The fact that the IT company Opacc has once again received a top rating on the employer rating platform kununu.com is likely due to a variety of reasons. For example, the well-known fair and transparent application processes, the appreciation of candidates and - last but not least - the newly opened company headquarters in Rothenburg, which offers excellent working conditions, are among them, according to Opacc.

Fair recruitment processes

Natalie Schürmann, responsible for personnel acquisition at Opacc Software AG, is pleased with the result and sees her ideas confirmed: "We were obviously also rated very well by rejected job applicants, which makes us particularly proud! Rejections are unavoidable. At Opacc, however, great importance is attached to the necessary respect for all people who apply, as well as to quick, written rejections so that candidates can reorient themselves again.

While numerous companies are increasingly automating and anonymizing their application processes, Opacc relies on personal interviews and multi-stage, clearly regulated processes. This is obviously appreciated by candidates and leads to comments on the kununu.com platform such as: "The application process is very thorough, very fair and very relaxed."

Personality more important than skills

For Opacc, it is crucial that new employees have a convincing personality and are able and willing to support the company culture. Natalie Schürmann: "In the first interview, I focus on personality and social aspects. Desired candidates, who are then invited to the second interview, receive in-depth insights into the specialist department and face the questions of the supervisor. As a rule, this is followed - almost as a third stage - by a practical day in the specialist department. This is how we ensure that we hire people who not only meet the profile, but who will also share our Opacc corporate culture."

Professional recruitment pays off

The central Swiss company builds on over 30 years of experience in the development and implementation of enterprise software. In recent years, numerous new positions have been created with top-qualified specialists. However, the increasingly costly recruitment of talent acts as an obstacle to further growth. This makes it all the more important for HR managers to inspire new employees for Opacc with a variety of efforts.

Top ranking as most popular employer

The kununu.com rating platform has determined which Swiss companies are the most popular employers. Opacc is in an excellent 3rd place in Switzerland and was rated by almost 200 employees and applicants. 96% of the participating users would recommend their employer to others.

Opacc currently has a wide variety of jobs available, from project management to support, systems engineering to development.

Source and further information: www.opacc.ch

Many SMEs are clearly coming to terms with reality and seem to have little need for advice: According to Deloitte's "Private company global considerations for 2019" study, around three quarters of the companies surveyed are confident about their business prospects for the next 24 months. Most of them expect higher sales and earnings and higher productivity. And 49 percent expect to need to expand their workforce by several full-time positions. For this study, 2550 mid-sized companies were surveyed worldwide.

Many SMEs - many consulting service providers

So everything is under control? Yes, as long as nothing changes in the situation. But many companies also want more: they want to grow. And to do so, they need information and know-how. They often find this support from their trustees, lawyers, their bank, tax advisors or management consultants. In other words, SMEs turn to a different expert for almost every issue. As is well known, the market for consulting firms is correspondingly broad - naturally also a reflection of the diversity of SMEs.

From large to small enterprises

SMEs are also an increasingly interesting target group for large consulting firms. Switzerland in particular is a globally unique market for the private sector, writes Deloitte, for example. Many family businesses are based here, the country is traditionally rich in family offices and wealthy individuals, and the private equity segment is gaining in importance. With Deloitte Private, this globally active consulting and auditing firm is also launching its services for the private sector in Switzerland. "We are seeing an increasing demand from private companies for more support to address their biggest challenges: they are looking for new growth opportunities, they want to benefit from digitalization, ensure compliance with ever-changing, complex cross-border regulations, and protect themselves against risks such as cyber-attacks. Now more than ever, private companies need experienced advisors they can trust to play out globally integrated solutions locally across all disciplines," explains Karine Szegedi, Managing Partner of Deloitte Private in Switzerland. But why is Deloitte only now "discovering" the private company segment? Karine Szegedi continues: "With Deloitte Private, we have been active in other geographic markets for some time. In the last ten years, we have focused primarily on large companies. We've grown a lot in the meantime, and now we've reached a size that allows us to serve the segment of smaller and medium-sized companies as well."

Everything from one source

Deloitte Private becomes a single point of contact for companies. This is exactly what the decision-makers of family-owned or privately held companies want, according to the statement. Private companies would particularly benefit from Deloitte's local expertise in the areas of tax, mergers and acquisitions, business transformations, assurance and risk management. Deloitte intends to further expand its presence in the Swiss market.

"We want to offer an alternative"

Karine Szegedi leads Deloitte Private in Switzerland and in this capacity is also a member of the Executive Board of Deloitte Switzerland.

Ms. Szegedi, what makes the Swiss market special?
Karine Szegedi: There are many family-run companies in Switzerland, and some listed companies in Switzerland are also family-run. In addition, there is an interesting diversity of private banks and family offices in this country. This makes Switzerland very different from other countries in Europe. One example: Whereas in Belgium, for example, SMEs operate primarily locally, this is quite different in Switzerland. Many Swiss SMEs operate internationally, even globally. Their need for support from consultants with international know-how is correspondingly high. And that's where we can lend a hand, based on our experience with large companies.

How can experience with large companies be transferred to smaller ones? Those are different worlds after all ...
Not necessarily. Family businesses, for example, are more agile, but at the same time more cautious about change. They don't try out everything new right away. But overall, the topics are the same as those that interest large companies: Regulations, compliance, taxes, digitization, etc. What is different in each case is the contact person: In a family business, we often talk directly to the owner, who is also the CEO, whereas in listed companies, responsibilities and governance are distributed differently.

Many SMEs do well with advice from their fiduciaries. What added value can a consulting firm like Deloitte offer here?
Above all, we want to offer an alternative and not compete with existing offerings, such as those of private banks in asset management. However, we can offer added value there due to our expertise in compliance issues. We offer a wide range of services that can only be offered to a limited extent by other consultants or a fiduciary. Where specialized knowledge is required, which even we do not always have, we refer clients to the relevant experts in our network.

SMEs also value the personal relationship they have with their consultants. As a globally active consulting and auditing firm, how does Deloitte ensure that this is the case?
Our customers have a contact person who coordinates all further needs. He or she arranges contacts with experts on a wide range of topics. These specialists then report everything to the lead client manager.

Where or in which specialist areas do you see the greatest need for consulting among SMEs?
That's hard to generalize. A hot topic at the moment is cybercrime and everything to do with the management of cyber incidents and cyber risks. There are still many international companies interested in entering the Swiss market. We advise them on tax and legal issues, accounting and financial reporting regulations, etc., also in connection with M&A. Compliance is also a relatively large topic. Many companies and family offices need support here in order to be able to outsource the compliance area.

Example Accounting: What consulting services can Deloitte offer here?
Does it also take on fiduciary tasks? We do not offer accounting as such as a service, but of course everything to do with specific issues in accounting, auditing, assurance or company valuations.

Example succession planning: What services can an SME call on here?
Succession processes can be very complex. We offer support here in questions relating to taxes, governance and law - all with a view to long-term succession planning.

More information: Deloitte Private

It's no longer a secret. And yet most salespeople and entire sales teams try to ignore this simple fact: Sales will be different tomorrow than it was yesterday, and especially in B2B (business-to-business).

The reasons have been mentioned a thousand times: Buyers are much better informed, take less time, have much more choice ("global sourcing"), etc. And yet very many sellers find it extremely difficult to adapt.

Customer visits are carried out as in the past, with the hope of persuading the potential customer to buy by presenting the products. It is still expected that the prospective customer will contact me, because after all he has a "need". It's assumed that the prospect will read my emails and listen to my voicemails.

Here comes the brutal truth: Forget it! If you win a customer using these outdated methods, you've won the lottery. Congratulations! Only you won't be able to increase sales with them anymore.

So what to do? Here are three things you absolutely must address to stay ahead in the new sales world:

1. Knowledge. Train your team and yourself in the new ways to sell. There are several new strategies and methods that most salespeople have only heard about in passing. In addition, marketing and sales are increasingly intertwined. Are your processes prepared for this? Oh yes, and a salesperson without a coherent LinkedIn profile leaves potentials by the wayside.
2. Mindset. For most salespeople, you need to work massively on the mindset. The willingness to learn and the activity level often have to be increased significantly. I know salespeople who think and act like they did 20 years ago.
3. Courage. Today, as a salesperson and as a sales team, you have to stand out from the crowd much more clearly than before. Where a few years ago the product was sufficient as a sales argument, now you also have to be perceived as something special already in the sales process, and always with added value for the potential customers. A small example: How many of your salespeople regularly write for business magazines or post helpful content on social media?

My call: Tackle these issues today. Chances are high that your competitors are doing just that today and in the future.

To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch

More than 99 percent of all Swiss businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 250 employees. The study presented here, commissioned by the Swiss Confederation of Skilled Crafts (sgv) and KMU Frauen Schweiz, collects data on the importance and positioning of women working in one of these approximately 500,000 SMEs. The study is based on a special analysis of the Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS) data for 2017, and the results can be considered representative for Switzerland. From 2012 to 2017, the total number of employed persons in Switzerland increased by 5 percent to 4.6 million. In comparison, the number of employed women has increased by 7 percent in these five years. The highest percentage of women is found in microenterprises with 1-9 employees. Small and flexible structures favor women's employment.

Women's careers and SMEs

Women are not only on the rise in numbers in SMEs, but also on the career ladders. The largest increases have occurred in the number of women employed in management and supervisory positions. Particularly striking is the increase in the number of women in top management positions. While 26 percent of all people in this group were women in 2012, the figure is nearly one-third (31 percent) in 2017. By comparison, the corresponding figure for men has fallen by 7 percent. In other words, women are conquering the so-called carpet floor.

The figures also show that the increase in the number of women in management positions is particularly large in medium-sized companies with between 50 and 249 employees. The number of women employed in top management positions increased by a whopping 54.7 percent. This is without any legally imposed quota for women. No such trend can be observed in large companies. On the contrary, in large companies with 250 or more employees, the number of women employed in top management has actually declined slightly. And it is around this problem, the situation of women in large companies, that the entire public discussion and resulting demands revolve. "This fails to recognize the reality of women in over 99 percent of all Swiss companies," said sgv Director and FDP National Councilor Hans-Ulrich Bigler at the media conference.

It is not surprising that women are very often found in the management of medium-sized companies. Women who take the top jobs here do so with above-average frequency and very high qualifications. 67 percent of them have a tertiary education. The proportion of women with the highest level of education in management is 59 percent across all company sizes.

Self-employment as an opportunity

Self-employment is a big issue among working women in SMEs. Most of the nearly 73,000 self-employed women run a small business with 1-9 employees and still 8,733 run a business with 10-49 employees. The small form of a company is generally very suitable for women. This is shown by the comparatively large share of women in small businesses of almost 50 percent. Women tend to be less common in medium-sized and large companies compared to men. Women frequently use self-employment as a part-time job, i.e. 67 percent, and are thus able to reconcile family and career. The partner of self-employed women without employees is also entrepreneurially active in 28 %. This suggests that in this case they often run a business together.

Women's advancement in reality

The study confirms the important position of women in family businesses. 60 % of all employees in these businesses are women. sgv Vice President and entrepreneur André Berdoz emphasized at the media conference how irreplaceable women are in family-owned businesses: "Very often, women take on key roles in the business as coordinators who maintain an overview and lead and coach the employees. Without their cooperation, many SMEs would not be able to exist.

SMEs integrate women into the workforce quite naturally, entrepreneur and sgv Vice President Daniela Schneeberger knows from her own experience. The discussion about the role and position of women in the economy must take much greater account of this fact. "Promoting entrepreneurial women therefore means creating good framework conditions in order to maintain flexibility. And flexibility is one of the great assets of women," said FDP National Councilor Daniela Schneeberger at the media conference.

"recognize-integrate-network"

This year, KMU Frauen Schweiz celebrates its 25th anniversary. KMU Frauen Schweiz is the network of female collaborating partners and self-employed entrepreneurs in SMEs. The network was founded by the sgv in 1994. It is a platform for women's concerns within the sgv. The largest umbrella organization of the Swiss economy thus recognized the importance of supporting women in the working world and in society 25 years ago and integrated it into the association. Under the motto "recognize-integrate-network", the network of SME women, with the support of the sgv, is committed to ensuring that the achievements of women in business and society are increasingly publicized and recognized. The Federal Certificate of Competence in Business Management for SMEs, introduced by the sgv together with the Swiss Institute for Entrepreneurship Training SIU, gives women the recognition they have long been missing. "SME Women Switzerland was awarded a prize by the European Commission for this innovative approach," explains the President of SME Women Switzerland and sgv Vice Director Christine Davatz.

Source: Swiss Trade Association

When the W.A. de Vigier Prize was first awarded 30 years ago, many of this year's winners were just learning to walk. No one was talking about startup funding back then. Bill de Vigier knew from his own experience how important startup capital was and set himself the goal of paving the way for promising startups. He was one of the first ever to institutionally take care of startup promotion in Switzerland. For three decades, the W.A. de Vigier Foundation has been awarding Switzerland's most highly endowed sponsorship prize à-fonds-perdu and independently, i.e. without any conditions attached to profit.

This year, former award winners donated part of the prize money. They wanted to give something back to the startup ecosystem. This would certainly be in the spirit of the foundation's founder Bill de Vigier, who saw the future in young companies and therefore supported innovative Swiss startups with the necessary seed capital well after his death. "The fact that former winners contributed to this year's prize money makes me particularly happy. I hope that our alumni will increasingly form partnerships with each other in the future, which will help the already established companies to remain innovative and pave the way for the young startups to enter the market," says Regula Buob, Managing Director of the W.A. de Vigier Foundation.

Jury invited 60 startups to pitch for the first time

In the anniversary year 2019, there was another premiere: After a pre-selection, the Foundation Board got to know 60 young entrepreneurs in person for the first time instead of 16 startups. "At the 'Selection Day Top 60', we were able to get a very early impression of the ideas and, in particular, the people behind them. Our foundation places particular emphasis on the entrepreneurial personality because we need more pioneers in our country like Bill de Vigier was. We need real role models who shape our society with both their ideas and their spirit," emphasizes Beat Graf, Vice President of the Foundation. The "Selection Day Top 60" will take place again next year.

These are the ten winners of the W.A. de Vigier Prize 2019

PXL Vision AG from Zurich (ZH) - Innovative digital identity verification
Identity fraud and data protection are major challenges. PXL Vision develops state-of-the-art technologies for fully automated customer onboarding and identity verification with camera-based devices. PXL enables the creation of trusted digital identities that can be used across industries for the protected exchange of personal data and secure interaction in the digital space.

Scewo AG from Winterthur (ZH) - A wheelchair that climbs stairs
Scewo develops a wheelchair that allows the rider to climb stairs and move much more freely. To climb steps, two rubber tracks are extended under the wheelchair. The seat always remains horizontal, and transitions up and down steps are automated. The software developers are working on increasing the level of automation, recognizing critical situations and driving certain routes autonomously.

Swiss Motion Technologies AG from Renens (VD) - Customized insoles for better fitting prostheses
MotionTech produces affordable silicone prosthetic insoles using 3D printing. The insole serves as a soft cushioning layer between the leg and the prosthesis and must fit the leg absolutely perfectly. After a prosthetist 3D scans the leg, MotionTech produces the custom insole within 72 hours. The prosthetic area is just one of many future applications.

T3 Pharmaceuticals AG from Basel (BS) - Targeted cancer therapy with bacteria
Cancer treatments should target the cancer exclusively whenever possible. T3 Pharmaceuticals uses bacteria that can specifically target solid tumors and even grow inside them. In the tumor, the bacteria act as efficient production sites for therapeutically active proteins. T3 Pharma's bacteria are a powerful and versatile platform for targeted cancer therapy.

Vatorex AG from Winterthur (ZH) - Using heat to combat bee mortality
The varroa mite is a parasite that damages bee colonies in Europe and North America. Until now, beekeepers treated their bees chemically, which unfortunately also harms the bees. Vatorex takes advantage of the different heat tolerance of mites and bees. A heating wire embedded directly into the comb heats the bee brood, which kills the mite. This treatment results in 31 percent improved colony development.

Mirrakoi AG from Lausanne (VD) - Easy to use and accessible 3D CAD tool
High-quality 3D design for industrial and product modeling becomes accessible to the common man thanks to Mirrakoi. XirusCAD, Mirrakoi's brand new CAD technology, enables designers, engineers and architects to model complex products faster and more intuitively. The technology is based on a fundamentally new approach to the mathematical description of 3D objects.

Mobbot AG from Fribourg (FR) -3D concrete printing saves time and money
Construction companies can reduce their manufacturing and installation costs by 40 to 80 percent thanks to Mobbot's unique 3D concrete printing technology and a fully digitized process. The production of expensive casting molds is completely eliminated, and within a very short time the custom-made elements are in place. The startup is currently focusing on underground concrete elements for electrical applications.

PharmaBiome AG from Zurich (ZH) - New approaches in intestinal treatment
The microbiome is involved in most chronic metabolic and immune diseases. PharmaBiome developed a technology to isolate, cultivate and characterize gut microbes. Based on their functional interaction, the startup formulates pharmaceutical-grade mixed cultures to sustainably modulate the gut microbiome and treat associated diseases.

Piomic Medical AG from Zurich (ZH) - Portable wound healing device
Piomic is developing a novel medical device for the treatment of chronic wounds. By accelerating wound healing processes, pain and the risk of wound infection are reduced and patients' quality of life is improved. The technology developed for this purpose is portable, easy to use and fits seamlessly into the various workflows of everyday clinical practice.

Sleepiz AG from Zurich (ZH) - Medical sleep monitoring from home
Sleepiz's solution allows patients to be tested for sleep disorders from the comfort of their own home. The contactless device collects vital signs and parameters of the sleep environment in real time and with medical accuracy using an AI algorithm. The cloud-based solution saves time and money, allowing a higher number of patients to be screened for sleep disorders more efficiently.

"A bit like pearl diving..."

Commenting on the award, Foundation Board President Daniel Borer said: "I become particularly alert when the person and the idea are closely interwoven and the managing director seems grounded and visionary at the same time. We often have very young people in front of us who have to be confident that they can handle huge rounds of financing. We don't always agree on everything in the jury, there are tough negotiations and arguments based on the available expert reports, fact sheets, assessments, presentations and motivational videos. Serving as a juror is truly a privilege. The Board of Trustees is allowed to take risks and independently select groundbreaking ideas. It's a bit like pearl diving." 

More information: www.devigier.ch

B2B online commerce is regarded as a market with great growth potential, even exceeding that of B2C commerce. In 2015, for example, the market research company Frost & Sullivan predicted that the volume of B2B online trade will reach around 6,700 billion US dollars by 2020 - compared with 3,200 billion US dollars in the B2C sector. However, the B2B market is highly fragmented. This makes it difficult to properly tap the potential. "We are only at the beginning, as the behavior of B2B customers is oriented towards that of B2C customers," said Carsten Brandt, Head of Corporate Communications at wlw at a press conference last week.

Better tapping market potential by merging online platforms

It is known that corporate buyers today spend an average of 5.5 hours researching suppliers online. This means that visibility on the web is the be-all and end-all for SMEs. More and more companies have recognized this and are investing more in online marketing. Visable", a merger of the two online platforms "Wer liefert was" and Europages, now wants to take up this trend. The goal: to exploit the large European domestic market with 300 million people and over 20 million relevant companies. And the new company is also a response to international players from the U.S., China, and India, who are taking more and more market share. Visable is targeting double-digit revenue growth in the coming years. The wlw Group's revenue of around 50 million euros in 2018 is to be doubled to 100 million euros in the medium term under Visable. The name "Visable" is a made-up word and is composed of the English words "visible" for visible and "enable" for enable. The company name thus describes the service promise of providing small and medium-sized companies with more visibility and reach on the Internet, as Marketing Director Carsten Brandt explained.

Well-known brands remain

Together with its subsidiary Europages, wlw is already represented in 29 countries. In all European markets together, the two online platforms combine more than 3.7 million monthly users and over 50 million visits per year on their platforms. Swiss companies that want to be as visible as possible online in the DACH region and in the countries of Europe now have only one contact for accessing the services of "Wer liefert was" and EUROPAGES. However, both platforms will continue to exist as brands or offerings of Visable, as will the online marketing services already offered today, with which companies can expand their reach beyond the B2B marketplaces. The Swiss branch of "Wer liefert was" in Baar will remain unchanged.

Expanded service portfolio

Visable supports companies in Europe in using digital sales channels and marketing activities for themselves and thus being visible throughout Europe. The activities are based on two pillars: On the one hand, there are the aforementioned and proven online marketplaces wlw and Europages. On the other side, Visable offers comprehensive services for online marketing, such as Google Ads, retargeting, a so-called "Company Data Optimizer" and web analytics. "Apart from Visable, no other provider in Europe offers solutions tailored specifically to companies from its own B2B marketplaces and online marketing services to bring together international buyers and providers of products and services," explains Visable CEO Peter F. Schmid.

Annual investments in the millions

Visable is increasingly investing in the development and expansion of expertise and personnel. Only recently, with the acquisition of the Gebraucht.de platform, the company further expanded its expertise in segments that are so important for the B2B sector, such as user-centric search, communication options between sellers and buyers, app development, and the implementation of modern software architecture and cloud infrastructure. With Gebraucht.de, Visable also gained an additional new company location in Berlin.

"We will continue to invest in personnel, IT infrastructure and the improvement of our marketplaces 'Wer liefert was' and EUROPAGES in order to be able to offer our customers the best range of coverage on the Internet and at the same time offer buyers the best search in B2B," says Peter F. Schmid. "An annual amount in the millions is available for this purpose, and further acquisitions in the future are not ruled out." According to the company, which is owned by private equity firm Capvis and management, the investments are all made from its own cash flow.

Investments are also being made in Visable's corporate management, especially with regard to the IT/product area. With Daniel Keller as CTO, an experienced man has been appointed to the management. Important stations of his career were, among others, Microsoft or Axel Springer SE. Also new are Srikanth Achanta as Senior Director Engineering and Tarik Zahzah as the new Head of Partner Sales Management.

Consequence of the digital transformation

Visable's expansion course should also be seen in the context of the digital transformation that many companies in Europe are undergoing. Whereas for a long time many companies provided their existing or potential trade partners with thick catalog books to publicize their product range, today they are increasingly using online platforms. The classic sales representative, who has personal contact with the companies, retains a certain importance, but it is also being replaced in part by digital ordering processes.

The digital transformation has increased the need for online availability of the most accurate information possible on products and services when purchasing on the part of companies. This is because professional buyers have the same expectations in business as they do in private online shopping. Sales on the part of companies must therefore present their own products and services on the Internet in a similarly detailed manner as is already the case today in end customer business in the high-price segment. For example, before buying cars, luxury goods and consumer electronics, private Internet users today receive such a realistic impression thanks to images, videos or 3D animations that a personal consultation or physical contact with the product before purchase is almost superfluous.

More information: www.visable.com

The venue in the transformer hall in Baden was not chosen by chance. In 1919, transformers were manufactured there by the then BBC (now ABB). And it was BBC that founded the "Swiss Standards Commission" on July 2, 1919, together with other venerable Swiss industrial companies such as Sulzer or Escher-Wyss. The purpose: to create standards that would apply everywhere in industry.

Standards may be a dry, bureaucratic topic for many. Stefan Ramseier, head of the ABB Research Center in Baden-Dättwil, emphasized in his welcoming address the necessity of communication when it comes to implementing necessary standards, which ultimately all have the goal of making our lives easier. Around 26000 standards are in force today, 1000 of which are purely Swiss standards.

5G standard for further networking

The fact that standards are not rigid systems but are subject to constant change was demonstrated at the SNV anniversary event in four "Inspiration Sessions" - each of which was held in a different room. So the audience had to move - just as industrial development does. One driver of technological development - and also a result of the same - is, for example, the 5G mobile communications standard, which Matthias Jungen from Swisscom explained. 5G not only forms the technological prerequisite for the Internet of Things, i.e. machine-to-machine communication, but also opens up new and more flexible possibilities for data transmission, for example through so-called "network slicing", whereby certain network areas can be reserved for specific purposes.

No "innovation theater

There is also a lot of talk about innovation in connection with digitization. Jean-Philippe Hagmann exposed much of this as pure, albeit often unintentional, "innovation theater. Many of these "innovation labs" or "digital hubs" are "merely a backdrop," according to Hagmann, who has also written a book on the subject. He believes that many companies have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to innovation. Instead of "ideas," it would be better to focus on "discoveries. A better understanding of the innovation process is needed: "Doing 'it' right before doing 'it' right," the speaker said. It is also important to clarify who should play which role in this "innovation theater," he said. Hagmann sees the "bridge builder" as crucial here, i.e., the role that ensures that avant-gardists and enablers in an organization can also understand each other properly.

From drones and robots

In the large hall, the focus was then on an innovation that has long since become established in some cases: Around drones. These are already being used in a variety of ways today: As a means of transport, as an instrument for surveillance - wherever needs have to be covered from the air with little effort. However: Drones have also created new risks, as Dominique C. Brack impressively explained in his presentation. Espionage and even the paralysis of entire airports, as recently happened at London Gatwick, are scenarios of undesired drone operations. Defense measures for this are not yet fully developed, as Dominique C. Brack demonstrated by means of a "shooting exercise": two participants failed to shoot down a toy drone with toy rifles - despite appealing accuracy...

Robotics and electromobility were the topics of the last "Inspiration Session". Andreas Hufschmid and Adrian Wachholz showed how ABB, for example, already provides technologies in both areas that are used in industry and transportation. Always guided by the goal: to conserve resources - be they human or natural.

After so much "inspiration", the SNV anniversary event came to a close with an impressive light painting show by light artist Alex Dowis from Prague and a "Food Festival".

More information: www.snv.ch

How do you go about agile transformation the right way? What are the hurdles? Where are the showcase examples? At the LAS Conference 2019 there were many answers to all these questions. The LAS conference is the annual event of the swissICT Lean, Agile and Scrum specialist group. This specialist group holds Agile Breakfasts in various cities in Switzerland, in Basel, Bern, Lucerne, St. Gallen and Zurich. The Agile Breakfasts provide a platform to bring together like-minded people, interested parties and the curious on topics related to agile, so that they can grow together into a Switzerland-wide community and unite to form a comprehensive network.

At this year's event, which for once lasted two days, solutions were developed and discussed in workshops. Tweets were posted every minute. Under the hashtag #LASX and on the account @swissICT, interested parties can review the conference.

Agility unleashes potential

Damian Hughes, keynote speaker on the 1st day of the conference, captivated the audience with an inspiring keynote entitled "The Psychology of a winning mindset". His tips are insightful and practical: "Simplicity is critical to success, especially in business communications. No one wants to hear corporate bullshit, yet use simple and everyday language."

In the first keynote on the 2nd day of the conference, Franz Röösli from ZHAW spoke on the topic of "Beyond Budgeting". He did not spare with crisp quotes: "Budgets today often contradict the purpose of the company." Or: "Employees who are not engaged are idle potential!" The subsequent in-depth discussion with the audience showed that Röösli had hit a sore spot.

Recipes for success and painful processes

The often painful process of agile transformation was described by companies such as Swisscom Health, CSS and AXA. And Globus presented its vision of a department store that offers its entire product range for rent rather than for purchase.

It is clear that companies do well when they start with the culture and the mindset. This can be read from the many tweets. Christian Bartsch's workshop on "Agile into Burnout" also met with great interest.

Construction work on the new university campus in Brig has begun. On May 21, the foundation stone for the construction work was laid in a festive ceremony attended by State Councillor Christophe Darbellay, the Mayor of Brig, Louis Ursprung, the architect Markus Schietsch, representatives of FernUni Switzerland and the FFHS, and many invited guests.

The celebration of the laying of the foundation stone

The official ceremony took place in the post office garage directly next to the building site. The guests followed the remarks of architect Markus Schietsch and the unveiling of the foundation stone via "live links" directly to the construction site. For the Mayor of Brig, Louis Ursprung, one thing is certain: "The university campus strengthens Brig enormously as an educational location and carries the name of Brig throughout Switzerland." In his message of greeting from the Valais government, State Councillor Christoph Darbellay acknowledged the importance of the two institutions FFHS and FernUni Switzerland. Ultimately, the two presidents, Wilhelm Schnyder and Hans Widmer, were convinced that the new university campus represented a symbol of a successful future.

From architectural competition to laying of the foundation stone

The building project goes back to an architectural competition in spring 2016, which was won by the team of Markus Schietsch Architekten from Zurich. Their project "Kuma" (Japanese for bear - a strong self-confident creature) convinced the jury with independent solutions on an architectural, operational and economic level. In the subsequent planning work, some revisions were made, for example, research was given more space for laboratories in the new building. Finally, the building application was submitted in October 2018.

The building

The project on Schinerstrasse in the Rhonesand district comprises six floors and a basement including a parking garage. Two common floors are intended for public use (cafeteria, conference and training rooms) and two floors each accommodate the workplaces of the FFHS and the FernUni Schweiz. The striking form of the solitary building and the filigree profiled glass façade are intended to lend identity to the public character of the higher education institution. In terms of urban planning, the new building also fits in well with the typology of the neighborhood. The building is positioned on the plot in such a way that it is enclosed on all sides by an outdoor space designed as a garden. The university campus is scheduled for completion in April 2021 and occupancy in May 2021.

Facts and figures about the construction project:

• Architecture: Markus Schietsch Architekten, Zurich
• Construction management: amoba baumanagement, Brig
• Number of workstations: currently planned 165 AP excl. laboratories
• Floor area above ground: 4'488m2
• Floor area underground: 2'234 m2
• Total: 6'812 m2
• Total building volume: 27'741 m3
• Start of construction: May 2019
• Completion planned: April 2021
• Move-in planned: May 2021
• Costs: CHF 29'158'000.- thereof 1'670'000.- for laboratories

Information: www.fernuni.ch, www.ffhs.ch

GIA and maihiro, the Swiss IT service provider and the internationally active specialist for CRM and Customer Experience (CX) from Germany, are strengthening their project-based cooperation. Martin Ryser, member of the Executive Board and Head of Business Solutions at GIA Informatik AG, explains the synergies the companies are aiming for as follows: "Our Company with more than 30 years of experience helps to upgrade the existing ERP system with the latest software generation SAP S/4HANA maihiro - which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2020 - optimizes customer relationship management with SAP C/4HANA solutions from the cloud. Both partners are responsible hand in hand for the optimal interaction of the two suites and thus offer their customers continuous end-to-end processes. GIA and maihiro are owner-managed companies with similarly large staffs (around 150 and 170 employees respectively) and share the same values. This leads to sustainable work and strengthens our customers' trust in us." The cooperation was initiated quickly and without complications. It was concretized between the two managements at the end of 2018. Uwe May, Managing Director Sales and Marketing at maihiro GmbH: "GIA was looking for an experienced CX partner to respond to a customer's request. SAP Switzerland recommended maihiro. We decided to work together because we were planning to enter the Swiss market, were not actively working it, did not want a branch in Switzerland, and went the cooperation route via partners and SAP."

Benefit for the customers

How do customers benefit from project-based collaboration? Martin Ryser: "Our customers are able to obtain solutions from the SAP C/4HANA portfolio for the customer experience from the cloud via connectors in addition to their existing digital core (SAP ERP). With the expansion of our solution portfolio, we continue to act as a trusted advisor and single point of contact for our customers - from the implementation project to subsequent support. This provides customers with further solution expertise for their processes without having to establish completely new business relationships."

Future development

Uwe May: "The two companies support each other in that GIA mediates the relationship with customers to realize their CRM in the cloud. maihiro provides the CX expertise. The virtually identical corporate culture, the positive emotions for each other and the common customers motivate us to tackle even more initiatives together. We have the big goal in mind to gain additional satisfied customers together and increase business success in this way."

Joint practical event on SAP X/4HANA

Schweizer Salinen AG and Skan AG report to a Event on Thursday, June 6, 2019, from 3 to 5:45 p.m. at GIA in Oftringen about their use of SAP S/4HANA as the "digital core" and of SAP C/4HANA, the cloud-based platform for CRM and service. With the support of the experienced SAP Gold Partners GIA and maihiro, who have years of field-tested expertise with SAP C/4HANA Enterprise Management, both companies will become "smart companies" with the digitization of processes.

The new Head of Consumer Business at Swisscard is Enrico Salvadori and succeeds Dominic Steptoe, who left the company a few weeks ago to pursue a new career. Most recently, Salvadori led Crédit Suisse's Marketing & Sponsoring as Managing Director. He was responsible for strategic repositioning across all disciplines, including marketing strategy, campaigns, digital marketing, sponsorship and events. In previous roles at Credit Suisse and Clariden Leu, Enrico Salvadori designed advanced processes to successfully manage and improve innovation in product management as well as sales and customer experience.

"Enrico Salvadori has proven that he can expand products and services in a customer-focused way in complex, fast-developing markets," emphasizes Swisscard CEO Florence Schnydrig Moser: "Innovation is also key in our consumer business." In March, Swisscard launched Cashback Cards for the first time in Switzerland, a card duo with no annual fee and a money-back function. In addition, consumers have been able to make mobile payments with all credit cards issued by Swisscard since the beginning of May. In his new role, Enrico Salvadori will drive these topics forward and strengthen Swisscard's pioneering role with new ideas.

Before joining Credit Suisse Group, Enrico Salvadori worked as a strategy consultant for leading financial services companies in Europe and Africa, with specific expertise in corporate banking and risk management. Previously, he graduated with honors in Business Administration from the University of Turin. In addition, he obtained a European Master in Management from ESCP-EAP Business School. Since 2007, the Italian/Swiss dual citizen lives with his family in the Zurich area.

Source: Swisscard

According to the DSAG trend analysis, the willingness to invest additionally in the security of SAP systems has fallen by 13 percent to 42 percent compared to the previous year. In addition, the view prevails across all company sizes that cloud solutions require different security strategies and concepts than conventional solutions. This is a topic on which 91 percent of large companies and 88 percent of small companies agree. "We also demand security by design and security by default for the cloud environment. The DSAG Cloud Security working group is addressing this issue," comments Dr. Alexander Ziesemer, spokesman for the DSAG Security & Vulnerability Management working group.

Security Dashboard required

Only 11 percent (previous year: 15 percent) use a security dashboard to gain an overview of their security-specific settings. 76 percent do not use this (previous year: 72 percent). A proper dashboard is the central prerequisite for being able to develop and implement imperative better security concepts. "We already communicated the requirement for a standard for a comprehensive SAP security dashboard to SAP last year. Unfortunately, there has not yet been a solution for this," summarizes Dr. Alexander Ziesemer.

There is also a gap of several percentage points between wish and reality in terms of satisfaction with SAP's support for system security. Only 4 percent of respondents gave this a grade of 1 (grade 6 in Switzerland) and 18 percent a grade of 2 (grade 5 in Switzerland). A score of 3 (in Switzerland, a score of 4) was awarded by 49 percent. Values that have deteriorated compared to 2018. "This is a clear indication that even better support is needed from SAP in the form of regular up-to-date white papers, recommendations for action, and security guides," says Dr. Alexander Ziesemer, explaining the result.

According to the survey, these are used for the company's internal SAP security guidelines (72 percent), as guidance during operations (64 percent) and as an argumentation aid vis-à-vis management and business departments (48 percent).

Security by default required

In the technical part of the survey, one of the topics was the demand for security by default. In other words, security components in new releases and services should be delivered already activated as standard. While 78 percent of respondents said this in 2018, 84 percent expect this "service" from SAP one year later. "The close cooperation with SAP shows that more security by default is also possible for the future. Significant progress has already been made in specific areas such as encryption, logging and monitoring," says Dr. Alexander Ziesemer.

Security in the on-premise area remains important

Large companies (45 percent) and midsize companies (41 percent) see integrating SAP cloud products into an appropriate security concept as a very big challenge. Only 35 percent of small companies share this impression. Interestingly, however, the topic of the cloud did not make it into the top three of the most important areas for action. As last year, security by default is in first place, followed by SAP security policies. Patch management took third place, displacing SAP security awareness. "For companies, security issues around on-premise will continue to be a focus alongside cloud security. Because not all that glitters is cloud," summarizes Dr. Alexander Ziesemer.

Conclusion of the survey

The central finding of the trend survey is that more security by design and by default is still an important requirement. Better security concepts, especially in the cloud environment, are absolutely essential, but are still difficult to implement without a proper dashboard. In other words, more standards and even better support from SAP are needed in the area of SAP security. DSAG is already working with SAP on this topic.

However, Dr. Alexander Ziesemer also derives specific recommendations for action for user companies from the results: "Gain transparency about the security and landscape of your SAP systems for planning further activities. Start with security basics such as interfaces, encryption and settings." The key, he said, is to bring IT security awareness to all levels, from employees to executives to managers. In addition, he said, it is important to regularly update SAP security policies due to the high pace of innovation. Furthermore, new SAP systems should be installed with the essential current security settings (security by default). Not forgetting outsourced systems, e.g. in the cloud, which also need to be securely connected to the corporate network.

Source: www.dsag-ev.ch