Challenge.

Can AI be used in a local council? And can it be done securely and in a controlled manner, without the risk of data leaks? The town of Herrenberg wanted to make the seemingly impossible possible. But which platform combines language models, image generation and municipal knowledge without communicating with other online services? One thing was clear: the approximately 500 employees of Herrenberg City Council needed to have their questions answered more quickly, be able to access information from the council’s information system directly via chat, and search the intranet without having to navigate through lengthy click paths. In short: an AI environment that runs on the organisation’s own infrastructure, is adaptable, always protects sensitive data and noticeably simplifies employees’ day-to-day digital workflows.

Our local authority should and had to implement AI that is, above all, secure and controlled – offering genuine added value for our staff. Thanks to Bechtle’s implementation within our existing Azure environment, we have achieved exactly that and can now also develop our own agents. Step by step, we are able to embed the platform and secure AI within our administration in a sustainable manner.

Katja Scheck, Project Manager for MS365, Herrenberg Municipal Council

Solution.

The clear technical foundation for this was already in place: the Herrenberg municipal administration’s Microsoft Azure environment. Bechtle expanded this to include a fully isolated AI environment. No external data flow, no open interfaces – a dedicated, secure space for models, services and automations. Bechtle built the municipality’s own AI in a modular fashion using Microsoft Foundry and Azure Logic Apps. This initially created the core system for all AI functions. Building on this, Bechtle developed various connectors that automatically combine structured and unstructured data from the intranet and the Herrenberg City Council’s information system.

They operate in the background at set times, check for changes, capture newly added content and store it in a dedicated storage area. The AI only receives the information after thorough verification – technically cleanly separated, traceable and controlled. Another building block for municipal security: role-based access for the AI, finely graded and precisely defined, which is implemented automatically and without administrative effort. Furthermore, employees can create individual AI agents. They structure tasks, prepare information or take on complex tasks holistically. All of this takes place within the protected urban infrastructure – controlled, traceable and open to future expansion.

Business benefits.

 

  • GDPR-compliant use – ensuring that all AI queries are processed within the EU’s data protection boundaries.
  • A central AI platform consolidates all use cases in one place and keeps the environment clearly structured.
  • Granular permissions precisely control what is made available to which user groups.
  • Usage-based billing ensures transparent costs, as only the Azure services actually used are charged.
  • Individual AI agents support staff with personalised workflows and can be flexibly expanded.
  • In-house operation keeps all data and services entirely within the municipal infrastructure.
  • Easy scalability for the rapid integration of new AI functions and use cases without technical adjustments.
  • Robust architecture provides a stable foundation for future digital developments within the administration.