Climate change, Covid-19, war in Europe and the Middle East, political instability, the energy crisis, inflation and a weakening economy - one crisis has followed another in recent years. The ongoing series of challenges has left a clear mark on the financial performance of numerous companies. Even though many companies have done their resilience homework since the pandemic, the number of crisis-prone companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland rose again in 2023/2024. This negative development can be attributed to the ongoing geopolitical tensions triggered by the Russian war in Ukraine and the significant rise in inflation, energy and food prices. This is shown by an international study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) and Kiel University of Applied Sciences. However, there are clear differences between the countries.

Various factors promote crisis resilience in Switzerland

As the study shows, Swiss companies are disproportionately represented in the group of crisis-resilient companies - almost twice as often as German companies. Resilient companies are characterized by a high equity ratio, higher liquidity, more stable real sales growth and more flexible cost structures. These factors help to smooth out sales fluctuations better and keep the return on sales high.

In addition, Swiss companies tend to diversify their business models and sources of income well, making them less susceptible to external shocks. Effective risk management and good relationships with partners and stakeholders also strengthen the resilience of Swiss companies. Long-term oriented management as well as anti-cyclical buffer and reserve building also contribute to Swiss resilience.

According to study author Prof. Dr. Stefan Hunziker, flatter hierarchies and the corporate culture of Swiss companies also promote an open culture of discussion, the degree of digitalization and the use of flexible working time models - all factors that make companies more resilient in crises, explains the HSLU professor.

Successful Swiss economic policy

However, resilience is not only increased by corporate culture and successful risk management, but is also influenced by external factors. According to the authors of the study, there are also clear differences between the three countries. German companies, for example, received more state aid than their Swiss counterparts. As other studies have shown, this reduces the incentive to reduce costs or make their own efficiency efforts to promote resilience.

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) also contributed to the resilience of Swiss companies. It is comparatively flexible and can tailor its policy more closely to the needs of the domestic market, whereas the European Central Bank has to focus on the eurozone as a whole. "The cross-country comparison illustrates the differences between the markets in terms of the response to the pandemic, the war in Ukraine or the subsequent energy crisis," says Hunziker. "In addition to structural differences between the DACH countries, the SNB's flexibility enabled lower inflation rates and weaker interest rate hikes," explains the economics professor.

Despite good resilience: Swiss companies are also increasingly suffering

Although Austrian companies, particularly in the tourism and energy sectors, showed resilience, they were confronted with high inflation and construction costs. German companies were hit hardest by energy prices and supply chain disruptions, particularly in the industrial and materials sectors. In addition, Swiss companies are generally less energy-intensive than their German and Austrian counterparts, as Switzerland is less reliant on energy-intensive industries. German industry, for example, requires around two and a half times as much energy for every dollar of value added as Swiss industry.

However, a negative trend in financial resilience has also been emerging in Switzerland since 2023, as the HSLU study clearly shows. "Although Swiss companies are doing very well in a European comparison, market risks and higher interest rates are having an increasingly negative impact.

Source: www.hslu.ch

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/dauerkrisen-stellen-schweizer-unternehmen-auf-harte-probe/

"Switzerland's rise to second place underlines the crucial role that skilled talent, effective regulation and the protection of intellectual property play in digital resilience. By further improving cybersecurity measures and promoting citizen engagement in digital spaces, Switzerland can extend its leadership in the digital age," says Christos Cabolis. He is Chief Economist at the IMD's World Competitiveness Center (WCC).

Franziska Barmettler, CEO of digitalswitzerland, adds: "Switzerland's excellent ranking underlines the joint efforts of business, politics and society to promote digitalization in the interests of the country. The goal now must be to remain among the best in the future." It is also clear to Barmettler: "Switzerland still has room for improvement: Digital identity is already a reality in other countries and the electronic patient dossier is also a long time coming. Such projects require not only investment, but also trust in technologies, data security and institutions. The focus must be on building trust so that Switzerland can remain competitive." 

Progress in high-tech exports, e-participation and cyber security 

The annual ranking, which is compiled by the IMD's World Competitiveness Center (WCC), is based on data and surveys, thus determining the digital competitiveness of 67 global economies and highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. 

The ranking divides the results into three factors: Knowledge, Technology and Sustainability. Each of these factors is divided into three sub-factors that shed light on each facet of the areas analyzed. In total, the ranking comprises nine such sub-factors. These nine sub-factors comprise a total of 59 criteria.

Switzerland remains at the top in the knowledge factor and improved in both the technology (fourth place) and future viability (fifth place) factors. The country continues to perform very well in the sub-factors skilled workers (third place), legal framework (second place) and business flexibility (seventh place) and shows notable improvements in the sub-factors research location (second place) and technological framework (seventh place). 

In the areas of education and training (8th place) and IT integration (7th place), Switzerland dropped one place in each. However, Switzerland is characterized by an overall balanced performance in all factors of the WDRC and ranks among the top 10 in seven of the nine sub-factors.

"Switzerland's impressive performance in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking underlines the country's consistent strength in various areas, with a focus on governance, skilled labor and technological infrastructure. Switzerland's ability to attract highly skilled international professionals, as well as its strong intellectual property protection and effective regulatory framework, are testament to its commitment to innovation. With a stable credit rating and top marks for the availability of executives with international experience, Switzerland remains a popular destination for digital investment and knowledge transfer," said José Caballero, Chief Economist at the WCC.

However, despite an increase in high-tech exports and cybersecurity capabilities, Switzerland still struggles with certain technological infrastructure metrics and ranks 52nd in wireless broadband connection speed, for example.

A ranking in the course of time

IMD is continuously developing the ranking in order to best reflect the changing conditions of digital administration, business and society. To this end, the following indicators were introduced or improved this year: an index for computer science education, recording the number of peer-reviewed articles and guidelines on AI, the number of secure internet servers and a measurement of people's flexibility and adaptability in the face of new challenges.

This year, the report accompanying the ranking - The Digital Divide: Risks and Opportunities - examines the global impact of three phenomena: the uneven development of digital infrastructure, geopolitical tensions and the rapid pace of technological development.

Source: www.imd.org

The study by Robert Walters shows that Generation Z professionals in Switzerland are choosing an individualized path to advance their careers that focuses on personal growth and skill acquisition rather than taking on a leadership role. 

Christian Atkinson, Country Director at Robert Walters Switzerland, explains: "Gen Z are known for their entrepreneurial mindset. They prefer to bring their whole selves to projects and focus on building their own brand and their own approach rather than managing others." 

Generational differences in the appreciation of middle management 

Interestingly, 75 % of professionals believe that older generations place far more value on middle management roles than their younger counterparts. Christian notes, "Older professionals have typically spent years climbing the traditional corporate ladder, which gives them a greater respect for middle management. On the other hand, younger professionals, who have often entered the workforce in an era of remote or hybrid working with an emphasis on digital skills, are less inclined to develop strong company loyalty." 

Negative image of middle management 

When asked why they would avoid middle management roles, 78 % of Gen Z professionals in Switzerland cited high stress and little reward. Other factors included limited decision-making authority and fewer opportunities for personal development. Christian adds: "New middle managers face a steep learning curve, have to manage a higher workload, always be available to their team and achieve their own goals at the same time. This explains why many shy away from these positions because they carry too much responsibility. 

The future: a culture without bosses 

Despite these trends, middle management is still indispensable for many: 63 % of employers state that middle managers play a crucial role in their company. Christian concludes: "It's clear that middle management is a cornerstone of any organization. To fill these positions, employers need to rethink their strategies to make them more attractive. This could include offering more autonomy, regular workload assessments and clear opportunities for skills development. 

The introduction of a 'bossless culture' could mean that these roles are no longer seen as an unnecessary layer of management, but as facilitators who encourage their teams to be proactive. Employers need to prioritize middle management now to avoid a significant talent shortage in the future." 

Source: www.robertwalters.ch

"The uncomfortable truth for companies remains: The weak point is people, and their own employees continue to cause the most damage and - at least until 2023 - also the greatest damage. In 2024, this tide could turn for the first time in terms of the level of losses," says Marie-Christine Kragh. She is Global Head of Fidelity Insurance at Allianz Trade.

In 2023, internal perpetrators were responsible for more than half (55 %) of all losses reported to Allianz Trade in Germany and for around three quarters of the reported loss volume (76 %). In 2024, this trend has so far continued in terms of the number of cases: from January to August 2024, domestic perpetrators committed around 60 % of the reported cases. What is new in 2024, however, is that external perpetrators were ahead in terms of the amount of damage in the same period (61 %). Experience shows that there may still be significant shifts for the year as a whole, both due to major losses and due to the fact that criminal acts committed by internal perpetrators are usually discovered and reported much later than offenses committed by external perpetrators.

Social engineering is booming among white-collar criminals

External perpetrators also include "social engineers": in payment and ordering fraud, they divert payment and goods flows, and in fake resident fraud, they pose as supposed bosses and instruct employees to transfer sums of money to fraudulent accounts for supposed business transactions. The number of cases of these crimes rose by 17 % in 2023 compared to the previous year and the volume of losses by 19 %.

"The fake president scam is still in vogue after the surprising revival two years ago," says Kragh, "The number of cases of this scam shot up again by almost a third (+31 %) in 2023."

However, the losses per case caused by both companies fell significantly in 2023. Last year, the loss volume halved (-55 %). In most cases, the loss amounts were in the low to mid six-figure range.

False bosses still "en vogue" with major losses, AI brings new level of evolution

"The false bosses struck much more often in 2023, but did not steal as large sums of money," says Kragh. "However, companies should not be lulled into a sense of security - on the contrary. This year, we expect the number of cases to remain high but stable, with an increase in major losses. We assume that the claims volume for companies is likely to more than double in 2024. This indicates that fraudsters are using AI tools to further professionalize their scams with an even more targeted approach to employees and companies."

The new technology is also likely to play into the hands of white-collar criminals when it comes to payment fraud. The amount of losses due to payment fraud more than doubled in 2023 compared to the previous year (+59 %), mainly driven by major losses. In many cases, the counterfeit invoices are practically indistinguishable from the originals.

According to estimates by Allianz Trade based on claims statistics from January to August 2024, there are signs of a slight easing in major claims for payment fraud for 2024 as a whole: Although the number of cases is likely to remain at a high level, average losses are likely to normalize somewhat and the overall loss volume in 2024 is likely to decline (-25 %).

Danger from deepfakes: voice cloning at the touch of a button

With the rapid development of AI tools, deepfakes are likely to pose an increasing threat to companies in the future. "A few years ago, voice cloning was still something for absolute specialists and the quality was often questionable," says Tom Alby, Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Allianz Trade in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. "Today, thanks to AI tools, it's practically available 'off the shelf' at the touch of a button. This also opens up completely new horizons for fraudsters. The hurdles are lower than ever before, and they need fewer and fewer skills for really well-crafted attacks."

At Social Engineers, however, technology is only a means to an end. It is intended to emphasize the authenticity of the boss and the job. Manipulation through emotions and pressure plays an equally important role. "Using artificially generated voices and images to build trust is a powerful tool," says Kragh. "A well-worded email is one thing, but if the fake boss suddenly speaks with a real voice or even looks real and can be seen in 'his' office in case of doubt, then that's a whole new dimension that in many cases makes all doubts disappear. You can't simply apply a security patch to employees and everything is automatically blocked. Raising awareness is therefore more important than ever."

Race between evolutionary stages of criminals and protective measures

Well-made deepfakes are often difficult to identify. Employees should look out for unnatural intonation or speech melody or how authentic movements or blinking appear. Poor audio or video quality, inexplicable background noises or changes in light and skin tone could also be important indicators. The same goes for poor lip-syncing to what is being said. You can also simply ask the other person to touch their nose with their finger.

"However, I assume that we will see deepfakes in the coming months where all of this no longer applies," says Alby. "That's why it makes sense to think internally about how to install control mechanisms. Because criminals don't sleep, they work day and night on the remaining deficits and are the first to take such "detection tips" to heart. This is their input for the next stage of evolution. It's definitely going to be a game of cat and mouse."

"However, vigilance, critical thinking and a good, open corporate culture are the most important factors," says Kragh. "A single query can bring the whole house of cards crashing down and expose the perpetrators. The CEO's commitment not to instruct transfers in video calls or a solution for certain transactions can also be suitable safeguards."

In a recent case, an employee of a car company thwarted a fake president fraud attempt with a simple query: Which book the CEO had recommended to him last week. The fake boss had no idea.

Source: www.allianz-trade.ch

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/allianz-trade-schadensstatistik-fake-president-betrugsmasche-weiter-en-vogue/

Since its foundation in 1998, RepRisk AG has developed into a global market leader in the identification and assessment of business and ESG risks. RepRisk uncovers risks such as human rights violations and corruption that are not disclosed by companies. This gives decision-makers a clearer view of their business relationships and investments. The RepRisk data is based on a transparent and consistent methodology that has been continuously optimized over two decades through the use of artificial intelligence and highly qualified analysts.

Global presence and renowned customers

RepRisk AG originally started out as a consultancy firm for environmental and social risks in the banking sector and counted UBS among its first clients. Today, the client base comprises over 550 companies worldwide. These include leading financial institutions such as Pictet and Julius Baer as well as international corporations such as Swiss Re and Glencore. Asset managers such as BlackRock and Allianz Global Investors also rely on RepRisk's ESG data. Headquartered in Zurich and with offices in London, New York, Berlin and Tokyo, RepRisk AG employs around 350 people worldwide.

Innovative solutions for ESG risk assessment

RepRisk AG's platform analyzes over 150,000 publicly available sources in 23 languages on a daily basis to identify potential business risks. These sources include print media, online media, social networks, regulatory authorities, newsletters and other digital platforms. The list of sources is regularly updated and expanded. The database includes over 275,000 companies and 80,000 infrastructure projects. Over 100 ESG risk factors are taken into account, enabling a comprehensive analysis. By combining artificial intelligence and human expertise, the RepRisk analyst team ensures the high quality and reliability of the risk assessment.

A pioneer for well-founded decisions

Since its foundation, RepRisk AG has entered into numerous partnerships to integrate ESG data into the risk management systems of global financial institutions. A milestone was the partnership with UBS in 2006, when ESG risk data was added to the bank's compliance system. In the years that followed, the company consolidated its position as a leading provider through collaborations with companies such as Robecosam, BASF and Blackrock.

Key milestones include the collaboration with BlackRock to integrate ESG data into the eFront platform in 2021 and the collaboration with Bloomsberg in 2024 to facilitate access to RepRisk's daily updated ESG data. These collaborations highlight RepRisk's central role in promoting sustainable business practices.

More information: www.reprisk.com / www.svc.swiss 

Prix SVC Economic Area Zurich 2024

The award ceremony will take place on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at the Kongresshaus Zurich. Around 1,500 guests from the worlds of business, science, politics and culture are expected to attend. The award ceremony will be hosted by Nik Hartmann. More information.

The Savoir Marketing Seminars are a unique series of continuing education courses that combine learning with a vacation feeling. The Savoir Marketing Seminars take place on mountain peaks, in picturesque mountain lodges or under palm trees in Ticino and combine teaching with network-building activities such as wine tastings, ibex safaris or sledging adventures.

Practical training in various areas

The seminars, which were designed in collaboration with renowned national and international experts, offer practical training in the areas of marketing strategy, storytelling, social media ads and generative AI.

"With the Savoir Marketing Seminars, we create an atmosphere in which people can concentrate fully on learning and networking without having to sacrifice relaxation and experiences. We transfer theory directly into practice - in places that are just as inspiring as the learning itself," explains Tanja Herrmann. She is head of the study program at the HWZ and founder of Savoir Marketing Seminars.

Number of participants is limited

In addition to intensive learning modules, each seminar offers a supporting program tailored to the ambience in order to exchange ideas with other experts.

The number of participants is limited to 14 per seminar to ensure individual support and personal feedback. Participants complete each seminar with an HWZ certificate, which guarantees them recognized further training.

Savoir Marketing Seminars offer a welcome alternative to online teaching - and are the answer to the growing demand for training concepts that combine both quality and experience. From today, interested parties can register on the Website register for the seminars.

Source: www.savoir-marketing-seminars.ch

The "Platform" is the political alliance of eight independent and solution-oriented employee and professional associations. It deals with the impact of technological developments on the world of work - be it through digitalization in a broader sense or AI in particular. As scientific studies show that service and knowledge professions are particularly affected by AI in the world of work, the alliance conducted a survey of its 85,000 or so members on attitudes, use and skills in the field of AI in the workplace.

The results provide valuable insights into the perceptions and challenges of professionals in Switzerland. "As the technological development of AI is often only viewed from a technical and functional perspective, it is essential for the association to also look at the social, economic and political challenges associated with AI," says Ursula Häfliger, Managing Director of the platform.

Function and level of education influence attitudes towards AI

The results of the survey show that knowledge workers are indeed already strongly affected by AI in the world of work. Attitudes towards AI depend heavily on job function and level of education: while employees in higher functions and with a higher level of education see great opportunities through the use of AI - especially for the economy - less well-educated employees in lower functions are more skeptical. At the same time, scenarios regarding the negative effects of AI on society are more common among better-educated professionals. Issues such as influencing public debates, a potential decrease in social contacts and widespread surveillance are cited as challenges.

Despite widespread use: great need for AI skills

Around half of the respondents (48%) use (generative) AI at work, while 32% state that they do not use AI. The remaining 20% are unsure or do not specify. Younger employees and people in higher functions in particular are increasingly relying on the use of AI. "Easily accessible applications based on AI are already frequently used at work, but there is a great need for more know-how about AI for one's own work," explains Häfliger.

The fact is: 80% of respondents need more knowledge and skills to be able to effectively integrate AI into their work. This need is particularly pronounced among employees in lower functions. In addition, only a third of employees without a management function believe that their superiors are sufficiently informed about AI. Managers are similarly skeptical about their employees' knowledge.

Neither strategy nor support in the companies

A key finding of the survey is that only 23% of companies have a clear AI strategy. There is a great deal of uncertainty in this regard, particularly among lower and middle management. In addition, employees are inadequately prepared for the use of AI - there is a lack of guidelines on its use and training opportunities as well as suggestions for integrating AI into process optimization.

Comparison with the Digital Barometer 2024

The Mobiliar Digital Barometer measures the mood of the Swiss population towards digitalization every year. In 2024, the focus was on AI. The association has adopted eight questions on digitalization and AI from the Digital Barometer for comparison purposes. The results show that professionals from the service sector and the knowledge professions are significantly more progressive with regard to digitalization and AI than the population as a whole. While the platform members surveyed rate the degree of digitalization of their work at an average of 7.3 out of 10 points, this value is only 5.6 for the population as a whole. 57% of the respondents in the platform survey also have a positive attitude towards AI, compared to only 35% in the population as a whole. The use of AI in the workplace is also higher among the platform members surveyed: only 24% state that they never use (generative) AI because they do not need it in their work, compared to 46% in the population as a whole.

The platform will incorporate the findings of its survey into its future political work and continue to advocate for workers in the service and knowledge professions to be fully prepared for the digital transformation. This requires an inclusive and labor market-oriented development of AI skills for professionals.

Source: www.die-plattform.ch

Daniel Wessner, Head of AWA Canton Thurgau, opened the conference with an overview of the current economic situation in the canton of Thurgau. According to him, around 75 percent of the canton's exports went to Germany - a challenge given the uncertain political situation in the neighboring country. Wessner also emphasized the canton's innovation deficits due to the lack of a university, low start-up activity and fewer patent applications. Initiatives such as the Innovation Fund and the Digital Campus are intended to strengthen innovation in the future.

Sustainability as an opportunity for companies

Christian Vögtlin, Co-Head of the Center for Corporate Responsibility at the ZHAW, presented the importance of sustainability for companies in Switzerland and internationally. Against the backdrop of regulatory requirements in Switzerland and the EU, Vögtlin showed that companies that use sustainability strategically can benefit. Be it through savings, conservation of resources, greater attractiveness as an employer or increased appeal to investors.

Albin Kälin then explained the basic principles of the circular economy and the "cradle-to-cradle" concept. The concept aims to design products in such a way that they can be returned to natural or technical cycles after use. Aurèle Meyer from the Locher brewery provided a practical example: the brewery uses waste products from beer production to produce foods such as potato chips, vinegar and meat substitutes. Melanie Diem showed how companies implement a sustainable corporate strategy and gave the participants valuable tips on practical implementation.

"Omnicrisis" and new approaches

In his keynote speech, futurologist Tristan Horx spoke about the current "omnicrisis", in which numerous economic and social crises are occurring in parallel and necessitating far-reaching change. In response to these challenges, Horx presented the vision of the "blue economy", which replaces linear production models with closed-loop systems and thus avoids waste. Horx emphasized the importance of local, renewable resources, which should be used more efficiently through innovation and entrepreneurial initiative. One striking example is window glass, which can act as a solar panel and thus make solar energy directly usable.

Annette Fetscherin, who had won the Thurgauer Zeitung's Thurgau Woman of the Year award the previous evening, was unable to attend in person due to work commitments and sent her greetings to the audience via video message.

Source: www.galledia-event.ch

"We are delighted that we have been able to inspire Tobias Quelle to join our management team and embark on this exciting journey with Brack Alltron," commented Stefan Fraude, CEO of Brack Alltron. According to Fraude, advanced technology is a key factor in the strategic realignment of the group of companies in order to continue to play a decisive role in shaping the Swiss retail landscape in the future.

"Tobias Quelle has an impressive wealth of experience in the context of online stores with an outstanding customer experience. And it is precisely this focus that will flow into the Brack.ch, Brack.ch Business and Alltron stores and take them to a new level," comments the CEO.

Proven e-commerce expertise

Tobias Quelle will join the Executive Board of Brack Alltron as Chief Information Officer from January 2025. He will take over the management of the entire IT division with around 120 employees. The new CIO will be responsible for core functions such as software engineering, product management, data science, IT infrastructure and security. Quelle has been Head of Product Online Shops & User Experience at Digitec Galaxus for six and a half years. He also coaches and advises managers on product leadership and digital transformation. Prior to this, he gained over ten years of e-commerce management experience at Otto and Schiesser in various management positions.

He has been passing on his many years of expertise in the areas of customer-oriented e-commerce and innovation management as a guest lecturer in block courses at the University of Applied Sciences in Constance and the University of Zurich for several years. Tobias Quelle holds a degree in business administration with a focus on controlling and strategic management from the University of Konstanz and St. Mary's University in Halifax, Canada. He also completed the Product Management Executive Program at the renowned INSEAD Business School, based in Fontainebleau near Paris, in 2022.

Successor for Marcel Rassinger

Tobias Quelle is 45 years old, married and has two children. Quelle succeeds Marcel Rassinger, who decided this spring to become self-employed and set up an AI and technology consulting company.

Source: www.alltron.ch

There is a shortage of thousands of junior nursing staff in Switzerland every year. The biggest challenges are demographic developments and the impending shortage of healthcare professionals. The new campaign focuses on nurses and values such as trust, respect and human closeness, while at the same time emphasizing professionalism and career opportunities. Nurses are responsible for the entire care process and support people with complex medical conditions.

Opportunities and prospects in long-term care

The campaign is aimed specifically at people at lower and upper secondary level and their guardians, as well as career changers and professionals. It emphasizes that working in Spitex and care institutions promotes both professional and personal development. It appeals to people who are looking for a job in which they can make a lasting impact and grow personally. "The claim 'Make a career as a human being' emphasizes the conscious decision for a varied and inspiring everyday life in the nursing profession with its many development opportunities," says Monika Weder, Head of Education at Artiset.

Federal government supports campaign

In order to counteract the shortage of skilled workers, a significant increase in training qualifications in the care sector and stronger ties to the industry are necessary. As part of the measures to implement the long-term care initiative, the federal government has therefore decided to continue supporting the campaign to promote long-term care until 2029.

The six campaign subjects, which are distributed via social media, outdoor advertising and flyers at schools, emphasize the meaningfulness of the nursing profession.

The people behind the campaign

The sponsoring organizations Artiset, Spitex Switzerland and OdASanté are still behind the relaunch of the "Make a career as a human being" campaign.

Source: www.langzeit-pflege.ch

Since 79 percent of a laptop's CO2 footprint is created during production, 338 kilograms of CO2 even before the first use, extending the product life cycle can make a big difference. What's more, this is possible without affecting user satisfaction, according to the new study. Companies that extend the refresh cycle from three to four years can reduce the associated emissions by 25 percent. A data-based refresh in combination with remanufacturing can even increase the product life cycle to eight to ten years.

The Atos study also revealed that 76% of laptops in large companies are suitable for remanufacturing. The remaining 24 percent of devices could be refurbished or recycled.

CO2 emissions can change several times in the course of a day

In the study, Atos also emphasizes the essential role of employees in meeting IT sustainability targets. 75 percent of employees would be prepared to leave their laptops running for longer if they were aware of the environmental benefits. However, the common practice of leaving laptops running continuously shows that users need to be made more aware of energy-saving use. The CO2 emissions of a device can change several times in the course of a day. Automatically informing the user about the best time to charge the battery can increase energy efficiency.

Data suggests that 57 percent of ICT emissions are caused by the devices themselves and the working environment. Atos, a global leader in the digital workplace, has analyzed a total of 28.5 million devices in medium-sized and large companies and evaluated the data with its partners Nexthink, Tier1 and Circular Computing to derive important recommendations for the sustainability of IT.

Leon Gilbert, Senior Vice President Digital Workplace at Atos, says: "We wanted to use the large amount of data available to us as Atos and our partners to challenge previous conventions in dealing with devices and to identify new opportunities for companies and their IT service providers. Some of the results surprised even our experts. We can now maximize the financial, environmental and social value of each device without minimizing user satisfaction."

David Welling, IT Sustainability Governance Lead at National Grid, adds: "In our own organization, we want to use data to make better sustainable decisions about usage. Today, few of us think about using our own devices in line with our energy suppliers' usage. However, no one would doubt that it makes sense to charge your laptop at night when demand is lower and energy sources are more environmentally friendly. If we combine this flexibility with ICT, we have a real opportunity to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the entire energy system of entire countries."

Implementation neither lengthy nor expensive

In summary, the current Atos study shows that the implementation of sustainable management, sustainable processes and the adaptation of common practices does not have to be lengthy or expensive. On the contrary: companies can benefit from the findings of the study. What we can measure, we can also change, is Atos' motto, which once again underlines the importance of coherent real-time data for achieving environmental goals.

Atos teams provide end-to-end user experience solutions through digital collaboration and productivity tools and intelligent customer service solutions. The Atos Sustainable Digital Workplace Suite includes over 20 "Tech for Good" services and solutions that address social value and accessibility as well as data analytics and user interfaces. In March of this year, Gartner named Atos a Leader in its 2024 Magic Quadrant for Outsourced Digital Workplace Services (ODWS) for the eighth consecutive year.

Source: www.atos.net

"Artificial intelligence - where do we stand?": Federal Councillor Albert Rösti will be speaking on this topic at this year's Suissedigital Day. Other topics on the agenda include the expansion of high-speed broadband in Switzerland, cooperation between SMEs and IT service providers, the use of artificial intelligence for SMEs and a critical assessment of cloud solutions. The content will be rounded off by the philosopher, physicist and publicist Ludwig Hasler, who will speak on the topic of "We must be pilots, not just passengers - what must not fall by the wayside in digital progress".

Extensive exhibition, musical entertainment and plenty of time for networking

An integral part of the industry conference is an extensive exhibition with around 45 telecommunications and IT service providers from all over Switzerland. The up-and-coming band BARANY from Valais will provide a musical backdrop to the event. The program also allows plenty of time to exchange news, socialize and do business over excellent food.

"In recent years, Suissedigital Day has developed into the meeting place for the telecoms and IT industry in Switzerland," says Simon Osterwalder, Managing Director of Suissedigital. "I'm looking forward to seeing many familiar faces and meeting new people."

The Suissedigital-Day will take place on Tuesday, 19.11.2024 from 09:00 a.m. in the Kursaal in Bern. The conference is open to all interested parties, and admission for the day (including refreshments during breaks, lunch, aperitif and dinner) is CHF 250. Registration online at www.suissedigital.ch or by telephone on +41 31 328 27 28.

Source: www.suissedigital.ch