A-SIT has been founded in 1999 as a competence center for information security. Core activities are on electronic signatures, electronic identity, payment systems, e-government, cloud and mobile security. In particular, it functions as certification authority ("Bestätigungsstelle") for qualified electronic signature-creation and accredited conformity assessment body for qualified trust service providers under the EU eIDAS Regulation.

A-SIT is a non-profit association, its members are public authorities. Current members are the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW), Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), the Federal Computing Centre (BRZ), Danube University Krems (DUK) and Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU).

Charter members that founded A-SIT in 1999 have been the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF), the Central bank of the Republic of Austria (OeNB), and Graz University of Technology (TU Graz). The Styrian Business Promotion Ageny (SFG) has been member of A-SIT from 2003 to 2005. In 2012 the Federal Computing Centre (BRZ) could be gained as a member, and Danube University Krems (DUK) in 2018. The Federal Republic of Austria gas been represented by the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) from 1999 to 2018, from 2018 to 2022 these duties have been assigned to the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW).