Netz Niederösterreich Website Relaunch

At the heart of the relaunch is a custom-developed, token-based design system for Netz NÖ. Colors, typography, spacings, radii, and shadows are defined as design tokens and consistently implemented in Figma, Storybook, and Xperience by Kentico. The workflow "Figma → Storybook → XbyK" has established itself as a binding pipeline: design decisions are made collaboratively in Figma, implemented as isolated, documented components in Storybook, and only then integrated into the CMS once they have been approved technically, visually, and in terms of accessibility. The result is a single source of truth that keeps editorial, design, and development permanently synchronized.

On the frontend side, a modern architecture based on TypeScript and SCSS is used. Components are modular, typed, and themeable via tokens without the editorial team having to touch any code. All components were developed according to WCAG 2.2 AA – contrasts, keyboard operability, focus states, and semantic structures are not retrofitted but part of the component definition. For Netz Niederösterreich as a publicly accessible utility provider, accessibility is thus transparently anchored in the system.

A key project goal was to improve customer accessibility. This was achieved through digital service forms that allow end customers to handle key requests directly online—including applications for grid access (such as for new connections or solar power systems) and meter reading submissions. What looks like “just one form” is, behind the scenes, a seamlessly orchestrated process.

Inbound processing is handled via Azure API Management, which secures the public endpoints, versions them, and documents them via OpenAPI. Incoming applications are decoupled via Azure Service Bus and passed on to downstream processing steps, where they are forwarded by Azure Functions to the respective business processes. This architecture is stateless, scalable, and resilient to spikes—such as when many grid access applications arrive simultaneously following public funding announcements. For Netz NÖ, this means that digital applications are not only captured but also fed into the operational process landscape in a structured manner.

As a distribution network operator, Netz Niederösterreich is part of critical infrastructure, which significantly raises the security framework of the project. From the outset, the platform was developed against the OWASP Top 10 and an extended internal requirements catalog. The publicly accessible APIs are secured via Azure API Management, including token-based authentication, rate limiting, and well-documented OpenAPI specifications. Within Azure, Managed Identities, Azure Key Vault for secrets, and Private Endpoints for service-to-service communication are used.

Before go-live, the exposed components underwent multiple iterations of penetration testing, complemented by internal code reviews and security audits by the Netz NÖ security team. The architecture follows a deliberate risk logic: public touchpoints such as CMS delivery and API endpoints are clearly separated from internal service processes and communicate exclusively via secured, documented interfaces. The result is a platform that structurally – not just documentarily – meets the increased requirements of an energy provider.