BITSKIN decreases email volume by 40 to 65% with Mattermost

BITSKIN is a web development and design agency that creates websites for small- to medium-sized enterprises. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Berlin, the BITSKIN team consists of web designers, developers, and IT specialists who build customized solutions for clients across several security-focused industries, including healthcare, financial services, and tech. As a member of RIPE, the company manages its own servers and offers secure hosting services to its customers.

Searching for a self-hosted collaboration solution

The BITSKIN team had been using Slack for team communication and collaboration when a friend of the company told them about their success with Mattermost. Since BITSKIN is security-minded, the team was particularly interested in the ability to self-host Mattermost so that they could control their data and minimize privacy risks.

“We believe it’s better to have mission-critical data in your own hands,” says Karsten Spieß, an IT project manager at BITSKIN.

Additionally, instead of relying on a SaaS solution delivered through the public cloud, BITSKIN wanted a solution that gave them more control over security.

“A self-hosted solution allows us to implement the security standards and policies that match our needs,” Spieß continues.

Being impressed by Mattermost’s feature-rich nature

As BITSKIN continued exploring Mattermost, they were impressed by its core functionality, which they found to be “stable and mature.”

“Mattermost offers almost the same functionality as Slack, which made the transition easy and smooth for our team,” Spieß says. “This includes features like channels, direct messages, group chats, file transfer, notifications, and more.”

BITSKIN was also drawn to Mattermost’s open source nature, which enables unlimited customization via integrations, plugins, and complete access to source code.

“Mattermost allows for the integration of third-party tools and services that we already use in our workflows,” Spieß explains, adding that the team uses the Zoom integration. “This made it easier to align with our existing processes and extend Mattermost’s functionality as needed.”

Additionally, the BITSKIN team was also able to implement its own infrastructure and security policies, providing additional safety controls.

Increasing the productivity of BITSKIN’s technical and operational teams

The process of migrating from Slack to Mattermost was “easy and fast,” Spieß says. “The transition from Slack to Mattermost went smoothly and employees were able to quickly adapt to the new environment. We were able to continue our work without significant disruption.”

Primarily, BITSKIN organizes topics and projects by channels, using Mattermost to reach consensus across departments. The team also uses the platform to share files and documents with colleagues in real time and publish announcements and updates for all employees.

“Moving internal communications from email to Mattermost has helped reduce email traffic,” Spieß explains, adding that — while he can’t pinpoint a precise number — he thinks Mattermost has decreased BITSKIN’s email volume by 40 to 65%. “This contributes to clearer communication and allows employees to focus on the most important tasks.”

At the same team, Mattermost has enabled BITSKIN to collaborate more effectively.

“Channels helps us better organize projects and encourage collaboration within teams and departments,” Spieß continues. “This creates a central location where all relevant information and discussions take place.”

As a centralized collaboration platform, Mattermost also brings more transparency to company operations, as all relevant information and files are in one place, accessible by relevant team members.

“This allows employees to track the progress of projects and jump in quickly as needed,” Spieß says, adding he also uses a private channel as his own data repository. “Overall, Mattermost has optimized our communication processes and helped our company to work more efficiently and effectively.”

Looking ahead, the BITSKIN team plans to investigate use cases for Boards and Playbooks. They’re also exploring additional integrations and plan to use Mattermost to communicate with customers.

“Companies that are thinking about switching to Mattermost shouldn’t be afraid to make the move,” Spieß concludes. “We live in a time where being able to react quickly and communicate efficiently is becoming increasingly important, and Mattermost helps companies meet these requirements. In our view, there are only advantages to using Mattermost.”