A computer-implemented method for replacing a data string by a placeholder in a replacement device, wherein the replacement device comprises a plurality of nodes of a distributed system carrying out the replacement, with the steps reception of the data string from an application (106, 110), selection of at least one node carrying out the replacement from the plurality of nodes of the distributed system, onward transmission of the data string to the at least one selected node, generation of a placeholder replacing the data string in the at least one selected node and passing the placeholder to the application (106, 110), characterised in that a management device connected to the nodes stores all the configuration data of the nodes necessary for the initialization of the nodes, at least one node is initialized centrally with the configuration data provided by the management device, the nodes do not permanently store the configuration data so that all the configuration data previously present on the node are deleted in the case of a shutdown or a failure of a node, in a state in which at least one node is not initialized and at least one node is initialized, the at least one initialized node initializes the at least one non-initialized node when booting up, with the result that the management device can be switched off or the connection between the management device and the nodes can be interrupted, or the management device provides the configuration data for the nodes to at least one monitoring device, which initializes the non-initialized nodes when booting up, with the result that the management device can be switched off, or the connection between the management device and the nodes can be interrupted, and in that the nodes and the management device are arranged separately from each other, wherein the nodes are arranged in the cloud of a service provide, while the configuration data are exclusively stored in the management device of the company running the application. the replacement device comprises a plurality of nodes of a distributed system carrying out the replacement, with the steps reception of the data string from an application (106, 110), selection of at least one node carrying out the replacement from the plurality of nodes of the distributed system, onward transmission of the data string to the at least one selected node, generation of a placeholder replacing the data string in the at least one selected node and passing the placeholder to the application (106, 110), characterised in that a management device connected to the nodes stores all the configuration data of the nodes necessary for the initialization of the nodes, at least one node is initialized centrally with the configuration data provided by the management device, the nodes do not permanently store the configuration data so that all the configuration data previously present on the node are deleted in the case of a shutdown or a failure of a node, in a state in which at least one node is not initialized and at least one node is initialized, the at least one initialized node initializes the at least one non-initialized node when booting up, with the result that the management device can be switched off or the connection between the management device and the nodes can be interrupted, or the management device provides the configuration data for the nodes to at least one monitoring device, which initializes the non-initialized nodes when booting up, with the result that the management device can be switched off, or the connection between the management device and the nodes can be interrupted, and in that the nodes and the management device are arranged separately from each other, wherein the nodes are arranged in the cloud of a service provide, while the configuration data are exclusively stored in the management device of the company running the application.