Customer Story: How Ostrom Scaled Data Protection Professionally with heyData
Ostrom, one of Germany’s leading digital green energy providers, is growing rapidly and has made data protection a core part of its business strategy from day one. But with nearly 100,000 customers, internal resources reached their limits: new regulatory requirements, investor expectations, and rising customer demands made it clear that data protection needed to be professional, scalable, and future-proof. With heyData, Ostrom found the right partner. The digital platform delivers transparent pricing, compliant processes, and enterprise-level scalability without requiring an in-house full-time position. From audits and updated privacy policies to mandatory staff training, data protection has become an integral part of Ostrom’s company culture. The result: reduced costs, full GDPR compliance, and strengthened trust among both customers and investors.
Table of Contents:
About Ostrom
Ostrom is a digital, green energy provider active across Germany. The company offers dynamic and variable electricity tariffs that fluctuate depending on the actual share of renewable energy in the grid. This innovative business model has proven successful: Today, almost 100,000 customers across Germany rely on Ostrom.
From the very beginning, data protection has been a core part of Ostrom’s business strategy. But with rapid growth, the team reached its limits and started looking for a professional solution.
The Challenge: Data Protection at Scale
“When we were still very small, we handled data protection internally. But as we grew, it became increasingly clear: we needed professional support.”
As Ostrom grew from its first hundred customers to tens of thousands, the demands changed drastically. New regulatory requirements, critical questions from lawyers or investors, and rising customer expectations made it clear: data protection needed to be scalable, efficient, and legally compliant.
The Decision for heyData
For Ostrom, choosing heyData was an easy decision:
- Digital platform: A modern, user-friendly tool that covers all key processes.
- Transparent costs: A clear pricing structure without hidden fees.
- Scalability: Enterprise-level data protection – without the need for a full-time hire.
- Venture capital readiness: In due diligence processes, data privacy and GDPR compliance are always a key focus. With heyData, Ostrom could demonstrate to investors that compliance was firmly embedded in the company.
“Internally, we could never map this ourselves at our size. With heyData, we’re much more cost-efficient – and always up to date.”
The Implementation: From Audit to Training
Getting started with heyData was structured and comprehensive:
- Conducting a full audit
- Revising the data privacy policy
- Introducing mandatory employee trainings
- Integrating privacy training into new employee onboarding
- Performing annual audits to ensure Ostrom remains “state of the art”
This transformed data protection from a one-off task into a continuous part of company culture.
Data Protection as a Hygiene Factor
For Ostrom, it’s clear: data protection today is not a “nice-to-have” but a hygiene factor.
“If you neglect it, the risks are clear: reputational damage, loss of trust, and in the worst case regulatory issues. With heyData, we have the confidence that we meet all requirements – not only today, but also tomorrow.”
Conclusion: A Partner for Growth
For Ostrom, data protection is not an isolated topic but a central part of the business model. Every tool decision and every infrastructure choice is evaluated with this in mind – from AWS hosting in Germany to internal compliance.
“In the end, the decisive factor for us was that heyData offers a digital solution that grows with us. Data protection isn’t just relevant for our industry – it’s relevant for every industry. For us, heyData is the right partner to support our growth safely and professionally.”
Key Takeaway:
With heyData, Ostrom was able to turn data protection from an internal side task into a scalable success factor – building trust and security not only with customers but also with investors from the very beginning.