Press Release Archives

Bern/Zurich, 18.03.2022 – In an increasingly digitalised society, cybersecurity has become a key issue. This is particularly true for the protection of critical infrastructures. The Federal Council wants to make improvements here and is therefore conducting a consultation on two legislative proposals at the same time. The submission deadline for the first, the targeted amendment to the Ordinance on Telecommunications Services (OTS) to protect telecommunications infrastructures and services, ends today. The digitalswitzerland association welcomes the revision and proposes individual adjustments for clear and efficient implementation.

Read the press release as web version in German (Download PDF) | in French (Download PDF)
To the complete statement on the Amendment of the Ordinance on Telecommunications Services (OTS) (available in German)

Contact for further information:
Andreas W. Kaelin, digitalswitzerland | Bern Office
Tel. +41 31 311 62 45 │ andreas@digitalswitzerland.com

Browse annual reports that document our activities and finances from previous financial years.

digitalswitzerland is a Swiss-wide, cross-industry initiative that aims to transform Switzerland into a leading digital nation. Along with our network of 200+ members and non-political partners, including more than 1,000 top executives, we’re engaged in over 25 projects to inspire, initiate, co-create and lead digital change in Switzerland.

If you represent a magazine, newspaper or another kind of media entity, or have other media related inquiries, please get in touch with Colin Wallace, Corporate Communications.

Bern, 26 January 2022 – Many Swiss companies are desperately seeking skilled workers. A targeted amendment to the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act (FNIA) is intended to make it easier for foreign graduates of Swiss universities to be employed in Switzerland in areas where there is a shortage of skilled workers. This was made possible by a motion from FDP National Councillor and digitalswitzerland Vice President Marcel Dobler.

Read the press release in German | in French
To the complete statement on the FNIA by digitalswitzerland (available in German)

Media contact:
Andreas W. Kaelin, digitalswitzerland, Bern Office
Phone +41 31 311 62 45 │ andreas@digitalswitzerland.com

Please find our archive of press releases.

If you represent a magazine, newspaper or another kind of media entity, or have other media related inquiries, please get in touch.

Email our Head of Communications and Marketing, Thomas Weidmann: thomas@digitalswitzerland.com

October 2023

12.10.2023 – Cybersecurity affects everyone – because the focus is always on people. Read the press release in German.

06.10.2023 – Digital sovereignty and critical infrastructure – where are the limits? Read the press release in German.

05.10.2023 – The electronic patient dossier is at a crossroads. Read the press release in German.

May 2023

26.05.2023 – digitalswitzerland: Strengthen regions, increase impact. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.

December 2022

14.12.2022 – The Swiss population is ready for a digital healthcare system. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.

October 2022

27.10.2022 – Those were the Swiss Digital Days 2022. Find the press release in German, French and Italian.

04.10.2022 – Study on digitalisation in Switzerland: Great willingness – little movement. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.

03.10.2022 – Swiss Digital Days 2022 are coming to Eastern Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Read the press release in German.

September 2022

28.09.2022 – IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking: Switzerland once again among the top 5 worldwide. Read the press release in German and French.

27.09.2022 – Swiss Digital Days 2022 are coming to Ticino. Read the press release in Italian.

20.09.2022 – Digital sustainability and secure browsing: Swiss Digital Days are coming to the Romandie. Read the press release in French.

13.09.2022 – Augmented reality glasses and e-scooters: Swiss Digital Days are coming to Zurich. Read the press release in German.

06.09.2022 – Digital topics for young and old: there’s something for everyone at Swiss Digital Days in Northwestern Switzerland. Read the press release in German.

05.09.2022 – Switzerland’s largest NFT project unveiled at the start of Swiss Digital Days 2022. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.

August 2022

30.08.2022- 4. Digital Gipfel Schweiz: International business leaders, academics and digital thought leaders meet to exchange views on the digital future. Read the press release in German and French.

29.08.2022 – Startup battle, hackathon and big bubbles: Swiss Digital Days are coming to Bern. Read the press release in German.

July 2022

21.07.2022 – From A as in Aarau to Z as in Zurich: Swiss Digital Days 2022 are going on a Switzerland-wide tour. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.

June 2022

28.06.2022 – No improvement in cybersecurity among SMEs despite digitalisation boost from Corona crisis. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.

March 2022

18.03.2022 – An important step towards increasing Switzerland’s cyber resilience: statement on Amendment of the Ordinance on Telecommunications Services (OTS) to protect telecommunications infrastructures and services. Read the press release in German and French.

January 2022

26.01.2022 – Statement on the amendment of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration. Read the press release in German and French.

18.01.2022 – The Swiss Digital Initiative presents the world’s first label for digital responsibility. Read the press release in English, German, French and Italian.

December

23.12.2021 – Stefan Metzger appointed new Managing Director of digitalswitzerland. Read the press release in German, English, Italian and French.

November

18.11.2021 – Home office is establishing itself as a place of work for SMEs. Read the press release in German, French and Italian.

11.11.2021 – Digital Economy Award: Recognition for digital excellence. The digital pioneers of the year have been selected. Read the Press Release in German and French.

7.11.2021 – Programming with purpose: #herHACK Switzerland’s largest female hackathon sets an example for gender diversity. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.

3.11.2021 – The Swiss Digital Initiative unveils the Digital Trust Label Seal. The Press Release is available in English.

October 2021

28.10.2021 – Digital Day 2021: 12 hours of livestream and over 150 events, online and across Switzerland. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.

14.10.2021 – A Swiss Pavilion at GITEX Technology Week, one of the largest technology fairs in the Middle East. The Press Release is available in German and French.

13.10.2021 – The E-ID is inevitable – let’s move forward. The Press Release is available in German and French. Read the statement in German.

7.10.2021 – Wake-up call from pandemic: The Swiss want to improve digital skills. Press Release is available in German, French and Italian. Data is available in German.

September 2021

30.09.2021 – Finalists of the Digital Economy Award: Fintech industry booming, healthcare more digital as never before. The Press Release is available in German and French.

29.09.2021 – Kick Off for Digital Day 2021 – 6 weeks of inspiration start now! Press Release available in German, French and Italian.

15.09.2021 – Unacceptable solution for the Labour Law – flexible working for the ICT sector continues to be out of reach. digitalswitzerland calls for key points to be added to the insufficient proposal. The Press Release is available in German and French.

7.07.2021 – Possible approach for the creation of a trustworthy Distributed Ledger Technology ecosystem in Switzerland. The Press Release is available in German, French and English.

August 2021

31.08.2021 – Swiss Digital Day 2021: Digital skills for a digital future. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.

24.08.2021 – 3rd Digital Gipfel Switzerland: International digital experts and
Swiss business representatives exchange ideas on digitalisation. The Press Release is available in German and French.

18.08.2021 – Security above speed: Yes to the e-voting proposal with a sense of moderation. The Press Release is available in German and French.

July 2021

13.07.2021 – Swiss Digital Day 2021: This is how the population is shaping Switzerland’s digital future. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.

June 2021

24.06.2021 – Untapped potential for skilled workers among older employees. The Press Release is available in German and French. Survey available in German.

17.06.2021 – Digital Economy Award: Honouring Switzerland’s digital
Switzerland’s top digital achievements takes place. The Press Release is available in German and French.

2.06.2021 – digitalswitzerland confirms new president. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.

May 2021

27.05.2021 – digitalswitzerland confirms new president. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.

11.05.2021 – Switzerland-wide initiative strengthens digital skills of
employees. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.

6.05.2021 – SDI Report: Labels and Certifications for the Digital World – Mapping the International Landscape. The Press Release is available in German, French & English.

April 2021

21.04.2021 – Switzerland provides new impulses for innovation: Privacy Icons wins award for the most impressive digitalisation project. The Press Release is available in German and French.

16.04.2021 – Sascha Zahnd becomes new president of digitalswitzerland. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.

12.04.2021 – Cutting-edge Swiss technologies showcased at the digital HANNOVER MESSE 2021. The Press Release is available in German and French.

March 2021

7.03.2021 – The e-ID law is rejected. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.

February 2021

17.02.2021 – Digital Economy Award enters 3rd round: Nomination phase started. The Press Release is available in German, French and Italian.

January 2021

14.01.2021 – The E-ID law stands for a modern Switzerland. The Press Release is available in German.

The Swiss Digital Initiative presents the world’s first label for digital responsibility. As of now, trustworthy digital services can be identified more easily.

Those offering digital services can declare their digital commitment in a credible manner. Both Swisscom and Swiss Re became the first to receive the Digital Trust Label for their digital services. Credit Suisse is in the midst of the labelling process. Others have committed to following suit.

Zurich, 23. December 2021 – Nicolas Bürer, Managing Director of digitalswitzerland, is leaving the initiative at his own request as of January 2022. His successor is Stefan Metzger, who for the past 13 years has been responsible for the Swiss operations of the IT consulting company “Cognizant”. Diana Engetschwiler, Head of the Swiss Digital Day, becomes Deputy Managing Director and succeeds Sébastien Kulling, who is moving to the digitalswitzerland Foundation.

After five successful years as Managing Director of digitalswitzerland, Nicolas Bürer will be taking a new professional direction. Bürer will leave the initiative as of January next year. Bürer joined the organisation as Managing Director in 2016, which has expanded nationwide under his leadership and now counts 240 organisations as partners. Last year, Bürer was also responsible for the operational merger with “ICTswitzerland,” the umbrella organisation of the Swiss ICT industry. The goal of digitalswitzerland is to position Switzerland as a global leading digital innovation hub.

“I sincerely thank Nicolas for his commitment to digitalswitzerland,” says President Sascha Zahnd. “He has successfully developed the initiative and transformed what was once a regional vision for Zurich into a nationwide and now even global movement – putting us in a solid position for the future. For his next professional chapter, I wish Nicolas nothing but the best and I am pleased that he will continue to support digitalswitzerland in an advisory capacity.”

The management of digitalswitzerland will now be taken over by digital expert Stefan Metzger. Most recently, Metzger was responsible over a period of 13 years as Country Managing Director for the Swiss operations of the globally active IT consulting company “Cognizant”, which serves major clients from the banking and finance, insurance, life sciences and pharma, as well as retail and consumer goods sectors. Metzger has been involved with digitalswitzerland for a year and was a member of the Executive Committee.

“A country’s digital competence and innovative strength are becoming central to any country,” says digitalswitzerland Founder and Ringier CEO Marc Walder. “With Stefan Metzger, we are gaining a proven expert in the field of digital transformation, especially one with global experience. digitalswitzerland has grown to become Switzerland’s most relevant initiative in the past six years. Stefan Metzger will help drive this development further.”

Diana Engetschwiler, Head of the Swiss Digital Day, which was launched five years ago, will become Deputy Managing Director of digitalswitzerland at the beginning of 2022. She succeeds Sébastien Kulling, who is moving to its supporting digitalswitzerland Foundation as Managing Director. Over the past four years, Kulling has been instrumental in expanding digitalswitzerland in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

Media contact
Eliane Panek
Director of Communications
digitalswitzerland
+41 76 559 07 70
eliane@digitalswitzerland.com

Study on digitalisation and cybersecurity in SMEs 2021

The current study on digitalisation and cybersecurity in SMEs 2021 has revealed that home office has established itself as a place of work for SMEs. Small businesses in Switzerland are demonstrating flexibility. Home office uptake doubled since the start of the Corona crisis. The downside: while a quarter of the companies surveyed were affected by cyberattacks in 2020, more than a third were affected in the current survey. The implementation of technical measures against cyberattacks is at a high level. However, there is much potential in the implementation of organisational measures such as conducting security audits and employee training.

The survey was carried out on behalf of the Swiss Mobiliar Insurance Company Ltd, digitalswitzerland, Allianz Digitale Sicherheit Schweiz, the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW – Digital Transformation Competence Centre and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences SATW.

Read the study in German.

Read the press release is available in German, French and Italian.

Read the press conference presentation in German and French.

The winners of the Digital Economy Award 2021 were announced this evening by a 40-strong jury: Labster, Belimed, Mobiliar, the Finance Department of the Canton of Zug, Firmenich and Värdex Suisse.

With the NextGen Hero Award, the audience also honoured two young personalities who know how to change the world at a young age. At the Award Night, 1000 guests from the digital industry, research, business and politics celebrated the year’s digital feats. The ceremony took place at the Hallenstadion Zurich in the presence of Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter.

Read the press release in German and French.

For high resolution images visit our Flickr.

At today’s Swiss Digital Day and during the six-week run-up, more than 100,000 people were interested in 700 events that took place both online and at more than 30 venues across Switzerland. Digital Day also offered viewers a varied 18-hour livestream programme on two channels. There was something for all ages and interests.

Highlights included the #herHACK Women’s Hackathon, the European Digital Days series and the numerous opportunities to strengthen digital skills. The grand finale is the Digital Economy Award, which takes place tomorrow evening in Zurich.

The press release is available in German, French and Italian.

For high resolution images – visit our Flickr.

Over the weekend, #herHACK Switzerland’s largest female hackathon with over 200 participants took place in Zurich as part of Digital Day.

During 36 hours, women worked in teams to solve social problems that contribute to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN Agenda 2030. The event aims to encourage women to pursue careers in the technology industry. digitalswitzerland organized the event together with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cognizant and other sponsors.

The Iconics team took first place and convinced the jury with a digital solution for sustainable and healthy eating. To kick off the Hackathon weekend, Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr visited the hackers on site in Zurich.

Download press release in German, French and Italian.

Download high resolution images here.