Our History

The company was founded in 1947 by two communication security experts in Trier, Germany. From the very beginning, their main focus was on the development of message cipher systems with the highest security level. The 6723 Key Tape Perforator was the first product ready for the market.

When Germany joined NATO, new trade regulations made it increasingly difficult for the company to export its encryption systems. In order to continue to provide its products to customers all over the world, the company moved to Austria, a neutral country, in 1967, and established new headquarters in the village of Mils.

With the availability of the first microprocessors, communication security made the quantum leap from electro-mechanical to computer-based products. In 1976, mils electronic introduced its first family of microprocessor-controlled random key generators and cipher machines.

The new microprocessor-based systems opened the way to implementing complex algorithms in software. Since 1982, mils electronic has been integrating highest level stream cipher or block cipher algorithms in addition to One Time Key encryption into its products.

The ongoing miniaturization of microprocessor-based systems made it possible to develop hand-held cipher equipment like mils electronic’s PCCM 4000 in 1976 and the M540 “Agent Suitcase” in 1983.

In 1989, mils electronic released System 800, the company’s first cipher system capable of supporting various transmission services like telephone, fax and telex.

The increasing popularity of the personal computer resulted in the development of System 700, mils’ first PC-based cipher system. Its launch in 1993 gave our customers the advantages of using standardized hardware and any telecommunication service. To maintain the highest possible level of security, all the sensitive parts of System 700 were moved to mils electronic’s first hardware security module, the “M775 Key Module”.

In 1998, continued demand for random key production equipment led to the introduction of the third generation of key production equipment. The MilsGenerator is used for the production and distribution of true random key streams, while the Mils Tape Puncher transfers key sequences onto paper tape.

In terms of the speed and security of mils products, 1999 was a landmark year. It saw the introduction of the M111, mils electronic’s high speed cryptographic security controller. The M111 is the heart of each MilsCard, the second generation of our hardware security module.

The MilsCard provides hardware based security for MilsMail and MilsFile, which were released in 2001. MilsMail is an encryption plug-in for Microsoft Outlook and provides secure e-mail exchange, while MilsFile extends the Windows Explorer and provides protected file storage on PCs.

These two products were complemented in 2004 by MilsMessage, our dedicated secure messaging client. MilsMessage provides secure transmission of sensitive messages via any telecommunication service.

In 2005, the MilsCard with PC card interface was joined by the compatible MilsCard with the new fast USB 2.0 interface.

More recently, the MilsMachine was introduced. It is a mobile communication terminal, based on a fully rugged hardware platform and provides perfectly protected exchange of messages in various communication networks.

In the year 2007 we have released a new product group. Network encryption, represented by MilsVPN, complements ever since our product portfolio. MilsVPN protects the customer's office perimeters by providing firewall and VPN services in one appliance. Special focus was given to the management of these solutions and their security aspects.

The year 2008 saw the release of MilsCourier, a dedicated secure file exchange solution. MilsCourier is ready to automatically compress and encrypt file packages and to forward them by e-mail or file output.

“Over the decades, mils electronic has gained vast experience in developing secure messaging solutions of the highest security level. All this experience is incorporated into our current products. As more technical and cryptological advances are made, mils electronic will continue to provide customers with the most secure messaging products on the market today.”