Confidential business communications: Citadel Team, a sovereign alternative to traditional collaborative tools

In 2024, the threat of cyberattacks has never been more present: ransomware attacks have increased by 30% in a single year, generating more than 20 billion dollars in illicit revenue worldwide. These attacks particularly target file‑sharing tools and corporate messaging platforms, which have become preferred vectors for infiltrating organisations. Moreover, 95% of cyberattacks exploited social engineering techniques such as phishing or smishing, confirming the vulnerability of collaborative tools to human manipulation.

In a context where sensitive professional exchanges are predominantly digital, communication sovereignty is no longer optional — it is essential. It has become a strategic priority for technical departments and security teams, and a key lever for CIOs and CISOs. So how can organisations combine seamless collaboration, data security and regulatory compliance? The answer lies in a sovereign solution designed for sensitive environments: Citadel Team.

1. The current landscape: easy collaboration, neglected security

The rise of digital tools has dramatically increased the use of collaborative platforms in the workplace. Employees communicate remotely, often from multiple devices, in hybrid environments. This evolution has boosted productivity — but also fragmented data.

Most mainstream tools were originally designed for the general public or for lightly regulated contexts. As a result, strategic professional exchanges often end up exposed, with data sometimes hosted outside the EU and with little transparency regarding how it is processed. The US Cloud Act, for example, allows foreign authorities to request access to data hosted on European soil if it belongs to an American company.

At the same time, cyberattacks targeting these platforms are multiplying. According to ANSSI, instant messaging is now one of the most exploited attack vectors, particularly in phishing campaigns, data leaks and industrial espionage. Yet many organisations continue to use these tools for critical exchanges, out of habit or convenience.

2. Our promise: security, sovereignty and simplicity

This is the context in which Citadel Team, developed by Ercom, stands out as a professional alternative to the most widely used messaging applications.

Designed to meet the needs of sensitive organisations, the solution is built on three inseparable pillars: confidentiality, sovereignty and usability. Confidentiality is embedded from the outset — the very principle of privacy by design.

Key strengths include:

• End‑to‑end encryption for messages, files and voice calls
• Sovereign hosting on a SecNumCloud‑certified cloud located in France, with full traceability of exchanges
• Fine‑grained access and user rights management to maintain full control over shared information
• A foundation based on the Matrix protocol, also used by the French State
• Interoperability with business tools through secure APIs
• A simple, intuitive interface that integrates naturally into your working environment

The solution also ensures resilience in crisis situations, maintaining communication continuity even during major cyberattacks or internal IT outages.

Citadel Team is designed for both highly sensitive environments and more general contexts where data protection is a priority. This makes it suitable for a wide range of sectors: private companies, public institutions, local authorities and even defence organisations.

3. What sets us apart from other solutions

Compared with Citadel Team, most mainstream collaborative platforms show clear limitations. Many do not guarantee national hosting or protection from extraterritorial laws. They are not designed to handle sensitive data flows or to meet European regulatory requirements or ANSSI recommendations. Using such platforms for critical professional exchanges exposes organisations to legal, technical and reputational risks.

Citadel Team, on the other hand, is a French‑designed solution, continuously audited and adopted by organisations for whom security allows no compromise. It combines rigour, compliance and everyday ease of use.

For CIOs and CISOs, choosing a collaborative messaging tool is no longer a matter of functional preference. It is now a strategic decision that directly impacts the organisation’s exposure to cyberthreats, regulatory obligations (GDPR, NIS2, etc.) and the protection of its intangible assets.

Adopting a sovereign solution like Citadel Team provides clear answers to essential questions: data hosting, access control, applicable laws and protection mechanisms in times of crisis.

It is also a choice for operational efficiency: avoiding tool fragmentation, centralising exchanges on a single platform, controlling access, facilitating audits all while ensuring confidentiality.

In short, Citadel Team stands out as a reliable and sustainable response, fully aligned with current and future requirements.

At a time when cyberattacks are multiplying and digital sovereignty is becoming a European imperative, the solution is an obvious choice for organisations seeking to secure their communications without compromising usability.

• Enhanced communication security
• Respect for sovereignty and European regulations
• Interoperability with existing professional ecosystems
• Easy adoption thanks to a smooth user experience

Do not leave your critical communications in the wrong hands. Choose a collaborative tool designed for sovereignty, performance and trust choose Citadel Team.