Jan Schibli took over the management of Hans K. Schibli AG from his father Hans Jörg Schibli in the course of 2003 as a representative of the third generation and has been leading the company as CEO of the Group Management since the beginning of 2004. Since 2011, he has been the sole owner of the tradition-rich Zurich-based company, which was founded in 1937 by his great-uncle Hans K. Schibli. During this time, he developed the company from a pure electrical installer to a full-service provider in electrical engineering with a sustainable and financially healthy earnings situation. Today, the Schibli Group unites companies from the fields of electrical engineering, building technology, IT/communication, automation and renewable energies under one roof and employs around 550 people at 16 locations in Switzerland and Germany, including around 100 apprentices.

Transformation to a market-driven company

Jan Schibli says of his decision: "In recent years, we have succeeded in developing the Schibli family business into a comprehensive group and a market-driven company with agile management and a great sense of community. This required and continues to require a profound rethinking, a departure from the traditional hierarchy, a delegation of competence and responsibility at all levels. Today, the Schibli Group is ready to take the next step, towards a modern corporate structure with competence teams increasingly based on expertise. It is about placing the best in the best place. This also applies to me, and therefore, in the course of our ongoing transformation, now is the right time for me to take on a new role as well."

Representative of the Schibli Group to the outside world

Jan Schibli will hand over his responsibilities to his former deputy managing director Stefan Witzig as of September 1. As a representative of the third generation of entrepreneurs of the founding family, he will in future focus on strategic issues and on safeguarding his owner interests in his function as delegate of the Board of Directors. He will continue to be operationally responsible for the group companies Immobilen AG Rotula and Schibli Elektrotechnik GmbH in Dresden (D), as well as social security supervisor for the Schibli Group's pension scheme. In his new role, however, he will increasingly represent the Schibli Group externally at networking events and contribute to the Group's market presence and activities with his existing, extensive network of contacts.

Stefan Witzig succeeds Jan Schibli

"As a dedicated and respected leader with an impressive track record for more than 12 years as a member of the Schibli Group Executive Board, as well as my previous deputy, Stefan Witzig has the ideal qualifications to lead the Schibli Group Executive Board," says owner Jan Schibli. "He has contributed significantly to the Schibli Group's current appearance over the past years and knows and exemplifies the group's values and culture. And we consider ourselves fortunate to have been able to attract an in-house successor as Group CEO and are convinced that, together with a dedicated management team, he will succeed in mastering the upcoming challenges of our customers as well as our company and successfully lead the Schibli Group into the future."

Continuation of the transformation with competence teams

Stefan Witzig joined the Schibli Group and the management in 2008 and has since been instrumental in building up the then newly launched IT competence. The resulting group company Entec AG is now a well-known player in the ICT market with 45 employees and specializes in infrastructure, cloud and storage solutions. In his current role, Stefan Witzig is responsible for the Building Services and IT/Communications departments as well as the Group's organization, marketing and consulting department. Since 2014, he has also been familiar with the role and task of the Group Executive Board as deputy to Jan Schibli. The appointment as Group CEO is therefore also a logical step in the course of the ongoing transformation and new distribution of roles.

Source: Schibli Holding AG

The quarterly survey conducted in July by Swissmechanic and BAK Economics among around 300 SMEs in the MEM sector shows that the crisis in the MEM sector is increasingly shifting from the supply side to the demand side. Although some companies were still affected by supply chain interruptions (19%) and staff shortages (12%) in July, the number of these has more than halved compared with April.

Business climate index points to severe recession

The Business Climate Index shows how hard SMEs in the MEM sector have been hit by the Corona crisis: 27 percent of companies have had to make redundancies, 63 percent have reduced investment spending and even more have registered for short-time working. However, there are not only negative signals for the future development. For example, new orders in the third quarter are not expected to fall as sharply as in the second. "The Corona crisis has plunged the Swiss economy into a severe recession, with the MEM sector slumping even more than the economy as a whole," Swissmechanic Director Jürg Marti notes, adding, "The main problem is the lack of orders."

Lack of orders continues to accentuate

The percentage of companies for which a lack of orders is the main problem rose to 89 percent in July (April 63%). Just under half are gearing up for the lack of orders to last more than six months. The background is that end customers in the MEM sector are only making the most necessary investments due to the global economic slump, the high level of uncertainty and the increased need for liquidity.

This weakness in demand - fueled by the strength of the Swiss franc - is also reflected in the dramatic 25 percent slump in exports across the entire MEM goods spectrum in the second quarter of 2020. Producer prices also declined in the same period, but only moderately.

Hiring freeze and short-time working

The industry is taking strong countermeasures. Around 70 percent of companies have imposed a hiring freeze and applied for short-time working. In the second quarter, the industry average was 29 percent short-time work, and this figure is expected to rise to 34 percent in the third quarter. The fact that the Federal Council decided in mid-August to extend enforcement relief for short-time work compensation until the end of the year is good news for the cantons and, of course, for the beleaguered economy. Compared with April (16%), the proportion of companies stating that they are making redundancies has also increased (July 27%). However, the MEM companies are not only cutting back on staff; two-thirds are also cutting back on investments.

Behavior positive sign

Amidst the bad news, however, there are also cautiously positive signs. Marti: "The SMEs surveyed expect a slight slowdown in the slump in orders for the third quarter. In addition, fewer companies report liquidity problems than in April, and still only a small minority (5%) see a serious risk of bankruptcy." The majority of SMEs surveyed are also sticking to planned R&D projects and further training.

Source: Swissmechanic

The FHNW and the IBAW provide their students with optimized permeability between higher technical colleges and universities of applied sciences. This model, unique in Switzerland, was developed in close cooperation between the two educational institutes. The HFW degree program in business administration lasts six semesters, starts in August 2021 and is completed part-time at the IBAW at several locations in Central and Northwestern Switzerland. In the second half of the program, students can complete special modules certified by the FHNW, which entitle them to enter directly into the 6th semester of the Bachelor's program in Business Administration at the FHNW after graduating as a graduate in Business Administration HF. Students thus benefit from a shortened bachelor's degree program. Conversely, students from the FHNW who drop out of their bachelor's program early have the opportunity to continue their studies at the HFW of the IBAW and graduate with a degree in business administration.

Further development thanks to optimal permeability

The practice-oriented HFW program at the IBAW is aimed at people with a commercial apprenticeship who want to build on this to acquire a broad knowledge of business administration. Ambitious people from the sales sector and career changers who want to further develop their management skills are also particularly targeted. "Switzerland has an excellent education system, which is characterized by clear profiles but also by permeability. The cooperation between the FHNW School of Business and the IBAW is an example of how permeability at the tertiary level can work in the interest of students and the economy," explains Prof. Dr. Markus Freiburghaus, Head of Education at the FHNW.
"Specialists with knowledge and practical experience are crucial for a strong business location in Switzerland. The new training model at the IBAW and the FHNW enables specialists to develop optimally," emphasizes Michael Achermann, Head of IBAW.

New training model of two established educational institutes

The Institute for Vocational Education and Training (IBAW) offers high-quality and practice-oriented educational programs in higher vocational education "Business Informatics", "Technology" and "Economics" for private individuals and companies/institutions at various locations in German-speaking Switzerland. There are currently 13 degree programs and various seminars to choose from. The FHNW School of Business, on the other hand, is internationally oriented and practice-oriented. It educates 2,800 Bachelor's and Master's of Science students in Basel, Brugg-Windisch and Olten and, with its broad business continuing education offering, is a leader among Switzerland's universities of applied sciences. It has more than 160 cooperation partners worldwide and offers international, tailor-made educational programs. It has regional roots and is the contact for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as (nonprofit) organizations.

More information

Whether it's a public WLAN in a bar or a private wireless network within your own four walls: Routers are the gatekeepers to the network. Often, these important devices only rely on a password to access the administration interface to protect against unauthorized access. This can have fatal consequences: Anyone who knows or easily guesses the password gains access to the entire network. Probably too few users know that the assigned access code plays a key role for the configuration as well as the WLAN network.

Never rely on default passwords

Security experts from ESET have analyzed the latest telemetry data from their network scanner and obtained worrying results: Several thousand of the more than 100,000 scanned devices use default passwords. Often, these devices are in use for many years without being changed. To improve password security and raise awareness of the issue, the specialists are now publishing the top 10 weak router passwords.

"Users who do not secure administrator access on their routers are also, in most cases, not protecting their WLAN network with secure passwords. Routers should never be operated with factory-set or weak passwords. The user name should also be individualized, if possible," explains Michael Schröder, Security Business Strategy Manager DACH at ESET. "Common passwords are the first ones cybercriminals try and offer no protection. WLAN keys and administrator passwords in particular should therefore already be assigned individually during setup."

Top 10 most popular weak router passwords

1. admin
2. root
3. 1234
4. guest
5. password
6. 12345
7. support
8. super
9. Admin
10. pass

What do secure router passwords look like?

The administration interface and the WLAN network of a router are each protected by a password. Under no circumstances should you use the password that the manufacturer supplied with the device. A good router password should be at least 8 to 12 characters long. Users should think of a phrase that contains at least one number and is easy to remember. For example, "My favorite thing to eat is pizza with four ingredients and extra cheese!". If you take the first letter of each word, the result is: "AleiPm4Z+eK!". Users already have a secure password.

More tips for a secure router

• Keep firmware up to date: Updates often bring new functions and close security gaps. If possible, activate automatic updates in the router's menu or check for updates regularly.
• Disable remote access: With remote access, users open ports on their device. While this feature brings numerous benefits, it also gives hackers another point of attack. Remote access should therefore remain deactivated
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): Modern routers offer the option of enabling 2FA. If settings are changed, they must be verified by another source. This confirmation can be done by pressing a specific button on the device or using the phone
• Change WLAN password: The best encryption method is useless if the associated password is easy to guess. Especially with the standard passwords that are set at the factory, there is a risk that hackers will automatically test known passwords using special programs.
• Disable WPS PIN: "Wi-Fi Protected Setup" (WPS) is a standard for quickly setting up an encrypted WLAN network. Users only need a PIN for this, which can be read on the device. This function should be disabled because it is easy to crack.
• Change network name: Users should give their WLAN a new name (SSID). The default name often contains the manufacturer name and device type. Attackers can then look directly to see if there are any known vulnerabilities in the router.

Source and further information: ESET

Actually, the award ceremony of the ninth Prix SVC Ostschweiz 2020 should have taken place on March 5, 2020. However, the corona virus put a big spoke in the organizers' wheel: the event had to be postponed. "However, cancellation was never an issue," said OC President Christoph Zeller. "The finalists deserved a worthy award ceremony". On August 19, 2020, the time had come: in strict compliance with the hygiene rules imposed by the FOPH, the award ceremony could be held live after all. However, the number of guests present was limited to 300, the audience had to be seated at tables, and the traditional Apéro Riche following the award ceremony was replaced by a dinner. Exhibition stands of sponsors and prize winners had to be dispensed with. But the main thing was: finally a live event again.

Cross-section of the economy of Eastern Switzerland

The six finalists, who were selected from 150 companies in eastern Switzerland by a 13-member jury of experts headed by Andrea Fanzun, therefore had to wait a little longer than usual. The selection of companies was quite impressive: traditional crafts such as winegrowing (Davaz Holding AG) met classic toolmaking and mechanical engineering (Heule Werkzeuge AG, Zünd Systemtechnik AG), life sciences (Integra Biosciences AG), consumer goods (Glatz AG) and high-tech (Evatec AG) - all in all, a representative cross-section of the Eastern Switzerland corporate landscape.

Evatec AG: From management buyout to specialist in thin-film technology

Evatec AG ultimately won the race. "A unique success story" is how jury president Andrea Fanzun described the development of this company, which came into being in 2004 as a management buyout of Unaxis, when co-founders Andreas Wälti (now CEO) and Marco Padrun (now CTO) started out with five employees. Today, the company employs more than 450 people worldwide, around 300 of them in Trübbach. The jury president commented: "These figures deserve respect and recognition. Responsible for this are an entrepreneurially competent management team, highly qualified employees and the highest quality in the construction of coating systems for thin films in the semiconductor, optics and optoelectronics markets. 380 granted and 200 pending patents testify to the innovative strength of the company, which convinces customers all over the world with its developments and products.

Pipetting technology - also in favor of Covid 19 research

Second place went to Integra Biosciences AG from Zizers, which impressed the jury not only with its "outstanding market position" but also with its consistent customer orientation and its distinctive culture of innovation. The company is a recognized innovation leader for electronic pipettes and, with 280 employees today, develops, manufactures and sells high-quality laboratory equipment for the precise dispensing of liquids - an area that is currently "booming" in connection with vaccine research, for example. Third place went to Zünd Systemtechnik AG from Altstätten. The globally active family business, which specializes in the development and manufacture of digital flatbed cutting systems, employs 400 people worldwide, 210 of them at its headquarters in the Rhine Valley.

Family businesses that are leaders in their fields

The other finalists and award winners of the evening were Davaz Holding AG (Fläsch, viticulture and wine trade, among others the Rimuss brand belongs to this group of companies), Glatz AG (Frauenfeld, manufacturer of high-quality sunshades and shading systems) and Heule Werkzeug AG (Balgach, global technology leader in the field of bore machining).

Next Prix SVC Ostschweiz in 2022

Despite the smaller setting, the awards ceremony, moderated by Marco Fritsche, was exciting right to the end. Those people who could not attend due to lack of space were able to follow the event via livestream. In addition, the TV station TVO will broadcast a special program on August 23, 2020. The awarding of the tenth Prix SVC Ostschweiz will take place on Thursday, March 10, 2022 - hopefully then again on the usual grand scale.

More information: Swiss Venture Club

Due to the Federal Council measures, many General Meetings had to be held on a smaller scale, including that of Bank BSU. On June 23, 2020, the ordinary annual general meeting was held with the Board of Directors, the Executive Board and the independent proxy in the Uster customer zone. The members of the cooperative were able to submit their votes in writing to the independent proxy in advance. All proposals were accepted. Ms. Allegra Sosso was also brilliantly elected as a new member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Sosso completed her legal studies at the University of St. Gallen in 2003 and was admitted to the bar in 2007. Until 2019 she was an attorney at the renowned law firm Niederer Kraft Frey AG and since 2019 she is co-owner and partner of the law firm Quadra Rechtsanwälte AG in Zurich. Ms. Sosso is married, mother of two children and lives in Zurich.

Solid half-year result and strong equity base

Bank BSU - active in the Uster - Volketswil - Dübendorf region - recorded growth in total assets of CHF 16.8 million or +1.6% in the first half of the year. Customer loans increased by 1.9% to CHF 914.8 million. Customer deposits increased by CHF 6.5 million in the first half of the year. Despite the persistently low interest rate environment and the corresponding narrowing of margins, gross interest income increased by 2.2% year-on-year to currently CHF 4.9 million. This was primarily due to falling refinancing costs on the money and capital markets. In the commission business, income from the securities and investment business improved by 28.4% compared to the previous year. The increased volatility on the financial markets led to a significantly higher number of securities transactions. In parallel, costs in commission expenses were also optimized and reduced by 23.2%. The position "other ordinary income" was increased by +33.5% and thus by CHF 0.205 million to CHF 0.817 million. This improvement is primarily due to the sale of part of the financial assets and thus the realization of the price gains. Personnel expenses remained unchanged from the previous year at CHF 2.4 million. By contrast, general and administrative expenses of CHF 2.1 million were around CHF 0.1 million higher than in the previous year. At CHF 1.24 million, operating income was maintained at the previous year's level, despite declining interest income in the core business.

The eligible equity shows a value of CHF 83.1 million. This corresponds to a weighted equity ratio of 18.0%, legally required 10.5%. Thus, Bank BSU clearly exceeds the regulatory requirements by a factor of 1.7 and underlines the prudent credit policy with regard to the quality of financing.

COVID-19: Impact on the business activities of the bank BSU.

Within hours of the launch of the aid program by the federal government and the banks, Bank BSU recorded a relatively high demand for the COVID 19 loans. By July 31, 2020, 108 loans totaling CHF 9.4 million had been extended to clients.

During this turbulent period, around 50% of the employees have been working from their home offices to date, which has significantly reduced the headcount at the local offices. The internal teams were also split for security reasons and distributed among the Uster, Dübendorf and Volketswil offices. Likewise, the FOPH defined the number of people per square meter of business space, which led to significant restrictions in the use of customer zones. Customer behavior also changed during this period. The number of customers and thus the number of cash transactions at the counters decreased significantly; in return, Bank BSU recorded a significant increase in the number of new e-banking contracts in the first half of the year with a plus of 18%. The TWINT service (cashless payment by cell phone), which has been offered since 2016, has also enjoyed increasing popularity since the beginning of the year. Instead of ten to twenty new users per year, Bank BSU recorded up to ten new registrations per day in the first half of 2020.

More information

From October, large events with more than 1,000 participants may be held again - provided that a Covid 19 protection concept is in place. This is an essential prerequisite for such an event to be approved in the first place. Event organizers now face the challenge of aligning their ticketing systems with the protection concepts. NextEvent, a Swiss technology company based in Thun, is now launching its new Dynamic Distancing function, a digital Covid-19-compliant solution for the secure and optimal sale of a wide variety of event types such as football matches, tennis tournaments, wrestling festivals, field hockey matches, concerts, hit parades, Oktoberfest conventions and other events. Thanks to the NextEvent seating plan editor, every customer can freely choose his seat. The software takes care of the Covid-19 requirements and automatically blocks those seats that are necessary to maintain the spacing rules. The rules can be adjusted in NextEvent at any time, allowing the event organizer to react promptly and flexibly to new cantonal requirements. If a relaxation of the measures becomes apparent before the start of the event, the blocked seating groups can be released for sale immediately in NextEvent.

New framework conditions demand innovative, digital ticketing functions

NextEvent's solution seems to meet a great need in the event industry. As the solution provider explains, what is needed now is precisely such an event, ticketing and congress management solution with an intelligent, automated control system. In order to minimize further huge losses, a positive customer experience is essential right from the ticket purchase stage. Roger Kobel, Marketing Manager at NextEvent emphasizes: "Technological developments, digital possibilities as well as the Covid 19 rules have fundamentally changed the organization and handling of event organizers in the event industry. This is exactly where NextEvent comes in." The management of events, conferences and large-scale events is becoming increasingly extensive and complex due to compliance with Covid-19 rules. The event organizer wants transparent, digital and fully automated processes so that he has more time for his more important tasks.

Simple and secure registration for participants of large events

Participants register with just a few clicks and pay for their online ticket without cash via NextEvent. They store their ticket digitally in their mobile wallet. To ensure the consistency of visitor data and meet contact tracing requirements, organizers can have their visitors verify their cell phone number and even request a selfie for unique identification at the entrance. NextEvent's tickets also come with an encrypted QR code that stores all services and information. Admission can be controlled using any smartphone or tablet. In addition, offline scanning is possible and tickets from other event organizers can also be accepted. If an event still has to be canceled, NextEvent also helps the organizer - as a "digital savior" so to speak. In addition to the fully automatic refund, donation options can also be entered so that the participant can support the organizer in difficult situations. NextEvent offers both the organizers and the participants an efficient, digital and multilingual service for modern event ticketing and congress management, according to the company.

More information: NextEvent AG

Everything would be different. Without the corona virus, more than 700 people would flock to the Networking Day in the Olma Hallen on September 4, 2020. "We can't justify the usual execution this year," says Michael Federer, alumni director of the University of Applied Sciences St.Gallen (FHS). "This time we have to be 'abnormal'." Under the motto "The New Normal," he and his team of FHS Alumni are offering the Networking Talk as an alternative. A lunchtime format of about an hour, online, with four well-known speakers from previous runs. They talk about the changes that directly affect them and venture predictions about what scenarios are conceivable in the future for politics, business and social affairs. The free format seems to have found an open ear: Before the program was announced, around 300 people had registered so far.

The speakers

Nicola Forster takes the political perspective at the Networking Talk. He is co-founder of the think tank "foraus" (Forum on Foreign Policy), the State Laboratory as well as Operation Libero and co-president of the Green Liberals of the Canton of Zurich. Pasqualina Perrig-Chiello, honorary professor emerita of the University of Bern, gets to the bottom of social corona trends. As an expert in age research, she wonders: where do people over 65 stand who have suddenly been labeled a "risk group"? Stefan Scheiber speaks for the business community. The CEO of the Bühler Group and FHS alumnus provides insights into how the global corporation is holding its own against the corona virus. Fourth speaker, Dominik Tarolli, Director of Smart City Esri and also FHS alumnus, joins live from California. The virtual world expert knows a thing or two about smart city planning, Pixar and Disney. He talks about how his company, Esri, is on the front lines of fighting the corona virus. Sonja Hasler, known from the SRF Arena, moderates the talk.

With the speakers in the same chat room

Afterwards, participants can get in touch with the Talk guests directly by entering the corresponding virtual room. "Our claim for the Talk is definitely the same as that of the Networking Day. A socially relevant discourse is to be illuminated and discussed from different perspectives," says Michael Federer, who is responsible for the event.

The next Networking Day in its usual form will take place on September 10, 2021, on the topic "How much earth does man need? In the area of tension between economy and ecology".

For free registration and more information: www.networkingtag.ch.

Short-time work has become a major issue in many companies in recent weeks. For many SMEs, this meant new territory. The administrative effort involved proved to be not always easy to understand. Many companies therefore first had to obtain information on how they could best handle the issue of "short-time work".

Everything about short-time work

On August 15, a guide to short-time work, written by Marianne Wanner and Silvia Lang, will be published by SKV. In easy-to-understand language, this e-book explains everything about short-time work: the eligibility criteria; the advance notification, approval and introduction of short-time work; the settlement with the unemployment insurance fund and with the employees as well as interim employment during short-time work. The Covid 19 special regulations are also discussed.

Practice-oriented guide

The publication is enriched with many completed samples, templates, helpful links and checklists that facilitate the pre-registration, accounting and payment for those affected. "Short-time work - a guide for SMEs" is aimed at SMEs, HR managers, self-employed persons and employees of fiduciary offices.

Info about the book

Short-time work - a guide for SMEs
Everything important simply explained - with templates, examples and checklists
Expected publication date: August 15, 2020
1st edition 2020 E-Book (PDF)
Price: CHF 29.-
ISBN: 978-3-286-11771-6
Publisher SKV

Cyberattacks no longer affect only private individuals and large companies. Small and medium-sized enterprises are also increasingly being targeted by attackers. They represent attractive targets if they inadequately protect their IT infrastructure due to small IT budgets or a lack of security experts. In addition, many IT managers are busy with the normal operation of the IT infrastructure. SMEs often lack the know-how, time or even both for effective data protection and security.

Cyberattacks on the rise

This is even more true in times of crisis, as the Covid 19 pandemic clearly demonstrated. During the lockdown, working in a home office created entirely new challenges for corporate IT. Criminals used this circumstance for their own purposes. Three times as many incidents were reported to the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) during certain weeks of the lockdown than before the outbreak of the pandemic.

The attackers' methods range from social engineering to ransomware and phishing. Cyberattacks pose a serious threat to companies' IT systems, applications and data and can have serious consequences. In addition to a temporary failure of systems, data theft or espionage, a loss of trust among customers, damage to the company's image or financial losses can also result from the attack.

Laying the foundation and taking proactive measures

To prevent these scenarios, reliable and efficient storage solutions are essential as a basis for back-up and recovery as well as archiving. They allow short- to medium-term storage and, in the event of a loss, the recovery of data records. However, proactive measures must also be taken to protect the company's own data.

Examples of such proactive measures include cyber security solutions to defend against malware attacks and software for identity and access management (IAM), i.e. for managing identities and their access rights. In combination, they block malicious attacks and protect data stored on servers (local or in the cloud), PCs, notebooks or mobile devices from cyber threats and access by unauthorized users.

7 tips for a solid security strategy

A comprehensive strategy for backup, recovery and archiving as well as the use of cybersecurity and identity & access management solutions are essential components for the security of IT systems and data in small and medium-sized enterprises. SMEs can additionally increase their security with the following measures:

• Prevent shadow ITShadow IT means that employees use applications without the knowledge of the IT department, such as cloud-based services or consumer tools. It increases risk because IT cannot provide support and loses control. Companies can prevent this shadow IT by quickly implementing requests from business departments or by introducing and managing common consumer tools themselves.
• Safety guidelinesSMEs should establish policies that define basic security strategies and practices within the company that employees must adhere to. These include, for example, rules for secure passwords, private Internet use, the use of mobile devices or specifications for backing up data.
• Safety awarenessPeople are considered the weakest link in the security chain. Therefore, companies should educate their employees about the policies, current threats and how to deal with them in training sessions to create security awareness.
• Permanent updatesCompanies should always keep their systems and applications up to date and install updates and the latest security patches.
• Secure connectionsThe firewall of the network and the WLAN router must always be activated, even for employees in the home office.
• Mobile device protection: Mobile devices pose significant security and management challenges. Companies must ensure that their employees' devices are password protected, data is encrypted and security applications are installed to prevent misuse.
• Password management: As part of a comprehensive security strategy, employees should be required to use strong passwords and also change them every three months.

If the solutions described are actively used and the recommendations implemented, SMEs will create increased security for their corporate data without having to invest too many resources. Malware is warded off, unauthorized access to data and the loss of sensitive information is prevented.

Author:
Frank Thonüs is General Manager Switzerland at Dell Technologies.

The first half of 2020 has made it abundantly clear: The digitization of business processes makes companies more resilient. The fuel for the digital future is data. In most companies, however, the topic of data quality is extremely unpopular because many doubt the sustainability of a data inspection. Not entirely without reason. The software provider proALPHA advises companies to ask themselves these four central questions:

In which processes does data have a significant influence on productivity?

Not every cog in the big wheel of a company is equally important. It is therefore important to identify those processes in which incorrect or incomplete data are critical to success. After all, inadequate data can lead to a great deal of additional work and thus high costs, for example through the incorrect transfer of parts data from the parts list to the work orders. Or they increase the delivery risk because it is recognized much too late that a customer has ordered not 100 but 1,000 pieces and now the necessary material is not in stock. Part of this initial analysis should also be the question of whether all areas have quick access to the information relevant to them at any time and from anywhere.

2. what is a good data set for us?

The next step is to define quality criteria - tailored to the company and the respective department. It is not only necessary to differentiate between transaction and master data. Even the requirements for customer information and prospect data can differ significantly. For example, communication with customers may require an e-mail address in order to notify them quickly in the event of a callback. For prospects, on the other hand, this does not apply. The ERP manufacturer proALPHA therefore advises companies to give sufficient thought to this point. This is the only way they can be sure not to overlook any important quality aspect.

3. where does the data quality currently leave something to be desired?

Then it's down to the nitty-gritty: The existing data pools should not only be examined for obvious criteria such as completeness and accuracy. There are numerous other aspects to be checked, such as compliance with archiving or deletion obligations. If you analyze these aspects in detail and clean them up consistently, you will directly increase the efficiency of mission-critical processes - and strengthen compliance.

4. how can more data quality be ensured in the long term?

A one-time data tuning is not enough. Both master data and transaction data change continuously. This starts with serial and batch numbers of parts and ends with quotation and order information. Ongoing, preferably automated checks, plausibility checks and workflows help to maintain the quality standard that has been painstakingly achieved. Or even to expand it further.

Checklist for medium-sized businesses

With these four questions, companies can tackle the unpopular topic of data quality in a structured and focused manner. proALPHA, the ERP manufacturer, has developed a practical checklist to get an even better grip on the issue. It includes the 30 most frequently asked questions for clean data. The checklist is here available for download free of charge.

Source and further information: proALPHA

In the fight against the corona virus, the three Bernese ICT companies baeriswyl tschanz & partner ag, it-processing AG and PageUp AG are teaming up: They have jointly developed the web application get-entry.ch. This is now available to restaurants, bars, clubs, sports and trade fair organizers, as well as other potential event organizers in Switzerland, to ensure that the collection of personal data, which has become necessary in the course of tracing Covid 19 infections, is carried out in compliance with data protection. Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara, Kongress + Kursaal Bern AG and the Kunsthaus Interlaken have been recruited as supporting partners. "We would like to offer our support to the event organizers during this difficult time," said Remo Tschanz of baeriswyl tschanz & partner ag. "get-entry.ch is a straightforward web-based solution that guarantees unique verification without the need to physically install an app on the smartphone. Both the guests and the hosts of a venue or event benefit equally from a fast and secure process. "

Collection of personal data: Focus on data protection

At the heart of the application is the generation of a QR code - the so-called personal entry ID - which users must present on their cell phone or printed out together with an official ID when visiting an event. The personal entry ID can then be used several times and throughout Switzerland. Registration on get-entry.ch is a one-time process and the data is irrevocably deleted immediately after the registration process. Only when actually visiting a location or an event and showing the QR code, the data will be stored for 14 days. Only the first name, last name and date of birth are displayed to the operator on site so that they can be verified with the official ID. The operator does not see the other data - zip code, city, e-mail address and cell phone number. The date of birth, which is particularly sensitive, is only displayed for checking with the official ID, but is not stored afterwards.

No abuse with false information and Swisscom as a partner

In recent weeks, several incidents in connection with manual lists have shown how important it is to provide correct personal data. If the accuracy of the data is not guaranteed, contact tracing does not work properly; people cannot be contacted and protective measures such as quarantine cannot be implemented successfully. With get-entry.ch, misuse is prevented by means of 2-factor authentication: "A verified cell phone number acts as the first key via SMS, while checking the first and last name as well as the date of birth by means of an official ID upon actual entry acts as the second key," says Remo Tschanz. Swisscom is a strong and reliable partner for SMS verification. The verification of the cell phone number is carried out by sending an SMS, in which a link must then be clicked. Only then does the guest receive his personal entry ID. If the host wants to complete an evaluation of a day, the responsible office of the cantonal doctor is automatically informed by e-mail.

Recommendation by health authority of the canton of Bern

The get-entry.ch web application thus also meets the recently tightened ordinances of various cantons, which require event organizers to collect correct data and verified cell phone numbers. Bernese Health Director Pierre Alain Schnegg recommends the use of get-entry.ch: "We support technical solutions that ensure the collection of correct personal data and help protect the population with seamless contact tracing." In particular, he considers the verification of the date of birth to be very useful.

No fixed costs for organizers

For the visitors get-entry.ch is free of charge. In addition, the SMS dispatch for the verification is not charged. Each new generation of an entry ID is also free of charge. For the organizers, the following monthly invoices are made per entered data record: Up to 2500 entries/month CHF 0.30 per entry and from 2501 to 5000 entries/month CHF 0.20 per entry. From 5001 admissions/month, billing is on a quotation basis. "A certain level of security comes at a price," explains Remo Tschanz on behalf of the owners of the three companies involved. "However, we are convinced that the costs are very moderate at 30 or 20 centimes per admission. In addition, the organizers are not taking any financial risk, as there are no fixed costs and costs are only incurred when an event is actually held."

www.get-entry.ch