authentication approach, but according to the available sources did not lead to a permanent group-wide standard.
Perspectives
B2B — organisations perspective
Companies can reduce administrative hurdles and minimise the risk of central password theft through SSI-based access models. The pilot project at DB Systel demonstrated how existing enterprise software such as Jira can be integrated into consortium infrastructures such as IDunion.
Employees perspective
Employees receive a unified identity wallet to confirm their work authorisations without repeated password entry. During the trial, 160 people successfully used this method for their daily work access over a period of two months.
Benefits
General
- Reduction of attack surfaces through the elimination of centrally stored plaintext passwords
- Simplified authentication using digital identity verification and QR code
B2B — organisations
- Avoidance of central single points of failure in internal access management
- Interoperability through integration into standardised identity networks
Employees
- Elimination of manual password management for connected work applications
- Greater transparency regarding shared personal identity attributes
Challenges
General
- Need for a comprehensively compatible and secure wallet infrastructure
- High integration effort when connecting existing enterprise applications
B2B — organisations
- Lack of long-term experience regarding the maintenance and operation of decentralised identity networks
- Unclear standardisation in cross-company trust chains
Employees
- Adjustment to new authentication processes away from familiar passwords
- Dependence on the availability of the mobile device with the wallet app
Technology foundation
Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) based on decentralised networks within the SSI4DE and IDunion consortia enables the cryptographic verification of employee attributes without central password servers.
Implementation examples
SSI pilot for Jira login at DB Systel
Reduction of security risks and administrative costs associated with conventional passwords and central identity stores.
DB Systel piloted wallet-based access to the Jira software with 160 employees over a period of two months. Access was achieved without passwords by scanning a QR code.
As part of the SSI4DE and IDunion initiatives, DB Systel conducted a controlled field test for passwordless authentication. A total of 160 employees used a digital identity wallet over a period of two months to log in to the project management platform Jira. The proof of authorisation was cryptographically verified via decentralised registries, without access data having to be stored on central servers. The pilot demonstrated the technical functionality of the approach, but was not transferred into widespread production operation after the test period.
Protection against password theft as well as the provision of a user-friendly authentication method without media disruptions.
Tags
SSI, Identity management, IT security, IDunion, Passwordless login
Sources
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