Matthias Stürmer: «Open standards are key»

Today, digital sovereignty is a concrete management task. Companies need to know where their critical data is located, which systems are relevant to their business, which platforms and third parties they are dependent on and what risks this entails. The Swiss EA Connect Day 2026 will show how enterprise architecture creates the basis for making dependencies visible, assessing risks in a well-founded manner and managing decisions on resilience, compliance and the ability to act in a targeted manner. A keynote speaker at the conference is Prof. Dr. Matthias Stürmer, lecturer at Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) and head of the Public Sector Transformation Institute. He is one of the most important opinion leaders on digital sovereignty in our country. A conversation about the conference topic and what open source and sustainable IT architectures have to do with it.

Mr. Stürmer, to clarify the terminology: What does digital sovereignty actually mean?

Matthias Stürmer: The term digital sovereignty is interpreted and applied in different ways. There is no uniform legal definition. In Switzerland, more than 200 companies and authorities have agreed on a common definition in the Sovereign Digital Switzerland network. According to this definition, digital sovereignty applies not only to the state, but also to any organization that wants to become more technologically independent. It is about having complete control over your own data and being able to help shape software and infrastructure. This gives you freedom of action when it comes to applications, cloud systems and architectures.

You have been working on digital sustainability, open source and digital sovereignty for many years. Why is this topic particularly important for organizations right now?

The problem of vendor dependency is nothing new. It has been around for decades, since the first mainframe systems. Many IT providers still use such dependencies as part of their business model today. As long as the providers behave fairly, this is a calculable risk. It becomes critical when geopolitical interests come into play. This creates a new unpredictability, especially for central IT, cloud and AI services, which are often provided by US companies. In recent months, this has led to increased awareness and demand for digitally sovereign alternatives.

When did it become clear to you personally that digitalization must be open and sustainable in the long term?

I realized this over several years. I have been involved with open source software for over 20 years and find it fascinating that people all over the world are developing software that both serves the common good and can create economic value. At the same time, I have realized that open source alone does not solve all problems. It also needs a functioning community, funding, governance and various forms of participation. This gave rise to the idea of digital sustainability at ETH. It later became clear that this approach could also be applied to data and AI systems.

What do you mean by digitally sustainable AI?

Sustainability has various dimensions: social, ecological, economic and also digital. Among other things, digital sustainability is about accessible knowledge and the basis of data and software, such as open source code. Applied to AI, this means that a good model needs a clear architecture, code, data and computing power. If these components are documented transparently and remain traceable, we can speak of a digitally sustainable AI system. Such systems are also referred to as digital public good.

Open algorithms are also often discussed in social media. Is this going in a similar direction?

Yes, absolutely. This is also about platforms and the question of which content is displayed preferentially. This prioritization is based on preferences, contacts, likes and previous behavior. This is exactly where transparency and traceability are important. The basic idea of open source is that digital goods such as software, data or AI models can be reused and integrated into your own applications. This can be used to develop new products, services and business models.

When it comes to data, you can also see this in the area of open government data. Is that a good role model for you?

Yes, exactly. This is the transfer of open source principles to data. Open government data is now firmly established in Switzerland. From 2027, all federal offices will have to publish their non-personal data, such as weather, geo, traffic, electricity, education and health data. This data will then be available on Open Data Suisse. Companies can use it to identify building sites or calculate building heights, for example. This creates an important basis for innovation.

In your opinion, is there any way around this transparency and open source development?

In the long term, no. The UN formulated the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, when digitalization still played a minor role. Today, many governments have recognized that data, software and AI must be made as open as possible. This increases the economic benefits and enables companies to build on state-financed digital goods. At the same time, the state should take care not to create any new dependencies when making procurements. Up to now, digital resources have often only been rented, for example via licenses. In future, greater attention should be paid to ensuring genuine freedom of use and design.

What is the biggest difference between short-term digitalization and sustainable digitalization?

Sustainability doesn't just mean that something lasts a long time. It also means that it serves society and humanity. With digital sustainability, there is also the digital dimension: knowledge should be accessible, systems should make ecological sense and take social criteria into account. Modularity is also important. Systems should be designed in such a way that they can be further developed, replaced or supplemented by other providers. This requires interoperability and open interfaces. As with a building, existing structures should be developed further instead of regularly demolishing and rebuilding everything.

Is that really realistic in practice? The more interfaces there are, the more complex everything becomes.

Of course complexity arises. But that's exactly why we have computer scientists, standards and experienced architects. A large system is like a high-rise building: no one builds it alone at the weekend. Many specialized people work together on complex projects. This is a large-scale construction project. You might be able to build a small solution yourself, but not a complex overall system with many dependencies.

What role does enterprise architecture play in this?

A very central one. As in the construction industry, an architect must first know the framework conditions, understand the structural analysis and know what the client needs. In IT, this means deciding on certain databases, interfaces and standards. Whether SQL, NoSQL, REST, SOAP or GraphQL - such questions need to be carefully assessed. Good architects need a lot of experience to get the foundations right. If the foundation is designed incorrectly, the entire system will collapse later.

And how would you categorize the role of governance?

Governance is very important, but it always relates to the respective context: to a project, an organization, a process or a company. For example, it is about which frameworks, libraries or programming languages are chosen, which providers deliver or how decisions are made during a project. Good governance ensures that such questions are decided consciously and comprehensibly.

Which principles are particularly important?

Open standards are key. Software, databases and IT systems should have open interfaces so that they can be connected with each other without having to develop expensive special solutions first. We experienced this with a mobile app for the University of Bern, for example: many systems such as grading, timetable and room management systems are located underneath the app. If these have no interfaces, even the best app is of little use. That's why you should work with established standards right from the start, such as the ECH standards in Switzerland. This avoids chaos and unnecessary dependencies.

Where do organizations make the biggest mistake today when making decisions about technology, data and software?

They focus too much on the functional requirements, i.e. what the software must be able to do. Far too little consideration is given to non-functional aspects such as user-friendliness, performance, security or independence from the provider. It is precisely these aspects that often drive up costs. If you only look at features, you quickly overlook how the solution can be operated, expanded or replaced in the long term.

Does that mean buying more strategically?

Exactly. You should think long-term. Many systems that are procured today will accompany organizations for years or decades to come. That's why it makes sense to make decisions with a long-term perspective. It's similar to training: a quick course can help, but a stable foundation often requires more substance.

Why is it worthwhile for experts in process management and enterprise architecture to deal with digital sustainability and digital sovereignty?

Because these are strategic issues. It's not about the short-term question of how to solve a problem tomorrow, but about setting the course with long-term effects. Those who make decisions today may not realize the benefits or disadvantages until much later. Corporate architects must anticipate such developments at an early stage - like a captain who changes course in good time before the ship gets too close to the iceberg. Such discussions help to hear different perspectives and make better decisions.

What is the central message of your keynote speech at the event?

You should think about digital sovereignty and consciously reflect on your own dependencies. Dependencies are not fundamentally bad - you are also dependent on electricity, water or a building. It becomes problematic when you are dependent on just one provider and no longer have a real choice. In my view, this ability to switch is key. It strengthens resilience and ultimately leads to more digital sovereignty.

The questions were asked by Sandro Gerussi, Head of Marketing Communication at BOC Switzerland. Editorial work: Thomas Berner. Further information on the Swiss EA Connect Day 2026 and how to register: https://www.boc-group.com/de/swiss-ea-connect-day-2026/