When it comes to digitization, many SMEs are currently vacillating between uncertainty and motivation. An opportunity to experience new technologies live was offered at this year's topsoft IT trade fair in Zurich. For two days, trade fair visitors were able to experience applications live, ask questions about solutions and take away many practical tips. Both the exhibition and the presentations were very well attended. The first day of the trade fair in particular provided great satisfaction for many suppliers in terms of the number and quality of visitor contacts.

Trade fair as a bridge between supplier and user

While other trade fairs are increasingly focusing on festivals and spectacle, the organizers of topsoft emphasize that they are not simply about the big show. "Ultimately, digitization must fit the context of the company. An SME must be able to shape the digital future with limited resources," trade fair director Cyrill Schmid points out. In the future, topsoft will continue to see itself as a bridge builder between suppliers and users. Its success can be measured by the satisfaction of visitors and exhibitors. "The positive response to topsoft came as something of a surprise to us in view of the restrained headlines from various trade fair organizers in the run-up to the event," says Schmid.

The digital future takes shape

Various showcases at the trade show demonstrated how digitization can be transformed into concrete business models. Using a veritable suction excavator, for example, the software company Webgate demonstrated how augmented reality can be used in the service sector. An over 200-year-old spinning wheel, which can communicate directly with ERP systems thanks to sensors, proved that even old machines still have digital potential. The batch size 1 required by Industry 4.0 was demonstrated, among others, by the engineering company Gritec AG with its automated application in the form of personalized sweets.

The focus is on business benefits

Few companies can do anything with digital technology alone. "Users need digitization as a means to an end - and that end is economic. IT only makes sense if it results in a profit," explains myfactory CEO David Lauchenauer. For many SMEs, the only thing that counts is what benefits it effectively brings to a company. Urs P. Amrein, Head of Marketing at Opacc, also understands this: "We are in intensive exchange with our customers and know their needs very well. Modern software offers a lot, but it also puts the onus on the users. The technical possibilities are there, what's needed are creative ideas and strategies on the part of SMEs."

Trade fairs are still in demand

Compared to other events, the topsoft trade fair is confident. For event manager Cyrill Schmid, trade fairs definitely have a future: "Digitalization is bringing us completely new forms of IT applications. The complexity is great and requires an intensive exchange between customers and manufacturers. A trade fair like topsoft is the ideal place for dialog, comparison, experimentation and contacts. The conversations, the questions and answers, and the feeling of not being alone with digitization - that's what topsoft is all about."

www.topsoft.ch

Simon Grenacher, co-owner of proles solutions ag based in Wettingen, writes a practical guide to selecting the right Project Management-software for service providers. "With the right project management software to the digital service company" is published these days and can be ordered free of charge at proles.

The dilemma of unerring software selection

The selection and introduction of a suitable Project Management-Software for service providers is an extensive undertaking and at the same time a project that is only carried out every 10 years on average. It goes without saying that many service providers are technically and methodologically overburdened.

This is where Simon Grenacher's practical guide comes in, helping all those managing and responsible for projects in service-oriented SMEs to find the perfect fit for them efficiently and with little risk. Project Management-software, and to successfully introduce it in their company. With the declared goal of developing the software solution into an investment with clear added value and at the same time making the service company sustainably fit for digitization.

The book clarifies central questions

Written from practice for practice, the book describes over 220 pages the ideal-typical process of software selection from A to Z. It starts with the clarification of central fundamental questions such as "what do I have to do so that the Project Management-The book describes the advantages of using a professional software solution and contrasts them with the otherwise typical "Excel/Word" combination. Then it systematically describes the entire process of an accurate software selection. Chapter 10 is aimed at software solutions already in use and provides numerous tips and hints for ongoing optimization of use.

Recommended by experts

"The project business is excellently suited for digitization like hardly any other. Simon Grenacher accompanies his reader systematically, methodically clean and with great practical experience on his way to the new business software" says for example Claudio Mirti, UAS lecturer on the topics of digitization and project management and Principal Solution Specialist Data & AI at Microsoft Switzerland. In his words, "This book clearly presents important aspects of IT support for service companies. I especially like the instructions on how to calculate the ROI for such software" Dr. Marcel Siegenthaler, Senior Consultant & Partner topsoft Switzerland recommends the practical guide by Simon Grenacher.

A free copy of "With the right project management software to the digital service company" can be ordered here be

Ronnie Sturzenegger will succeed Matthias Rüegg, who, after ten years as director of the Juventus Schools, will take over as head of the Zurich School of Economics (HWZ), an enterprise of the Swiss Commercial Association and the Juventus Schools Foundation. Rüegg has accepted this challenge at the HWZ following the departure of Prof. Dr. Peter Petrin. "The HWZ is the leading part-time university of applied sciences in Zurich. Leading the HWZ is a new and exciting challenge for me," says Matthias Rüegg. "For ten years, I was able to lead the Juventus schools and celebrate many wonderful successes and initiate innovations."

An environmental scientist at the top

With the election of 46-year-old Ronnie Sturzenegger from Männedorf, the management of Juventus Schools remains in the best hands, according to a press release. The future director of Juventus Schools is an environmental scientist and high school teacher and has successfully managed AKAD College since 2008. In his role, he has designed new courses, made optimizations to didactic concepts throughout the group and initiated internal quality optimizations. "The great challenge of Juventus Schools is to lead the new JuveCampus into the second century as a first-rate educational location with design initiatives," emphasizes Ronnie Sturzenegger.

In the best hands with Juventus schools

Founded in 1918, Juventus Schulen is a private education provider headquartered on Europaallee in Zurich. The school has a cantonal educational license to provide basic school and vocational education (SOG and BOG). In 1920, Juventus Schulen became the first school in Switzerland to run an evening school, thus making it possible to take the Matura exam while working.

Since 2017, the Juventus Schools Foundation operates in four business units: Juventus Wirtschaftsschule (KV, Marketing, Informatik), Juventus Maturitätsschule (Wirtschaftsgymnasium, BMS), Juventus Schule für Medizin for medical training and further education on behalf of the Canton of Zurich and as a private provider, and Juventus Technikerschule HF as a higher technical school for technicians. The Juventus schools accompany more than 2000 students annually and have more than 200 qualified lecturers. Learning success with optimal learning support is the focus and guarantees high success rates. Partners of the Juventus Schools include the HWZ (Zurich University of Applied Sciences), the Swiss Institute of Business Administration and the ZHAW (Zurich University of Applied Sciences).

www.juventus.ch

The subsidiary of the Müller Martini Group, the world leader in the graphic arts industry, was seven years old when it became Switzerland's first Information technology company on the ERP software SAP set. A decision with foresight, as it turned out over the next decades. More and more companies were using standardized ERP software as a central control system for their business processes. Thanks to Cloud Computing SMEs are also opening up a wide range of opportunities in this area.

Peter Merz, GIA Informatik AG is celebrating. It is 30 years old. What has changed the most in these three decades?

Everything! Never before in the history of mankind have we experienced so many changes as in the last 20 to 30 years. And we are currently in the midst of the greatest process of change, the fourth industrial revolution. Business models are changing, in some cases radically. This creates new situations for us and our customers that open up completely different opportunities than before.

Which of these changes has most impacted your organization?

30 years ago, one of our main focuses was the development of ERP software. In good time, we gave up this activity and entered into a partnership with the global software provider SAP. We do not regret this decision until today.

What strategic decisions have proven correct over these 30 years?

On the one hand, the decision that we have been able to establish and expand very long-standing partnerships with globally successful providers such as SAP, Microsoft and PTC. On the other hand, a strong focus on expanding business outside our parent company. As the former internal IT organization of the machine and plant manufacturer Muller Martini AG, this was not a matter of course, but today we generate over 70 percent of our sales there.

It's not easy to survive in a business for 30 years. What qualities and strengths distinguish GIA from the competition?

Our unique selling point - and we are particularly proud of this - is our portfolio. We invested heavily in our state-of-the-art infrastructure, creating the solid, reliable foundation to process applications and store data securely. With our ERP offering, organizations run their business: from sales to production to financial accounting. In addition, we build solutions for our SME customers, which they use for product development to innovate.

How do you describe your corporate and value culture?

The IT business is and remains a people business, because a successful IT project is always carried out "from person to person". So the crucial point is how we deal with each other. We therefore attach great importance to being a fair, competent and always reliable partner - for our customers, employees, suppliers and our owner. In addition, we focus on a high level of data security.

Long-term employees are not uncommon in your organization. Why do these people remain loyal to you?

There are even employees who have been with us since the company was founded. I think that has to do with the way we treat each other. We also pay attention to a working atmosphere that is characterized by mutual appreciation. Employees feel comfortable with us, can perform well and develop their potential. And despite permanent change, we are able to offer them an attractive workplace so that they can develop professionally and personally.

How do you support learners?

We have been training apprentices for a good 20 years. Every year, three apprentices complete a four-year IT apprenticeship and one every three years completes a commercial apprenticeship - making a total of 13. We consider this to be a contribution to our society. In addition, this is how we counteract the shortage of skilled workers in the IT sector. Many apprentices stay with the company after the final apprenticeship examination or return to the organization after years of travel.

Keyword cyberattacks: What do you contribute to data security in organizations?

Cyberattacks are indeed an acute threat. We do everything possible in our industry and protect our customers with technology. One crucial factor is people. That's why we train our employees and make them aware of what an important asset they process for our customers. We want them to react correctly to all kinds of attacks. Together with our customers, we also train their employees, because they are also the focus of phishing or social engineering attacks.

In the spring, it was announced that Microsoft and Google will be opening data centers in Switzerland in 2019. How do you remain the first port of call for IT specialists vis-à-vis these major companies?

We welcome the fact that these two global players are coming to Switzerland. Our strength remains our flexibility as an organization. We also have processes that are certified according to ISO 20 000 and ISO 27 001. This gives our customers the guarantee that we always handle the processes in the same way. On the other hand, flexibility is required from them. This is part of our innovative strength and a differentiating characteristic that makes us successful.

GIA Informatik AG is an important system partner of SAP in Switzerland. To what extent is SAP also the right solution for SMEs?

We believe that SAP has long been the right solution for SMEs. For over 40 years, SAP has managed to offer an ERP solution that is always up-to-date in terms of technology and covers all business processes in a fully integrated manner. At first glance, SAP often seems a bit complex, but above all it is consistent. With our industry template "gia//fertigung", we have set up around 150 processes for industry "end-to-end" so that customers can use them "out-of-the-box".

Let's talk about cloud computing, IoT, Big Data: On the one hand, they offer immense opportunities. On the other hand, data protection guidelines are becoming stricter. Is this an opportunity for you or more of an obstacle?

We are building on the opportunities, I say as a positive-thinking person. We know our way around from megabytes to petabytes, but with exabytes and zettabytes, we are faced with data volumes that are still beyond our imagination today. Processing this data efficiently is a challenge that we will master. Cloud computing opens up new possibilities for consuming software. Integrating data from the various clouds will keep us busy in the future. And IoT brings, in addition to an enormous volume of data, above all the challenge of drawing the right conclusions from the volume of data. This creates many new opportunities. Politicians are struggling to keep up with the new technological developments. There is still a great deal of uncertainty as to how the EU Data Protection Regulation will be implemented, for example.

In the course of digitalization, cloud services are increasingly in demand, also from SMEs. What steps are important for them to find the right IT solution?

The cloud is definitely gaining a foothold here. Every SME asks itself the question at the latest when it comes to renewing its infrastructure: Do I want to invest in my own environment or do I obtain this performance as a service? More and more organizations are opting for the latter. In the evaluation or sales phase, the main thing is to build up mutual trust. Despite many hard facts, it is usually gut feeling and sympathy that decide whether this tender plant of trust is allowed to grow or not.

The digital transformation is omnipresent - or are we mistaken? How do you assess the "digital fitness" of Swiss SMEs?

That is a difficult question. In the meantime, digitization is soon on its way to becoming a non-word. But of course it occupies me intensively - and not only during my recent training as a Transformation Coach. Let's look back: the last few decades have been characterized by automation of machine processes. What we now call digital transformation is - in my view - nothing other than the automation of administrative processes. Therefore, this is not a revolution, but rather an evolution. What is revolutionary, however, are the tools we have at our disposal, such as massively higher computer performance or cloud services, and the resulting speed of change.

You yourself are at the forefront of the "dig:it now" collaboration. To what extent does it help organizations with the digital transformation?

This collaboration uses a methodology to support organizations that want to digitize further but don't know exactly how. The University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland developed an approach to find out where an organization's greatest potential lies. We call this a "heat map." Where the pressure is greatest, we go into depth. The model is suitable for SMEs, scientifically correct, but not quite as comprehensive as transformation models from international management consultancies.

What are your goals for the future?

We still have the intention to grow, stronger than the market. We firmly believe that we will remain an agile partner for our customers in the segment in which we have established ourselves - fair and competent.

30 years GIA Informatik AG

Peter Merz (59) has been managing director of GIA Informatik AG in Oftringen for almost 20 years. The ETH engineer began his professional career as a management consultant and industrial planner. In 1990, he joined OWL AG Logistik-Systeme (now Swisslog) as sales manager. Some time later, he became head of consulting there as well as deputy managing director and built up the Asian market. Fairness towards customers and employees, tolerance and a commitment to performance have always been defining values for Peter Merz.

GIA Informatik AG offers IT services with core competencies in developing and operating solutions from a single source in the areas of ERP (SAP partner), IT services with its own cloud infrastructure and product development (PTC partner). The company, with 150 employees, is a subsidiary of the globally active Müller Martini Group.

The other day a funny incident went through the net: In Berlin, a bike lane was built in such a way that it is almost impossible to follow the lane and avoid pedestrians (see the picture). We find this kind of thing fun, because it doesn't fit in at all with the perfectionism we see elsewhere, especially in Germany and Switzerland. And because it also excuses us for our own shortcomings.

How could this happen, despite the many rules and regulations? Or is it perhaps just therefore happening? Here's my point: you probably have various such metaphorical cycle paths in your company (and in yourself, too). And that doesn't even have to be a bad thing, quite the opposite. Here are three reasons to even actively enable such outcomes:

1. Risk culture. It is positive that action was taken at all. Otherwise, such plans can often languish in the offices for years because some guidelines get in the way. This is the reflection of a risk culture in companies: If you take action, you're going to make mistakes. We learn from this. That's a good thing! Many innovative companies even reward the biggest failures.
2. Ausbaden. I see time and again that those who come up with great processes never apply them themselves. Most companies could become much more productive if the managers really experienced what is going on "out in the trenches" (not only on bicycle paths). "Get out to the front" is the motto, at least from time to time.
3. Zigzagging. Sometimes the zigzag course is better than none at all. Many stay so long in the starting blocks that the others are already at the finish even with headwind and zigzagging. And at least they provide a funny example for the world, like here with the bike path.

Here's a hint: In the next meeting, let your team draw their own conclusions from the zigzag velo path. Let's see if they also come up with such positive ideas as mentioned above - or if they rather talk about it with amusement.

It is clear which of these behaviors enable greater openness and performance. A true winning team culture reliably delivers top performance, even when zigzagging.

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

The Hays Fachkräfte Index (FKI) is based on a quarterly evaluation by index Internet und Mediaforschung GmbH for Hays. It includes job advertisements from the busiest online job exchanges, daily newspapers, and the XING business network. The index has been established in Switzerland since 2011 and was relaunched this year. In addition to the individual sector evaluations, it now offers an overarching index for overall demand twice a year. The reference value is the first quarter of 2015. On average, demand in Switzerland has since doubled in the areas covered. This strong growth is unique internationally. In the current year, for example, the index in Germany fell from 154 in Q1 to 149 in Q2, while in Switzerland it rose from 181 to 197.

Implementation of the mass immigration initiative shows effects

One reason for the increased shortage of skilled workers could be that vacancies in this country are no longer so easy to fill following the adoption of the mass immigration initiative. Although the popular initiative was only implemented in a weakened form, the psychological barrier to moving to Switzerland from abroad rose. At the same time, earning and promotion opportunities in Switzerland's neighboring countries have become much better, and the Swiss franc has lost value against the euro. A move to Switzerland is therefore less worthwhile today from a financial perspective than it was a few years ago.

Shortage of skilled workers in almost all industries

The often cited shortage of skilled workers can be quantified and visualized in the FKI. In the engineering sector, the index rose from 186 points previously to 192 points in Q2. In absolute figures, this means that 4429 engineers were sought in Switzerland in the second quarter of 2018. This includes 931 development engineers (e.g. for drive technology, automation, electrical engineering, hardware, mechanical engineering and mechatronics) and 939 electrical engineers. The effects of digitalization are reflected here.

 In the FKI, the term finance refers to academic employees in corporate and bank accounting, but not to the banking sector as such. Demand has also risen in this skill segment, almost doubling over the three-year period. Digitalization has apparently not yet made itself felt in this segment in the form of major job cuts.

Specialists for IT and life science particularly in demand

IT specialization is the most sought-after professional group. In Q2 2018, 18,715 open graduate positions were registered. Here, the demand for database developers and security specialists has increased the most in the last three years (factor 2.7), reflecting the importance of the currently particularly topical issues of big data and security.

There has also been a doubling of demand in the life science sector over the last three years. This index is the smallest in absolute terms. The qualifications of chemists and life scientists are also newly reported, with the latter seeing a 323 percent growth in demand since 2015.

Hays recorded the demand for qualified employees in Sales & Marketing for Switzerland for the first time. Analogous to the development of the overall index, the demand for specialists has almost doubled here as well. Due to digitalization and new sales channels, the number of online marketing managers sought has even almost tripled since 2015.

More information: www.hays.ch

This year's IT procurement conference focused on the digital transformation from the perspective of the legislative, judiciary and practice. The revision of the Federal Public Procurement Act as well as innovative solutions for ticketing systems in public transport were the topics of expert presentations. The IT Procurement Conference is aimed at procurers, bidders, consultants and lawyers who are active in the field of public procurement. It is organized by the Digital Sustainability Research Center of the University of Bern, the Federal IT Steering Committee ISB, the Swiss IT Conference SIK, swissICT and CH Open.

The BöB in the mills of the law

National Councilor Kathrin Bertschy gave the plenum a look behind the legislative scenes. The principle "cheap is not always cheap" guided the consultations on the revision of the Procurement Act so far. The proposed mandatory provisions on sustainability and transparency (life cycle costs and the principle of public access) have so far been accepted by the National Council. The discussions in the Council of States are still pending, in which these and other controversial points, such as the subordination of public undertakings and the exclusion rule, will be put to the test. The timetable shows: The new law is not expected before 2020.

Judge Marc Steiner also emphasized the importance of transparency as a guiding principle of revision. Using federal administrative court decisions, he showed how case law affects legislative efforts and vice versa. One focus of the presentation was on good governance aspects. IT procurement in particular, he said, is vulnerable to shoddy contracting and abuse. Anti-corruption would be newly enshrined as a legislative objective. This is a strong signal, but there is still a lack of detail: the provision proposed by the Federal Council on the exclusion of third parties (Art. 13), for example, is "a scandal". He concluded by pointing out that the paradigm shift from price to quality competition is not only part of the revision, but also a subject of case law.

Digital transformation for the public

Innovation is driven not only by the legislature and the judiciary, but also by practice. For example, the start-up FAIRTIQ is revolutionizing the ticketing system in public transport. Founder Gian-Mattia Schucan is the former person in charge of ticketing at SBB, and with the new app he is proving how previous processes can be fundamentally turned upside down through digital transformation. Another revolution is promised by the Digital Sustainability Research Center's launched www.intelliprocure.ch. This platform offers more intelligence in the procurement process by analyzing simap data. Innovations are also coming from simap.ch. Thomas Fischer, member of the board of simap.ch and head of the procurement conference of the canton of Bern, presented the simap2019 project. The modular, open-source-based e-procurement platform is scheduled to go live on May 1, 2019. In addition, the conference offered participants the opportunity to delve into further IT and procurement topics with eight specialist sessions.

More information

At this year's Forum Service Management, practical presentations and panel discussions will offer companies possible solutions and innovative impetus to tap the potential of the service business for themselves. Best practices and discussion material will be provided by Sandra Lienhart (CEO, Bank Cler), Dr. Suzanne Thoma (CEO, BKW), Reinhard Ahlborn (Head of New Services and E-Mobility, BMW), Christoph Lang (Global Product Manager Software Solutions, Hilti) and Professor Manfred Bruhn (University of Basel). "In the course of digitalization, systematic business development often comes up short. The result is digitized processes that don't work or digital services that don't benefit the customer. This is where professional service business development is needed to examine existing business models and develop new offerings with new business models," says Forum DLM initiator Professor Manfred Bruhn, summing up the current situation surrounding the service business.

It will be all the more enlightening to learn more about success factors and stumbling blocks from first-hand experience on September 7. "I am very much looking forward to Sandra Lienhart's presentation and her experiences to date with Bank Cler as a smartphone bank," comments Dr. Mareike Ahlers, moderator of the event and Managing Director of Professor Bruhn & Partner AG. Also, how BKW AG manages to successfully play in the first league in the service business, as well as the other presentations offer participants plenty of practical input for their own business success.

The DLM Forum was initiated by the marketing and strategy consultancy Prof. Bruhn & Partner AG, the MAS Marketing Management of the University of Basel and the two professors Manfred Bruhn (University of Basel) and Karsten Hadwich (University of Hohenheim) in order to specifically promote the exchange between science and practice.

More information: forum-dlm.ch

"The people, not the houses, make the town." This is how a novella about Bad Mergentheim could begin. In this town of around 24,000 inhabitants in the northeast of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, Muller Martini runs a competence center for the hardcover sector. The group, which is internationally known for print finishing systems, wanted to renew its structures, build a new SAPsystem and associated processes in order to optimally coordinate and standardize the Group-wide interaction of all sites. The project goal for the production plant in Bad Mergentheim was to transfer the adjusted structures to the new system landscape as of January 1, 2018.

SAP project from a single source

"We're talking about a rollout here, which means we're adapting the logic and definition of a template to all the other plants in the group. Everything has to be from a single source," says Roger Wiederkehr, SAP project manager at GIA Informatik AG in Oftringen. "We deployed the template live at two companies at the headquarters in Zofingen in September 2015 after around 18 months of intensive preparation. This formed the starting signal for the further rollouts we are working on - such as in Bad Mergentheim. With our project team, we are adapting one plant per year to the new structure."

What are the reasons for choosing GIA Informatik AG?

During the restructuring, GIA covered the SAP area, firstly because it has a lot of experience and good results as a Gold Partner of SAP - both in outsourcing and in application consulting and system implementation - and secondly because it is a subsidiary of the Muller Martini Group. Beat Tanner, ERP specialist at Muller Martini AG in Zofingen, who pulled the strings between the sites and GIA during the project: "GIA is the group's internal competence center for SAP. It has a great deal of knowledge, also has an overall understanding of the structures, and has a strong project team. Some long-standing team members started their professional careers at Muller Martini and therefore know the business and its characteristics particularly well."

The milestones

The project partners attended a workshop at the end of January 2017 to discuss the next steps. "In February and March, we developed the Delta functional concepts, and in April we carried out the implementation," Beat Tanner explains. The first migration took place in May and the second migration at the end of September. The go live took place on time for the planned date of January 1, 2018. Just one month later, aftercare was discontinued and the system went into normal operating mode.

Hurdle successfully overcome

As expertly as GIA handled the project, there were also individual difficulties to overcome. "The defined processes were to be followed and the organizational changes were to be made as planned, so that the standard would remain guaranteed," explains Roger Wiederkehr. "However, the system and process-related changes posed a major challenge for the on-site organization. With clarification work and a lot of understanding, we created a sensible solution."

Synchronized structures bring great advantages

By synchronizing the structures, the efficiency gain from this project is great. With the SAP migration - a cleanup back to a standard - many legacy issues were thrown off that had accumulated over some 20 years in the previous SAP system. "Now the Bad Mergentheim site can work with the new conditions, is fully integrated into the Group and can use its structures at any time," says Roger Wiederkehr. Thanks to these clean SAP processes and master data, the foundation has also been laid for the subsequent migration to SAP S/4HANA.

Tips to other companies

Do you run a large company or an SME, do you want to clean up your structures and also introduce or renew SAP? Roger Wiederkehr and Beat Tanner give you the following advice:

• Make sure that you have a clear overview and define the principles right at the beginning.
• Jump into the project with enough resources to make quick progress.
• Define a clear division of tasks and responsibilities.
• Consider and incorporate the interests and frameworks of all stakeholders.
• Communicate the milestones to everyone involved and work to meet them day by day.
• Track the processes before you implement the system.
• Define clear contact persons and maintain level-appropriate, open communication.
• To ensure that the project proceeds cleanly, make sure that the technical and planning understanding is at eye level at all stages.
• Create structures through regular meetings. Focus on regularity and routine.
• Perform integrative tests. If you do this comprehensively, you will avoid unnecessary work steps.

Future activities

The project in Bad Mergentheim was successfully completed and everything is running smoothly. But even after a new rollout, there is still a need for optimization at certain points; primarily from ideas from the business to increase efficiency. While Roger Wiederkehr supports this project with his team, Beat Tanner is responsible for ensuring that the improvements are meaningful and beneficial. The rollout is progressing: GIA will implement the SAP system at further Müller Martini sites.

Information: GIA Informatics

Implementation at Muller Martini: The Facts
Objectives:

• The existing Group SAP (GRPSAP) sets the framework and system boundaries.
• Transfer to existing GRPSAP with a "back to standard" premise.
• Adherence to the project budget (a mid-six figure amount).
• cutover without any negative impact on the delivery capability of Muller Martini Bad Mergentheim (MMBM) and subsequently also of the other sales organizations of the MM Group.
• Fast and flawless startup of MMBM in the new GRPSAP.
• Simplification of the authorization concept.
• Standardization of master data and its maintenance.
• Upon project acceptance, current system documentation in the form of tracked detailed concepts should be available from GIA.

Timing:

• Workshop: End of January 2017
• Delta professional concepts: February and March 2017
• Realization: April 2017
• Migration and integration test 1: May 2017
• Migration and integration test 2: End of September 2017
• Go Live: January 1, 2018
• Handover to regular operation: February 1, 2018

Effort:

• Personnel at GIA: seven different technical specialists
• Number of man hours for the project: in the low four-digit range

Achieved goals:

• The framework of the GRPSAP has been complied with.
• The target "back to standard" was achieved.
• The overall budget was adhered to. Overall, GIA even undercut the budget by around 20 percent.
• MMBM managed the cutover phase without any significant problems thanks to good planning and a manageable effort.
• GIA adapted the authorization concept to the GRPSAP standard.
• In its basic structure, MMBM now also works with the group-wide Mat/PPS set of rules. Supplementary/missing processes are implemented subsequently.
• GIA handed over the tracked IT and process documentation at the end of the project of the new sales organization.

Just a moment ago, I was working on a sentence, entering a formula in Excel, updating the database - suddenly the screen goes dark. Not only that, there's no more light, the phone line is dead, the radio is off, and not even the coffee machine makes a sound. Mail gone, spreadsheet gone, database entries gone. And from the IT room come the agonizing alarm sounds of the UPS - power failure. In Switzerland, unlike in many other countries, this is fortunately a rare occurrence. And yet, according to data from utilities, the power in our country is interrupted unplanned for an average of 15 minutes per year. An improperly shut down server can lose data. The loss of business-critical data can have drastic, even catastrophic, consequences for an SMB. One might not even think of a fire or a flood, because in such serious events the damage is far from being limited to the data. And yet - what do you do if the data that is so central to the company is lost and the IT landscape is destroyed?

Costs and reputational damage

In addition to the likelihood of these risks, which fortunately rarely occur, SMEs in general are faced with the question of whether operating their own infrastructure is still appropriate and cost-efficient today. Maintaining one's own IT environment is costly in every respect. In addition to the associated hardware, space must also be available for a server room - space that could actually be put to better use in most cases. Ideally, such a room is air-conditioned, protected against fires and water ingress, and protected against unauthorized access. In addition to the high investment, electricity and maintenance costs, a specialist is also needed in the company to ensure trouble-free and uninterrupted operation. Actually, at least two are needed - because one of them also wants to go on vacation. Today, hardly any company can function without IT. Just a few hours without running systems, applications and data can cost a fortune, not to mention damage to the company's reputation.

Highly secure data center

This is where services such as co-location, virtual data centers and virtual servers come into play. Co-location describes the accommodation of a server or an IT landscape in a highly secure data center, ideally in Switzerland. A Tier 3 data center guarantees maximum power availability, fire protection and access security. Co-location enables maximum scalability, service and support. Customers can rent dedicated rack space that is exactly the size they want and need. This can be a whole rack, half or a quarter. The space is used by the customer alone, so they don't have to share it with other companies, and they have 24/7 access to the data center and their rack. Unlike having their own server room or even data center, this way they only incur costs for the space that a company really needs.

Power availability of 99.999 percent

As already mentioned, data storage is ideally located in Switzerland, as this is the only way companies can enjoy the corresponding legal security. Other advantages of co-location are a fast connectivity connection, high-availability connections to the company site, the Internet and cloud providers; climate control, emergency power (redundant UPS and N+1 diesel generators), fire monitoring with extinguishing device and round-the-clock monitored and secured access via personalized badge. Each rack in the data center is connected to two completely separate power circuits. Overall, a monthly power availability of 99.999 percent is guaranteed, which corresponds to a maximum interruption of 26 seconds. Tier 3 data centers use redundant components and multiple active and passive supply paths. This makes the system fault-tolerant, and uninterrupted maintenance is also possible during operation.

No more physical infrastructure needed for mission-critical data

An SME can also operate a virtual data center (VDC) with virtual servers in a highly secure Tier 3 data center. This is a scalable, fully automated SDDC solution (Software Defined Data Center). The VDC can be integrated directly into a company's IT infrastructure and provides on-demand computing and storage for an SME's applications. The integrated solution eliminates the need to purchase, manage and maintain a physical infrastructure - this is known as an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solution. It can be deployed quickly and easily, is scalable and cost-effective. Ideally, a virtual data center is operated geo-redundantly in tier 3 data centers in Switzerland under the highest security precautions.

Advice and support

In most cases, the IT landscape in a company has grown organically over the years. There are dependencies that you may not even know about (anymore). Possibly different departments use data at the same time and there are applications that are already very outdated. A reputable managed service provider that offers co-location and virtual environments will also support its customers during the move or transition. The existing IT landscape is scrutinized, the inventory is taken, inventoried and a detailed plan is drawn up. The project is accompanied and, in the case of a (new) installation, the customer receives the necessary support from the experts.

Concentration on actual competencies

With co-location or virtual data centers, SMEs can be sure that their data and applications are in an extremely secure location that is monitored 24 hours a day. In addition, there is no need for the maintenance and space requirements that would be associated with a corresponding infrastructure of one's own. And this at significantly lower costs. At the same time, the company retains full control over its systems. Having your data and servers in a secure location frees up your mind for strategic decisions and allows you to concentrate on your core business competencies.

Author Information:
Thomas Knüsel is COO at Cyberlink AG. Cyberlink has been an independent Swiss Internet Service Provider (ISP) since 1995. In 2012, the focus on the provision of high-quality managed services for business customers followed and thus the change from ISP to MSP (Managed Service Provider). The portfolio includes solutions in the area of connectivity (internet access and site networking), managed security and data center. Cyberlink employs around 30 people in Zurich, who look after over 1500 business customers throughout Switzerland. These are mainly customers with high data volumes. In addition, only high-end devices are used, which can guarantee a high level of reliability, according to the company. One SME customer that already relies on a virtual datacenter from Cyberlink is eyeVIP AG, developer and operator of intuitive event management software. eyeVIP uses the geo-redundant Virtual Datacenter (VDC) Premium as well as the connection of the office via Business Internet. Here, too, the advantages of the scalable, fully automated SDDC solution (Software Defined Data Center) are used, which has been directly integrated into eyeVIP's IT infrastructure. Alina Klaus, Managing Director of eye- VIP AG, sees further advantages in the VDC solution: "The VDC could be built according to our wishes, the services are freely configurable by us and our customers as well as we benefit from the high availability. " Thanks to the Cyberlink business Internet connection in combination with the VDC, even performance-intensive functions, such as uploading photos after an event, would be fast and efficient, as the customer further confirms. Other companies using Cyberlink's services include BSI Business Systems Integration AG, Post CH AG, Tremegisto Consulting, invest.ch Services GmbH, mhs @ internet AG, Brust-Zentrum AG, Zubler & Partner AG and Halter AG.

www.cyberlink.ch

Switzerland ranks 8th in a study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network (an alliance of leading online job portals, of which JobCloud is a member) on the most popular destination countries for employees from abroad. Compared to the last edition of the study in 2014, this means a loss of three places for Switzerland. Switzerland has become less attractive, particularly for Russians, Chinese and US Americans, but also for Italians and Germans. Still the most popular destination for Germans in 2014, Switzerland is now behind the USA. The most popular countries overall are the USA, Germany and Canada. The UK is the big loser in the top 10 (from 2nd place in 2014 to 5th place in 2018). The reason for this may not least be the Brexit. The biggest leaps forward in the top 10 are made by Spain and Australia (Australia from 7th to 4th place, Spain from 8th to 6th place).

Swiss would prefer to go to the USA - or stay in Switzerland

The desire of employees in Switzerland to work abroad has decreased drastically: While 77% expressed the desire to work abroad in 2014, the figure was 60% in 2018. However, this figure is still above the international average of 58%. Young and well-educated people in particular can imagine working abroad (64% and 71%).

"The work-life balance and a good working relationship are of above-average importance to employees in Switzerland, according to the study," says Renato Profico, CEO of JobCloud (jobs.ch / jobup.ch), the leading company in the digital job market in Switzerland and "The Network" member. "Apparently, fewer and fewer want to put these factors at risk for a job abroad. A move abroad is also usually associated with establishing a new environment and a different working climate." Those who take the leap to work abroad do so primarily to broaden their personal horizons, gain work experience or experience a different culture. Very few people go abroad for a higher standard of living or a higher salary. However, these factors are particularly important for employees in other countries when deciding whether or not to take a job abroad.

Switzerland particularly popular in France, USA number 1 in Switzerland

Where do employees from Switzerland go? It is not the neighboring countries that are particularly popular, but the USA and Canada - followed by Germany as the only neighboring country, and then Australia, another overseas destination. The English-speaking world thus seems to be much more popular than countries where Swiss national languages are spoken.

Some of our neighbors, on the other hand, would move to Switzerland: Switzerland is particularly popular with employees from France, Bosnia, Serbia, Italy and Tunisia. For people with skills in IT, engineering, sales, digitization and management, the dream of a job in Switzerland can come true particularly quickly: Jobs in Switzerland in these areas are particularly difficult to fill - whether with candidates from Switzerland or abroad. Some 46% of the recruiters surveyed even say that it has become even more difficult to fill positions in these areas over the past three years. So it seems all the more important to have a functioning international labor market.

Source: Jobcloud

The Swiss economy is running solidly - and our SMEs are partly responsible for this. What they do every day for our economy and society deserves respect.

Once a year, we take the pulse of SMEs in the form of an online survey. In addition to questions about the current economic and entrepreneurial outlook, this year's survey also focuses on the topic of Working World 4.0. Does the Digitization really progresses for the organization of work? Are flexible working arrangements an advantage or a disadvantage? And how digitally positioned do you see your own company? Tell us in a short survey for the SME Monitor 2018, a special publication of the ORGANISATOR. The answers from this online survey are once again intended to provide a "flash light" on current and upcoming challenges facing SMEs.

So feel free to take a few minutes and answer our questions. Also spread the word about the survey in your network. The results will be compiled in the special publication "KMU-Monitor" mentioned above. The special publication will be published as a supplement to the October issue of ORGANISATOR and will also be distributed to participants at the Swiss SME Day on October 26, 2018.

>>> Click here for the survey.

Thank you very much for your participation.