How Kärcher Protects Itself as a Global Innovator With Continuous Visibility

TL;DR

Kärcher's rapid expansion into IoT, cloud, and AI stretched their attack surface far beyond what periodic pentests could cover. XM Cyber replaced those snapshot assessments with continuous, automated attack path analysis, giving Kärcher's security and IT teams a shared live view of exposures across 85 countries, the ability to detect potential attacks before they materialize, and a prioritized fix list that updates in real time.

The Challenge

Based in Winnenden, Germany, Kärcher is a household name worldwide, offering products and systems for homes, industries, and cities—from pressure washers and industrial vacuums to digital cleaning platforms and more. Its equipment is used across manufacturing, logistics, retail, and facility management, supported by more than 17,000 employees across 85 countries.

As Kärcher connected more of its machines and services through IoT and cloud systems, the company recognized that every new connection broadened the potential attack surface. The adoption of AI tools and remote service platforms added even more complexity.

This trend led Kärcher Chairman of the Board Hartmut Jenner to place a special focus on cyber security. According to Jenner, “Through our networked work with customers, suppliers and the various tools, we offer attackers more and more space. The attack surfaces are larger than ever before and are growing almost exponentially. Every additional digital tool creates new vulnerabilities that allow attackers to find gateways. And this is precisely why cyber security is an issue that concerns us all and will continue to do so in the future.”

Kärcher needed a solution that could deliver continuous visibility into its massive global digital infrastructure, help accurately prioritize risks, and ensure compliance with strict European data protection standards while preserving organizational independence and control.

The Solution

Kärcher chose XM Cyber to replace backward-looking, periodic pentests with a continuous, automated exposure management approach. Running on STACKIT’s sovereign European cloud, the platform continuously maps attack paths, identifies critical vulnerabilities, and helps strengthen defenses proactively before attacks can materialize.

Jenner highlighted the profound shift from their previous methods: “Up to now, we have carried out pentests, but with a backward-looking approach and not really looking forward. With XM Cyber, we now have automated, continuous processes that allow us to take a holistic view. Vulnerabilities can be analyzed much better. We can detect potential attacks in advance. That’s a completely different approach.”

The implementation was fast and disruption-free. XM Cyber was deployed quickly across Kärcher’s workstations and servers, delivering immediate visibility into existing exposures. Running on STACKIT also ensured that the deployment fully met all sovereignty and European data protection requirements.

Benefits & Outcomes

Kärcher now benefits from continuous insight into its global exposure landscape and the ability to act before threats can escalate. The XM Cyber live dashboard gives teams real-time security awareness and drives ongoing improvement across all systems and global sites

“In the past, we were rather reactive. For pentests, we had to request a quote, place an order and then rectify the weak points. Today, we can always find out about the current status of our security in XM Cyber’s live dashboard.”

Hartmut Jenner, Chairman of the Board of Management, Alfred Kärcher

This approach has successfully coalesced Kärcher’s IT and security teams around a shared, attacker-aware view of risk, significantly improving collaboration and bolstering operational stability across its worldwide network.

Key Takeaways

• Kärcher’s expanding IoT, cloud, and AI footprint made the attack surface grow faster than periodic pentests could keep up with. Continuous exposure management replaced that cycle.
• XM Cyber runs on STACKIT’s sovereign European cloud, so Kärcher keeps full control of its data and meets strict European data protection requirements.
• The platform deployed across workstations and servers with no business disruption, delivering visibility from day one.
• IT and security teams now share a single, attacker-aware view of risk through the live dashboard, which replaced the old request-a-pentest workflow.
• The CEO treats cybersecurity as a board-level responsibility tied directly to protecting customers, suppliers, employees, and the company’s digital sovereignty.