A few weeks after the opening of its Lausanne branch, the publisher Berger-Levrault records a successful business deal with the Gruyère Energie company. The energy and water supplier, present in nearly 40 municipalities in the regions of Gruyère, Glarus, Vevey and the Pays-d'Enhaut, has chosen CARL Source EAM software for its asset management and infrastructure maintenance. "The management of our assets, and in particular the organization of their maintenance, is a key factor for an infrastructure company like Gruyère Energie. We rely on the CARL Source EAM software to help us move towards excellence in this area," emphasizes Claude Thürler, Managing Director of Gruyère Energie SA. And Laurent Rollinger, Head of Development at Berger-Levrault Suisse, adds: "We're doing everything we can and deploying our best industry experts to accompany Gruyère Energie's teams in their day-to-day work and in the implementation of the solution, and to build a high-quality partnership between our two companies."

Maintenance and asset management has strategic importance

As a key player in the energy transition in its region, Gruyère Energie offers its customers innovative solutions in the field of renewable energies. The maintenance of these plants presents the company with technical and organizational challenges. These include developing new processes on state-of-the-art equipment, optimizing the complete control system, maintenance and supporting nearly 300 employees in a process of modernization and continuous improvement. "Given our significant growth, we needed an ad hoc EAM tool that was better suited than a traditional digital and paper-based system. Our needs relate to our technical infrastructures and energy distribution networks (thermal power plants, hydroelectric plants, water distribution networks, etc.), which are becoming too large to manage without a CMMS. Our state-of-the-art facilities require more monitoring and preventive maintenance. I'm thinking, for example, of our industrial infrastructure and our circulating machinery, which require very strict monitoring. This is where our true maintenance capital lies. Our technicians, all of whom have an excellent level of autonomy, will experience the ease of use of CARL Source and its mobile solution CARL Touch," explains Tahar Klabi, EAM Manager at Gruyère Energie SA.

Product from 35 years experience

According to the manufacturer, 35 years of experience stand behind the CARL Source software. The product guarantees speed, mobility and ease of use, the manufacturer adds. Gruyère Energie now wants to use the following functions:

• Asset management and infrastructure management
• Operational requirements
• preventive maintenance, repair, supervised and planned maintenance
• Budget control
• Stock display
• Management of linear assets and maintenance contracts
• Digitization with the CARL Touch mobile solution
• Tracking of the plants via the GIS
• Building management through Building Information Modeling (BIM)

In an initial phase, ten CARL Source licenses and 13 licenses of the CARL Touch mobile solution will be operated by Gruyère Energie, with final commissioning planned for June 2022.

Sources and further information:
http://www.carl-software.ch
www.gruyere-energie.ch

After the number and frequency of cyberattacks against organizations and companies has grown very strongly in recent months, the threat situation is likely to intensify further in the coming weeks and months. This is because the sanctions that Western countries have hit and are likely to hit Russia are not likely to be without consequences. "There is a great danger that Russia will take measures against the Western states for its part," warns Bettina Zimmermann, crisis manager and CEO of GU Sicherheit & Partner AG in Wil/SG. According to security experts, cyber attacks are also likely to be increasingly directed against critical infrastructures. However, the NCSC - as of March 1, 2022 - currently sees no increase in threatening activities in cyberspace that directly affect our country. However, untargeted attacks that arise as a side effect of cyber operations surrounding the Ukraine war are possible, it says. Nevertheless, security experts recommend that companies update their action plans against the threat of cyberattacks.

Counterattacks by hackers

In particular, companies and organizations that are not equipped with advanced protection against massive cyberattacks become easily surmountable targets for hackers. Hybrid warfare by Russia in Ukraine is a fire accelerant for additional hacking attacks, according to cybersecurity experts. In the process, waves of hacker attacks of all kinds, as an asymmetric response to anti-war embargoes by the West, can threaten not only companies counted as critical infrastructure, but potentially all companies with little or no preparation. "The threat situation is expected to intensify in the coming days and weeks," fears André Tauber, CEO of IT security service provider Connectware. "One reason for this will be the expected counterattacks by hackers aimed at retaliating against the sanctions imposed by the EU, USA and other Western countries." Now that Switzerland has also joined these sanctions, the risk of being targeted by actions from cyberspace is increasing in this country as well.

Ad hoc action plans in five steps

Bettina Zimmermann therefore recommends that companies review and optimize their cybersecurity now. IT security service providers such as the aforementioned Connectware suggest implementing action plans that include the following steps:  

1. Make employees aware not to click on links or attachments that are suspicious
2. Check firewall policies and possibly make more restrictive settings
3. Create backups of the systems
4. Perform vulnerability scan and close security gaps
5. Monitor the IT infrastructure and check for anomalies to detect attacks

Threats from cyberspace are now considered by companies to be the Top risks counted. But not only that: Companies are also particularly afraid of production downtimes, as the latest Allianz Risk Barometer found, for example. This is why business continuity management is becoming even more important. It is therefore recommended not only to make action plans for cyber defense, but also to review contingency plans in case of failure of business-critical processes. And: "Think in terms of worst-case scenarios, then you will be well prepared for less bad things," says crisis manager Bettina Zimmermann. 

Sources:
GU Security & Partner
Connectware

As part of Ruag's Innovation Accelerator program, CSA Engineering is one of five start-ups and small companies that are supporting the technology group as a partner in an innovation project within the "Digitization of the Armed Forces" initiative. In the current innovation project, the feasibility of data aggregation by means of system-independent, secured sensors for predictive maintenance ("Predictive Maintenance") was demonstrated on the Infantry Fighting Vehicle 2000. In the next step of the project, the concept will be validated and the focus will be placed in particular on the evaluation of the data using AI algorithms.

Data-based maintenance concepts

Modern maintenance concepts identify optimized maintenance times based on sensor data and digital analytics. This requires meaningful data on the system status and system usage. This data is aggregated with a sensor module and forwarded in a secure manner for further evaluation. Optimized, plannable maintenance results in increased system availability. This can be achieved by means of analytics-based maintenance approaches using
statistical methods or AI. CSA Engineering has developed a new module for this purpose, with which meaningful data can be collected with selected sensors, temporarily stored and securely read out at predefined positions via a wireless connection.

Innovation project: Ideas for the safety of tomorrow

Ruag offers selected start-ups and small companies an innovation platform with a strong academic link, technical know-how and established business network in the newly created RIO (Ruag Innovation Organization) unit. Together, innovative ideas are developed to enhance Switzerland's security. By involving start-ups and small businesses in selected initiatives, the company succeeds in bringing innovations to market faster and securing critical technologies for the long term. Partners of the innovation platform benefit from the infrastructure and know-how. In a protected environment with a safe working environment, partners jointly develop new value propositions and innovations. In addition, the
innovation partners can draw on RUAG's development and production infrastructure - including implementation and professional support from experts.

Source: www.csa.ch

ISO turns 75: When ISO held its first meeting in 1947, countries around the world were in reconstruction. People at the time were looking for ways to turn a bad situation into something positive. "With courage and enthusiasm, they set out to find the most efficient techniques to promote the most effective technology. The answer they found was ISO standards," the International Organization for Standardization, as ISO is known by its full name, writes today. In its 75 years of existence, the organization has become the world's largest developer and publisher of international standards. It is a network of national standards bodies from 167 countries with a central secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.

Under the spell of rapid change

But Ulrika Francke, president of ISO, doesn't just look back at the organization's history. "Today, our world is facing the greatest challenges of all time. We will continue to work to promote the benefits of standards and develop new ones when needed, using our proven system of transparency and international consensus," she is quoted as saying. And ISO Secretary General Sergio Mujica also says: "As we celebrate the achievements of the last 75 years, we look to the future. The pace of change has continued to accelerate, and ISO is helping to drive and guide that evolution."

ISO standards are now part of everyday life

When the organization was founded, it was not just about overcoming technical challenges, but about a new way of working together. The ISO system was created on the basis of the idea that every voice must be heard if we are to find a way to live and work together successfully. There are now 24197 ISO standards as proof of the success of this idea. They cover everything from the basic aspects of the built world to the cloud technology that allows you to read this.

Over the past 75 years, ISO standards have become integrated into almost every aspect of our lives. ISO standards are voluntary and not regulations or laws, although countries may decide to adopt ISO-developed standards as regulations or refer to them in laws.

Further information: www.iso.org

Without air traffic control, today's dense air traffic would probably be in complete chaos. Skyguide is responsible for aviation safety in Switzerland. With its 1,500 employees at 14 locations, it ensures safe, efficient and sustainable air traffic management in Switzerland and the neighboring areas of neighboring countries, probably the busiest airspace in Europe. 

In the beginning there was Guglielmo Marconi

This year, air traffic control in Switzerland celebrates its 100th anniversary. It all started with Marconi Radio AG, a subsidiary of the company of inventor and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi. It was founded a hundred years ago, on February 23, 1922, to develop wireless telegraphy - the birth of Swiss air traffic control. On May 10, 1928, the company name was changed to Radio Schweiz AG to emphasize its Swiss character. And on January 1, 1931, the Swiss Confederation entrusted Radio Schweiz with the provision of air traffic control services in Switzerland. Since then, aviation has undergone a great development. In the second half of the last century, the airplane was able to establish itself worldwide as an efficient means of mass transportation for passengers and freight.

Air traffic control made today's development of aviation possible

A decisive factor in this was also the technological development by air traffic control, which ensured flying at all times of the day and in virtually all weather conditions by means of communication, navigation and monitoring systems. In 1987, most of the non-aviation-related business of Radio Schweiz AG was transferred or sold to Swiss Post and private companies, and the remainder was subsequently transferred to the company Swisscontrol. In 2001, following a decision by the Federal Council, Skyguide was founded with the aim of integrating civil and military air traffic control. The company is majority-owned by the Swiss Confederation and has its headquarters in Geneva.

"Aviation has undergone a fundamental evolution over the last 100 years. In the coming years, we will be implementing innovative solutions such as the Virtual Centre, which will continue to have a major impact on air traffic control in the future," says Alex Bristol, CEO of Skyguide.
Skyguide is now marking this centenary with a range of activities throughout the year: With simple local events at the 14 skyguide locations in Switzerland for employees and the media, through a publication and with a YouTube series and social media campaigns, which bring the daily work and the services of air navigation services closer.

Source and further information: Skyguide

The discrepancy between a company's expectations and the IT department's ability to meet them has never been greater. This is evident from the Veeam Data Protection Trends Report 2022 highlights. This report, for which more than 3,000 IT decision-makers worldwide were surveyed, found that 89 percent of companies do not adequately protect their data. In addition, 88 percent of IT executives would expect budgets for data protection to increase more than IT spending in general. Data is simply becoming more and more important to business success, and the challenges of protecting that data are becoming more and more complex. This makes it all the more striking that there is still a kind of data backup emergency in many places.

The data protection gap is widening

Respondents said their data backup capabilities are not keeping up with the demands of the business. The large discrepancy mentioned at the outset between the amount of lost data that can be accommodated after an outage and how often data is backed up has increased by 13 percent over the past 12 months. This indicates that the amount and importance of data continues to increase, but so do the challenges of protecting that data in a satisfactory manner. This is primarily due to the fact that the challenges companies face in backing up data are immense and becoming more diverse.

For the second year in a row, cyber attacks were also the leading cause of downtime. Seventy-six percent of organizations reported at least one ransomware event in the last 12 months. Not only is the frequency of these incidents alarming, but so is their magnitude. Per attack, organizations were unable to recover 36 percent of their lost data, proving that data protection strategies are currently unable to help organizations prevent, remediate and recover from as well as after ransomware attacks. "The best way to ensure data is protected and recoverable in the event of a ransomware attack is to work with a specialized third-party vendor and invest in an automated and orchestrated solution that protects the myriad data centers and cloud-based production platforms that businesses of all sizes rely on today," said Danny Allan, CTO at Veeam.

Companies face a data backup emergency

To close the gap between data protection capabilities and the growing threat landscape, organizations will spend about 6 percent more annually on data protection than on general IT investments. While this will do little to reverse the trend of data protection needs outstripping existing ability to implement them, it is positive to see business leaders recognizing the urgent need for modern data protection.

As the cloud continues on its path to becoming the dominant data platform, 67 percent of organizations are already using cloud services as part of their data protection strategy, while 56 percent are already using containers in production or plan to do so in the next 12 months. Platform diversity will increase in 2022, with the balance between data centers (52 percent) and cloud servers (48 percent) converging. This is one reason 21 percent of organizations rank the ability to protect workloads deployed in the cloud as the most important enterprise data protection purchase criteria in 2022. Thirty-nine percent believe IaaS and SaaS capabilities are the critical attribute for modern data protection.

You can find further information under https://www.veeam.com/de

Automated employee planning creates more transparency: Since the beginning of the year, the production plans for the total of 300 product variations of the Swiss chocolate wafer manufacturer Kägi Söhne AG in Lichtensteig, St. Gallen, which were created with the help of a mathematical model, have been loaded into the employee planning system, with which suitable personnel schedules are created in each case within three minutes on the basis of various components. For this purpose, work schedules are stored in the system that define how much time and how many employees are needed to produce a certain quantity of a specific product. In the next step of the automation process, a special matrix was stored with the qualifications and a corresponding role assignment, on the basis of which the defined requirements for the production of each product group can be met. 

Automated employee scheduling leads to higher satisfaction

Professional skills are one production component. Equally important is the availability of individual employees. The digitalized Kägi employee planning system therefore records working hours (full/part-time), hourly wages, availability for overtime, vacation days and specific blocked days, all of which can be automatically taken into account when planning for each order. The system also records the assignment of employees to the one to three shifts with which Kägi operates, depending on workload and product line. Numerical coding enables fair variation between shifts here.

The result: employee planning, which previously took up to one working day, is now available within a few minutes. "Especially when it comes to working hours, time balances and shift assignment, automated employee planning brings more transparency and fairness," explains Pascal Grin, COO of Kägi Söhne AG. "Comprehensible decisions ensure greater employee satisfaction in the long run. The feedback on automated workforce planning is positive, not least because our teams now receive their shift plans directly after completion of the production schedules and thus twelve hours earlier, without the previous one-day delay." 

First step: process of self-analysis

For automation to achieve such time savings and optimized processes, companies must always first go through a process of self-analysis. "Automation means questioning the system and finding a set of rules on the basis of which artificial intelligence works," says Memo Dener, CEO of axeed AG, which is accompanying Kägi on the path to "Smart Factory 2024." "The bottom line is that this leads to more than just the desired implementation of more efficient operations through automated processes. Companies get to know their processes, resources and opportunities better, which is an important basis for constant progress and further development."  

After production and employee planning, the next step at Kägi is real-time monitoring of machines so that the benefits of the automation processes already implemented can also be continued in this area.

Source and further information: axeed AG and Kägi Sons AG

The company Atos has unveiled the new BullSequana XH3000, an exascale-class supercomputer. Computers of this scale can perform up to a trillion calculations per second (1 ExaFlop). This computing power will enable leading scientists and researchers to make further advances in areas such as weather forecasting and climate change, new drug discovery and genomics. The supercomputer was developed and built by Atos at its factory in Angers, France. It is said to be this manufacturer's most efficient and powerful system to date. According to Atos, this development plays a key role in keeping important knowledge and expertise in the field of high-performance computing in Europe. The new supercomputer plays an important role in securing digital and economic sovereignty.

Strengthening digital and economic sovereignty

Because governments, public institutions and private sector companies are making sovereignty a priority: it's about realizing the full potential of their data while protecting it at all costs. With the BullSequana XH3000 and expertise in both the. sovereign cloud as well as with the Cybersecurity, there is now a way to gain control over the data they generate and share.

Supercomputer sets new technical standards

The increasing volume and complexity of data means that there is an exponential demand for computing power. There is no other way to address new challenges facing humanity, such as global warming and the Covid 19 pandemic. The BullSequana XH3000 will be able to deliver unprecedented computing power: With up to six times the performance of the previous version - and at every performance level, including exascale. This will be achieved using advanced hybrid computing technology to combine CPUs and GPUs with AI and even quantum computing hardware for use in traditional scientific simulations.

"Green" technology

In addition, the new supercomputer is very energy-efficient. An eco-design and architecture focused on sustainability ensure this, Atos informs. In addition to the patented DLC (Direct Liquid Cooling) solution, which offers more than 50 percent additional cooling capacity compared to previous generations, particular attention was paid to a completely environmentally friendly product life cycle. This ranges from the procurement of raw materials and production to testing and transport, right through to disposal and recycling.

Compatibility guaranteed

The BullSequana XH3000 combines the latest and most sophisticated technologies, network components as well as communication systems. It is powered by the latest CPU and GPU processor and accelerator architectures from AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and last but not least the European microprocessor from SiPearl powered. It has improved energy consumption and computing power, enabling faster and more efficient large-scale scientific simulations.

Thanks to the OpenSequana architecture, the system is fully compatible with all future blade and interconnect technologies and can be easily expanded as needed. With a security-by-design approach that combines vulnerability monitoring and threat anticipation, the BullSequana XH3000 ensures that data is fully protected.

The BullSequana XH3000 is expected to be available in Q4 2022.

The supercomputer in detail

• Higher performance: Up to six times increase in computing power per m² and best computing power per m² on the market

• Fully scalable: With a configuration of 1PFlops up to 1 ExaFlops for digital simulations and up to 10 ExaFlops for AI applications (once next-generation processors are on the market)

• Flexibility: The system can integrate the latest processors from AMD, Intel, NVIDIA and the planned European EPI processor. These achieve up to 1000W and more, offering improved performance compared to today's 350W systems.

• Ready for today and the future: Supports today's most sophisticated technologies and future technologies (including future processors that will be released in the next six years)

• Energy efficiency: Improved 4th generation Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC): To keep up with the consumption of the latest CPU and GPU generation, the system has 50 percent more cooling capacity than previous generations.

• Designed for "traditional" digital simulations and accelerated hybrid computations with HPC, AI, and quantum convergence.

• The first generation of Atos supercomputers to support a wide range of communication networks including BXI, High Speed Ethernet and HDR & NDR InfiniBand.

Digitization is in full swing - and no one can escape it. One of the biggest stumbling blocks in the industrial environment is the integration of legacy systems (digital retrofit). This is because these systems lack two important prerequisites in particular: the sensor technology to capture data and the data interfaces to forward it. Without these capabilities, however, it is not possible to optimize planning and changeover times, increase performance and availability, improve quality tracking and tracing, or implement predictive maintenance.

Digital retrofit as a solution

A digital retrofit, often referred to as Retrofit 4.0 in reference to the hype term Industry 4.0, therefore consists of equipping legacy systems with the necessary sensor and control technology - and this during ongoing operation, without break or downtime. Another complicating factor is that these are usually special individual cases. "One size fits all" is practically impossible with retrofits. Sensor-communication retrofitting therefore requires a careful, application-related inventory and feasibility analysis in each case. The possible application scenarios for digital retrofits are wide-ranging.

Six application scenarios

LeanBI, a specialist for data science applications headquartered in Bern, describes six typical scenarios for practical use and the potential positive effects:

1. Intralogistics: Booming online retail is leading to a rapid increase in shipping volumes and thus to high utilization of logistics facilities, which are also unable to keep pace with this growth due to their (partially) analog structure. However, additional buildings or plant complexes cannot be realized as quickly as retrofitting existing facilities. It is therefore the faster as well as more cost-effective and resource-saving way. In addition, it can also increase the service life of the plant.
2. Assembly linesFor many product suppliers, such as automotive suppliers or bicycle manufacturers, meeting delivery times is becoming increasingly challenging due to the high demand and the growing number of variants. In the event of the smallest failure in the production chain, the entire plant comes to a standstill, delivery dates become wastepaper, and high penalties loom. Early detection of possible failures through predictive maintenance, which is only made possible by retrofitting, is the key factor in ensuring delivery reliability, increasing production output and customer satisfaction.
3. Packaging industryThe same applies to the packaging industry, where many machines are connected in series. If one machine stops, the whole line stops. With predictive maintenance, both unplanned malfunctions and planned interventions, such as maintenance measures, can be reduced. In addition, the retrofit of existing lines enables the use of sensor technology for ongoing automated checking of the packaging quality of a wide variety of products, and thus for reducing reject rates.
4. Metal production: In the manufacture of metal products, such as tubes, components or car body parts, it is important to detect quality variations in the process at an early stage. The more online sensor technology is used, the more reactive the process control can be designed. In addition, this ensures continuous traceability throughout the entire process. Here, too, the combination of decentralized data recording and central data analysis helps to reduce rejects.
5. Surface processingBy using additional sensor technology and combined analytics, wear times for machining tools can be better predicted. This optimizes processes in several ways: highly stressed components in surface treatment can be used for longer and material consumption is reduced, as are downtimes, which has a positive effect on increased productivity.
6. Electronics production: Retrofit can use highly complex, AI-assisted inspection methods for early detection of component failures in the production process, thereby increasing productivity rates. They also help to better understand and learn to fix rare special problems.

"Digital retrofit is one of the most important prerequisites and enablers for Industry 4.0," explains Marc Tesch, CEO of LeanBI. "Without this sustainable modernization technology, many valuable and in some cases indispensable legacy systems, production facilities and real estate would be lost to the digital future, along with the associated immense loss of value and resource robbery for expensive, time-consuming new installations."

Source and further information: LeanBI

According to the analysts at Turner & Townsend, 95 % of data center operators expect demand for data center services to increase. 2022 is expected to be a better year for them than 2021. 70 % believe that the data center market is virtually recession-proof. However, according to the latest ""Data Center Cost Index"" from analyst firm Turner & Townsend, opinions are divided on how data centers will manage the green transition. Growth drivers in the industry are likely to be, among other things, the further increasing digitization of business processes and the growing popularity of the Internet of Things (IoT). 

Adaptation to climate regulations 

According to the analysts, one of the biggest challenges for the industry is to adapt the current IT infrastructure and existing data center facilities to the new climate regulations. Despite high environmental awareness, only 40% of the industry believe their data centers will be CO2 free (net zero) in the next 5 years. Moreover, according to the index, opinions are divided on whether operators even know how to effectively reduce CO2 emissions. Due to the climate crisis, there is increasing pressure to reduce data center energy consumption. In response, some operators are trying to prepare for a bottom-up green transformation of the sector. Analysts cite the Climate Neutral Pact for Data Centers initiative as an example. Participants include Microsoft, Google and SAP, among others. About another example of how data centers can contribute to the reduction of CO2. recently reported here.

Popular markets struggle with first problems

The construction of new facilities itself will also be a challenge. In the most desirable locations such as Tokyo, Zurich or the FLAP-D market (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Dublin), demand for real estate exceeds supply. In addition, energy supply is becoming scarce. Back in 2019, a report from the Irish Academy of Engineering indicated that increasing demand for central services in Dublin would require an expansion of the energy infrastructure there. The cost at the time was estimated at $9 billion over eight years. 

In terms of investment costs, the capital of Japan is currently the most expensive, according to the Turner & Townsend Index. Statistically, data centers there have to spend $12.5 for every watt of electricity consumed. The second most expensive data center location is last year's top performer - Zurich. The average cost in this Swiss city is $12.0/watt. It is followed by Silicon Valley with an average cost of $10.3/watt. The authors of the index point out that rising costs influence the interest in investing in cheaper, developing markets. Poland, for example, emerges as an attractive location for data centers - especially in terms of price. "The Polish data center market is attractive to many foreign investors. In the discussions we are having, it is clear that we have a good location in the center of Europe, high-quality IT infrastructure, and relatively low real estate and energy costs compared to FLAP-D and Zurich," says Wojciech Stramski, CEO of Beyond.pl, an operator of data centers powered by 100 % green electricity. 

Supply chain bottlenecks and increased prices delay construction of new data centers

The situation in the construction market is an additional challenge for data center operators. 87% of the companies surveyed by Turner & Townsend said that material shortages are causing delays in data center construction. This is compounded by increases in the price of construction materials. In Europe, steel prices are said to have more than doubled in the past 12 months. For this reason, analysts point out that it is becoming increasingly popular to upgrade existing facilities and buildings instead of investing in completely new data centers. However, according to experts, this approach also has disadvantages. After all, quite a few server rooms are located in older buildings that are not ideally designed in terms of maintenance of critical IT infrastructures and energy efficiency, because such issues were not a priority at the time of construction. A new building on a greenfield site then seems to be the more optimal solution.

Source reference:

• https://www.turnerandtownsend.com/en/perspectives/data-centre-cost-index-2021/
• https://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Dublin-in-distress-Power-supply-issues-threaten-growth-of-Europes-second-biggest-datacentre-hub 
• https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252469328/Irelands-power-network-needs-9bn-investment-by-2027-to-sustain-datacentre-sector-claims-report 
• www.beyond.pl/de

For ten years, aforms2web has been contributing to the digitization of Swiss administration with its e-government solutions. The Austrian parent company aforms2web solutions & services GmbH, based in Vienna, is part of the DPI holding company, which is also Austrian. This is family-owned and has an annual turnover of around 70 million euros from communications services with more than 300 employees. In the last fiscal year, the company generated more than 50% of its sales in the Swiss and Liechtenstein markets.

No more tedious downloading of forms

Among the products of aforms2web is the form solution "AFORMSOLUTION (AFS)". Today, online forms can be seamlessly embedded into the IT structure of the federal government and numerous administrations. This eliminates the tedious download and return of completed forms as well as the manual entry of data. Thanks to electronic business case processing, all processes are fully traceable. 

Since January 1, 2022, aforms2web has been present in Switzerland in the immediate vicinity of the Federal Palace in the city of Bern. This means that the company is now also available locally for its customers.

E-government solutions: Federal government and seven cantons as customers

At the federal level in Switzerland, the Federal Office for Civil Protection FOCP and the Federal Electricity Commission ElCom already rely on aforms2web's trilingual forms. Since 2011, aforms2web has also been a partner for the entire lifecycle of online services in seven Swiss cantons (GL, LU, OW, SH, SO, SZ, ZG). In addition, there are municipalities and cities, such as Winterthur, St. Gallen and Zug, as well as customers from the social security sector.

In the canton of Lucerne, thanks to the solution from aforms2web, it is now possible, among many others, to order Covid certificates, submit applications for hardship support for officially closed businesses, register inheritances or report the loss of a vehicle registration card with just one click. The canton of Zug and its municipalities have also implemented aforms2web's form solution, e.g. for calculating withholding tax, ordering vehicle inspection plates, obtaining permits for events, creating a sales contract, application form for energy subsidy program, and much more.

Compatible with the federal GEVER system

The interoperability solution with the standard software Acta Nova from GEVER, the business management system of the Swiss Federal Administration, opened up new business areas for aforms2web last year. More and more departments are interested in digitizing their services. "We locate great potential for our services. In the past, we have proven in Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein that we are a reliable and long-term partner for administrations and can implement functioning e-government solutions in a short time. We would like to continue this success story in Switzerland in the coming years," says Marvin Behrendt, the managing director of aforms2web AG.

Further information: www.aforms2web.ch