The fact that the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) will come into force on May 25, 2018 and that preparations must be made in companies has been on everyone's lips for weeks. The most important points of the GDPR as well as the upcoming changes regarding data protection, which the regulation brings with it, should have been understood and registered by now. On the central concept of user consent, Ekaterina Tyurina from Tradelab in the following interview and recalls in which respects the EU GDPR has an impact on digital marketing and adtech.

What length of time do you recommend ad tech players conserve personal data collected on behalf of advertisers?

Ekaterina Tyurina: The law does not prescribe a period of time, but nevertheless enforces that the storage of personal data must be limited to a strict minimum, with respect to the data processing intentions defined by the company. In short, in fact, each company itself must take the responsibility to define and justify the period of data processing. I am in favor of an automatic data erasure routine. In our company, Tradelab, we limit data preservation to six months.

Are you afraid that many users do not want to disclose their personal data and thus do not give consent to data processing?

It's our job to be transparent and, accordingly, honest with users. We must give them the opportunity to choose the data they share. Ever heard of the term "sensitive data"? That's personal data that needs to be protected even more than others. This includes religious and political views, sexual orientation, or health. These characteristics can lead to social discrimination. The GDPR introduces such differentiation between sensitive data and personal data, which could be an opportunity to protect users' privacy without degrading the user experience. So, personally, I'm not afraid of opt-outs. I'm much more confident that a balance will be struck between users and advertisers.

Digital advertising without cookies or data processing: Is it possible?

Yes, it is possible. However, the quality of advertising and the level of personalization are much lower. An alternative that does not collect user IDs is the "DoubleClick for Publishers" initiative. In this case, however, the user is shown advertising that no longer has much to do with his personal interest. Conclusion: Without cookies, the user experience is damaged.

Is the GDPR useful or harmful for the digital world?

I definitely feel it is important. The digital area is regulated EU-wide, especially with regard to data protection, and you no longer have to think back and forth between different national regulations. The rules of the game for the digital sphere are now uniform and clear, and everyone has to make the best of it.

Do you have one last tip before the General Data Protection Regulation comes into force?

The most important thing as a digital advertising player is to be transparent with the user. Privacy must be respected, but I believe that many Internet users will give their consent to the processing of personal data if you are honest and explain to them what the data will be used for. It is also important to let them know that their consent can be revoked at any time. If you act transparently at this point, it may well lead to digital advertising acceptance on the part of the user.

In the face of digitization, more and more SMEs are throwing a lot of money at it: kick-off events with great speeches and presentations but no real content, innovation days with all the hoopla, visits to Silicon Valley ... The range of ideas on how SMEs want to successfully tackle digitization is wide. In the end, however, the same thing almost always happens: no one really makes any decisions for all the events and pleasant talk without a goal. Responsibility for digitizing the company continues to move from department to department, from executive to executive, like a misdirected package without a return slip. Or everyone is responsible for it and, as a consequence, no one is.

That's because SMEs often focus their well-intentioned digitization efforts on their executives, whose work, however, is traditionally designed for effectiveness. And in the end, the company is surprised when the digital plan goes awry.

I'm not saying that you as an SME should completely abandon the idea of digitization - absolutely not, you can't go that far. The only question is: Where do you really need to start?

With a new start

In my opinion, the great opportunity of digitization is not to make your management more effective. What digitization can do, on the other hand, is increase efficiency in your company. From this perspective, you can also see that management is the wrong place to start. Because efficient work is the domain of management.

Your managers are the ones who install processes, develop key figures, manage and control processes. Management is the Definition of planning, organizing and controlling a system. Always with the noble goal of efficiency. And yes, you can very well digitize this work.

Because managers work at system and maintain it. In a digital future, this activity can certainly be performed more quickly by a program or software - without lengthy meetings and with real transparency about figures, targets and so on, simply at the push of a button. That's why I think: Yes, you can digitize your managers - but not your executives.

The human being in leadership

Of course, numbers and processes also form the basis of managers' work, but they do not reflect the purpose of good management work. Managers work at system. That's why leadership in the digital age means more than ever taking a serious interest in people and working with them in a goal-oriented way.

At the threshold of digital transformation, executives have the task of creating the space for the new development. Only people can meet this challenge. No computer or robot can reliably assess which strengths your employees bring to the table, where they can optimally contribute them, or where further development is still necessary. No software can convince your team to implement changes or expand their skills.

That's why I don't want digital leadership for SMEs, and I certainly don't want CDOs and the like. Instead, I want highly human managers who lead their people through change in a goal-oriented manner. And then we can dispense with the managers and "digitalize" them away.

About the author: Antje Bach is the owner of the management consultancy lead to Performance AG.
"Welcome, dear problem!" - Antje Bach goes through life with this conviction. The author and coach likes to put her finger in the wound - hard, but equally honest and empathetic. She is convinced that every private or professional development begins with an obstacle. So it's all the nicer that people don't have to change. They are allowed to complement each other.

www.antjebach.de

Experts get company succession off to a flying startThe second stop on this unique tour will be in Zurich on Thursday, May 31, 2018. The succession bus will stop at the Kunsthaus, Heimplatz 1, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For one day, entrepreneurs and potential buyers will have the opportunity to obtain comprehensive information about business succession. The initiator of the "Succession Bus" is Carla Kaufmann, owner of Companymarket AG and succession expert.

How does a succession work? What do I have to prepare? What is the value of my company? How do I find a successor for my company? Am I a suitable successor? The 12 experts on the succession bus in Zurich are available to answer these and other "burning" questions for SME owners. This will take place in personal 1:1 conversations as well as at an information booth and at the concluding aperitif.

Short presentations and panel discussions with representatives from regional companies and politics provide current supplementary impulses.

Program successor bus Zurich 

Location: Kunsthaus Zurich, Heimplatz 1

10.00 - 16.00: free one-on-one meetings with succession experts for entrepreneurs (sellers and buyers)

2:00 p.m.: Greeting from Cantonal Government Councillor Carmen Walker Späh

14.15 h: Panel: Company succession in the family. 5 questions from succession expert Richard Jauch (KMU Diamant AG) to: Natalie Spross Döbeli (CEO Spross Holding AG) and Franziska Müller Tiberini (Owner Family business.ch AG)

from 15.00: Table fair: Experts are available to talk and answer questions:

• Financing: How do I value my company? What is the relationship between business valuation and real estate? ...
• Family business: How do I avoid conflicts in the family during succession? - What does a "fair" distribution in the family mean? ...
• Selling a company:Is every company for sale? - How does a sales process work? - Do I need help? - Who can accompany me? ...
• Buying a company:How to "mutate" from a manager to a successor? - How to professionally search for companies to buy? ...

17.00: Speeches: Company succession - the deindustrialization of Switzerland due to unresolved successions

• Reto Rüttimann - Head of SME Corporate Succession, Zürcher Kantonalbank
• Hans-Ulrich Bigler - President of the Swiss Trade Association and National Councillor

5:30 p.m: Panel: Company succession in practice - wishful thinking and reality with Reto Rüttimann, Hans-Ulrich Bigler, Yves Süess (Partner Businesstransaction AG), Hans-Peter Ruepp (Owner Ruepp & Partner AG), Dr. Jean-Luc Cornaz (Owner Citecs AG)

from 18.30: Apéro

More information and tour dates: www.nachfolgebus.ch

Peter Merz, you are currently training to become a transformation coach at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). Why?

Peter Merz: Everyone is talking about digitization. But how do companies manage the digital transformation? A group of Swiss Microsoft partners has tackled this question. Together with the FHNW, the initiators developed a methodology that enables SMEs to develop their own digital strategy. The participating IT solution partners therefore launched the cooperation "dig:it now" (www.digitnow.ch).

What exactly is this cooperation about?

With a simple methodology, we give our existing and potential customers the confidence to start the necessary digitization of their processes. On a personal level, I would like to contribute my many years of experience in management positions in companies. In addition, I started my professional career in consulting.

What do you mean specifically by supporting digitization processes?

In fact, the first step is to look at an organization as holistically as possible. The procedure supports the definition of focal points so that we can proceed in a targeted manner. As soon as these goals have been defined, implementation begins. IT plays an important role in this, although it is only ever a means to an end.

What are the primary topics covered?

The methodology provides for the creation of a digital roadmap for companies in three phases. At the first one-day workshop, we therefore pursue two goals:

• First, raising awareness and inspiring a company's cadre to open up to digital opportunities.
• Secondly, a maturity and motivation analysis of the company. This analysis includes the entire organization: marketing, sales, production, finance, IT and other areas.

From this, we derive focus areas. These are then explored in greater depth in a second workshop, which lasts two to five days. In this workshop, we develop the plan of action for the digital transformation.

• Thirdly, it is about the actual transformation, i.e. the concrete implementation of the roadmap.

What benefits does the training bring to your customers?

Digitalization means a change in processes. As an IT service provider in the areas of SAP/ERP and product development (PDM/PLM), we have always worked together with our customers to optimize processes. By training as a Transformation Coach, I hope that we will be able to identify new focus topics in a scientifically sound manner that will create added value for customers.

Will you now conduct workshops for customers and advise them?

That is the intention. We are holding four free impulse workshops in Oftringen this year, open to customers and other interested parties: on June 6, August 22, September 26 and November 14. During two hours, participants will learn what the driving forces of change are, which methods are applied and how they enable barriers to be overcome. Registration is done through the website www.gia.ch/events.

What further steps is GIA planning in connection with digital transformation and "dig:it now"?

We make our contribution to the expansion of the "dig:it now" network. In particular, this includes recognizing our own opportunities. As already mentioned, digitization projects encompass far more than just IT. GIA will by no means cover everything. However, a wide range of competencies are available in the network. We will use these in a targeted manner and offer our customers the best possible service.

More information: www.digitnow.ch, www.gia.ch

In 2018, Great Place to Work recognized the best employers in Switzerland for the 10th time. The ranking is based on a study with comprehensive employee surveys and culture analyses. These two tools form the basis for measuring and continuously improving workplace culture. The ranking is divided into small, medium and large organizations, as well as a category for the healthcare and social services sector.

Ranking "Best Employers in Switzerland 2018″ - Top 3 per category

Large companies (250+ employees)

1. 1st place: Cisco Systems (Switzerland) GmbH, Wallisellen
2. Place: IKEA AG, Spreitenbach
3. 1st place: McDonald's Suisse, Crissier

Medium-sized companies (50-249 employees)

1. Place: UMB AG, Volketswil
2. Place: AWK Group AG, Zurich
3. 1st place: Scout24 Schweiz AG, Flamatt

Small companies (20-49 employees)

1. Place: Rackspace International GmbH, Zurich
2. Place: Mundipharma Medical Company, Basel
3. Place: SAS Institute AG, Wallisellen

Health and social services

1. Place: mediX Group Practice, Zurich
2. Place: Swiss Mountain Aid, Adliswil
3. 1st place: Rehaklinik Dussnang AG, Dussnang

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary, multiple award-winning organizations were also honored. Not expected by everyone and impressive: McDonald's Suisse has faced the comparison with the best employers the most times and was awarded 9 times.

XING Switzerland also awarded a special prize on the topic of "Employability". This went to SAP (Switzerland) AG. Employability stands for concepts and activities that are designed to ensure the long-term employability of employees (for example, further training, flexible working hours, home office, and health promotion measures). The award criterion is the cultural analysis by Great Place to Work and further interviews by XING.

Compensation forms the basis - sense and trust make the difference

The results of the Great Place to Work 2018 study show what the foundations of a good workplace culture are: Credibility, respect and appreciation, fairness (including compensation) and team spirit. Also very important are pride in the job and the company. When it comes to the perception of an appropriate salary, there are large differences between the companies (79% positive perception at excellent vs. 38% at non-awarded organizations). What is striking here is that perceived fairness and perspective are more important than the absolute wage level. Here, even companies without high wages often achieve a better perception than industries with high, but unfairly perceived wages.

However, more is needed to awaken creativity, to be able to react quickly to changes, and to inspire employees to make a special commitment. The importance of a sense of purpose and trust in the company are often underestimated. Yet it is precisely these points that prove to be decisive for a special commitment on the part of employees. It is important to integrate employees in decision-making and to assume social responsibility together. Today, it is more important for employees to make a valuable contribution to society.

According to Michael Hermann, CEO of Great Place to Work in Switzerland, "Employees will only be particularly committed to their work if they see a purpose in it and have confidence that their efforts will be appreciated and not abused."

Award-winning companies offer sustainable employee satisfaction

The other study results show considerable differences between award-winning organizations and the rest. For example, approval of the promotion of work-life balance is significantly higher in award-winning organizations at 77% than in non-award-winning ones at only 44%. The best employers also manage to meet expectations of the company. After more than two years of service, satisfaction remains fairly stable at 81%, while non-award-winning employers are disappointing more and more employees (approval drops to 65%). With a good workplace culture, employees and managers also succeed in pulling together and experiencing their environment in a similarly positive way (with values for both groups above 80%). It is important for this that employees can contribute ideas and opinions without worrying about making mistakes. In non-award winning organizations, this often shows two groups working against each other with large differences in satisfaction (63% for employees vs. 82% for managers).

Matthias Keller from UMB AG confirms that a good workplace culture is essential for companies. "As an excellent employer, we find it easier to attract talent and inspire our team. This leads to the best possible service for our customers."

More information and rankings: www.greatplacetowork.ch/beste-arbeitgeber/schweiz/2018/

If positions remain unfilled for a longer period of time, the strain on other employees increases. First and foremost, employee morale suffers (25 %). In addition, a limitation of business growth (23 %) and productivity losses (20 %) are among the strongest consequences of long-term unfilled jobs. This was reported by 200 Swiss HR managers surveyed as part of the latest labor market study by personnel services provider Robert Half. "On the one hand, companies are having difficulty filling open positions quickly due to the shortage of skilled workers. In the meantime, tasks are being distributed among existing employees," says Sven Hennige, Senior Managing Director at Robert Half.

Worst case: dismissals of overworked employees

"Redistributing work may allow operations to continue seamlessly for a period of time, but managers often underestimate the strain it places on employees. Just a few weeks of extra work can result in frustration and overwhelm. In the worst-case scenario, there are resignations if the work-life balance becomes too imbalanced," explains Hennige. How the study "Secrets of the Happiest Companies and Employees" by Robert Half in 2017, a poor work-life balance is one of the strongest drivers when an employee decides to quit. Only a lack of team cohesion, the feeling of having to pretend at work, and a lack of pride in one's own work have a more negative effect.

Declining morale

The following table shows the consequences that longer unfilled positions can have on the working atmosphere and the economic situation of a company:

Source: Robert Half, Labor Market Study 2017, Respondents: 200 HR managers in Switzerland

Avoid permanent stress

To prevent a position from remaining unfilled in the long term, HR managers should analyze the so-called time-to-hire, i.e. the duration from the advertisement to the filling of a position. If the recruiting process regularly takes longer than planned, there is a need for action.

The reasons for a long time-to-hire are manifold: cumbersome recruiting processes, a lack of willingness to make decisions in the companies or too high demands on the candidates can be responsible. Sven Hennige recommends: "A significant change or shortening of the recruiting process can usually not be realized so quickly. Managers should involve the team, openly address the personnel bottleneck and try to find consensual solutions. Temporary employees can also help bridge the time until the open position is filled again."

Source: Robert Half 

The approximately 200-page book entitled "Reinventing Business. The St.Gallen Concept Practically Implemented" consists of a reading section and a work section. The two book covers contain fold-out cheat sheets to help the reader think. Working papers on deciding the question "Reinvent or optimize?" are available for download online.

Special attention is paid to the construction plan for a management house. The idea for this came about when the author, Dr. Christian Abegglen, heard about the dynamic space concept: erect an office building quickly, expand it at any time, downsize it, move it to another location or even return it. Nine room modules represent topics such as constitution, organization, understanding of leadership, processes and actions. Silos that cause stagnation are a thing of the past. Everything meshes smoothly here - like the gears of a Fidget Spinner with nine gears.

Having reached the end of the book, the reader has made decisions and worked out answers for himself about the development of his company or business unit. "The St. Gallen School is now definitely suitable for everyday use," says the publisher. The author reasons, "A lot has been written about it, what was missing was a book that gives readers a powerful result at the end." That's why he helps his readers identify goals from three perspectives (space, time, people) to get there. The book is aimed at executives who want to shape corporate strategy actively, rather than reactively. Suitable for companies of all sizes.

Information:
Company Reinvent
The thinking and working book against organized standstill
The St. Gallen concept put into practice
204 pages + digital working papers
ISBN: 978-3-96251-005-3
Publisher Frankfurter Allgemeine

"Internet users today are used to the customer experience of big brands. That's why their expectation of the customer experience online is now very different from what it was just a few years ago," said Jennie Hagen in her presentation at SOM on April 18 and 19 in Zurich. By constantly developing and using the customer data they collect, the Internet giants are able to predict customer needs more and more accurately. Keeping pace here is a key task for digital marketers, she said. According to Jennie Hagen, help is offered above all by the actual harnessing of various data sources, which in reality are often collected but rarely used to target and refine campaigns. But it is only through the use of correct data that machine learning and automation become truly relevant and create more efficiency and relevance for users, for example through personalized addresses.

Despite Machine Learning: Expert Knowledge Still Necessary

But even if the use of data and machine learning increases the degree of automation, this does not mean that the expertise of experts is no longer needed, emphasizes Jennie Hagen. This awareness is also widespread in the industry: In fact, "just nine percent of campaign managers were worried about their professional future." Especially in the analysis of data and the resulting consulting, specialists continue to be indispensable. In the future, they should broaden their expert knowledge in order to be prepared for closer collaboration with data scientists, for example, recommends Hagen.

From metapeople to Artefact

SOM is the trade fair for eBusiness, online marketing and direct marketing, which took place for the tenth time this year. Jennie Hagen is Head of Paid Media at the international digital performance agency Artefact. Until the beginning of the year, the agency operated under the name metapeople and was part of the Netbooster Group, which merged with the French digital agency Artefact in 2017.

Source: www.artefact.com

The ICT and online industries are moving ever closer together, and value chains and business models are overlapping. This convergence should also be reflected in the representation of interests in politics and business as well as in the services for companies in the industry. Against this background, the management bodies of the two relevant ICT and digital industry associations have decided to merge their activities: The boards of Simsa and Swico have signed a merger agreement, which is to be ratified by the members at extraordinary general meetings on June 18, 2018.

Synergies used for a long time

Simsa and Swico have been in close contact for several years, coordinate their political positions and exploit synergies in their range of services. In an assessment of the situation, the two boards came to the conclusion that a unified and powerful presence for the Internet and digital economy is becoming increasingly important. For this reason, the forces are to be bundled under one roof. The goal is to achieve greater member benefit as well as stronger influence in politics and business. Both organizations are financially well positioned, so synergies on the cost side are not a priority.

The name Simsa disappears

The new organization, legally still constituted as an association, will operate under the name Swico. It will take over and continue all activities of Simsa and Swico. On the Simsa side, the Code of Conduct Hosting and the Collaboration Framework in particular will be integrated, as well as the training courses such as the federally certified Web Project Manager. Swico will contribute, among other things, its comprehensive issue management, its start-up program and the industry solution for occupational health and safety.

A new specialist committee is to be created for the hosting sector under the leadership of Hostpoint CEO Claudius Röllin and one for the web agencies under the leadership of Imre Sinka, CEO of Dotpulse. Both expert committees will work on projects and issues of these two member segments independently and with their own budgets within the framework of Swico, as well as develop their own activities, as other Swico expert committees are already doing, according to the statement. The new Swico board will include the current president of Simsa, Andrej Vckovski, CEO of Netcetera, and another person from the web agency sector.

A strong voice for the ICT and online industry

With this step, Swico is becoming even more of a business association for the Swiss ICT and online industry. The boundaries between providers and users, as well as those between the ICT and creative industries, will continue to merge - bringing the various parties even closer together. For Andrej Vckovski, President of Simsa, it is clear: "With the planned merger, we are strengthening the industry quite decisively and ensuring that the online industry can participate more intensively in the political opinion-forming process and gain even more political weight." Says Swico President Andreas Knöpfli: "Today, the two associations have high-quality and complementary offerings. With the planned merger, all members will benefit from a broader range of cost-effective services."

Provided the approximately 100 Simsa and the 500 Swico members ratify the merger on June 18, the merger will be formally completed on June 30, 2018. Growing together on a day-to-day basis is expected to take until the end of 2018. The boards of Simsa and Swico are convinced that this merger will be an important step towards a more compact association landscape in the ICT and online sector and will thus equip the industry well for the future.

More information: www.swico.ch

How can you recognize really good leaders today in everyday working life and what does that have to do with security? Challenging leadership needs presence & essence at all levels of management (Presence Leadership!®). Only non-ordinary challenges and difficulties allow us to really grow in leadership.

Examples from more than 20 years of professional experience of the author Anton Dörig - he has been active for more than 20 years in a wide variety of industries and areas of private and public security at regional, national and international level in leading positions - in the environment of security, emergency and crisis management are combined with unconventional suggestions from everyday life. This stimulates to question one's own behavior. Focused, sometimes provocative and to the point, this results in a change of perspective for all those who really want to be good leaders and are looking for new inspiration.

The book is published in Springer Gabler Publishing House and is already available online as an eBook. The hardbook will be available in a few days.

Chief matter Presence Leadership. From Anton Dörig.
1st ed. 2018, XVIII, 197 p., Springer Gabler Verlag, eBook: ISBN 978-3-658-20465-5; Hardcover + eBook: ISBN 978-3-658-20464-8.

After the summer vacations, thousands of school leavers will once again start their basic vocational training. Not all training companies have yet been able to successfully fill their apprenticeship positions. Apprenticeships are having a particularly hard time in sectors where there is still a lot of demand for skilled trades. In the current print edition of ORGANISATOR, we report on "popular" and "less popular" apprenticeships and on measures that industry associations use to promote careers in the skilled trades and crafts.

Campaign for apprenticeships in the dairy industry

The Swiss dairy industry is also struggling to recruit young professionals. Over the past two years, it has therefore significantly stepped up its efforts to recruit young people for the professions of dairy technologist and dairy trainee. Not only is the entire image with logo, website, social media and career fairs new. Increasingly, the products are also being used as advertising media for the profession. After Schwyzer Milchhuus and Migros had already equipped 100,000 milk bottles with junior advertising in November 2016, Switzerland's largest milk processor Emmi equipped its milk packaging with advertising space for the profession of milk technologist in the fall of 2017. 1.8 million packages thus went on sale, motivating people to "Mix nature with technology and a little magic." The advertising referred to an online competition: anyone who answered a few questions here could, with a bit of luck, win a Swiss cheese knife from Victorinox.

Picking up" young people in their everyday lives

The idea behind the campaign is that "the most important career decisions are made by young people in their personal environment, as a career choice study of 1,000 people has shown," explains Hans Aschwanden, president of the Swiss Dairy Association, which manages the promotion of young talent in the dairy industry for 500 cheese dairies and 20 industrial companies. "When parents and young people learn about the profession of dairy technologist through the products, they make the connection to the pleasure they often experience every day - whether they consume milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, milkshake or caffè latte."

The campaign seemed to have an effect: According to the association, eight percent more new apprentices were registered after a short time. But President Hans Aschwanden is aware that it will take a long time to have a lasting effect. "We have set the ambitious target of 500 apprentices. However, we are aware that demographic developments run counter to this. More and more industries are having to accept a loss of 20% to 40% fewer learners, even though more and more money is being invested in recruiting young talent. We are therefore all the more pleased that in the dairy industry the combined efforts of the cheese dairies and the industry are beginning to bear fruit and we are seeing an upward trend."

Digitization also affects dairy apprenticeships

And you can certainly go far as a trained dairy technologist. Isidor Lauber, for example. The site manager at Emmi Ostermundigen started at Emmi 30 years ago as a dairy foreman and has managed the Ostermundigen site with 600 employees and 35 apprentices since 2003. And just recently, 24 young talents from the cantons of St. Gallen, Zurich, Thurgau, Schaffhausen, Appenzell-Ausserrhoden and Graubünden proved at the third Eastern Switzerland Professional Championship for Dairy Technologists at the BZWU in Flawil that they can produce enjoyment from milk. For the first time, two female apprentices made it to the winning positions. They show that in cheese dairies and dairy industry companies, women perform just as well as their male colleagues. Thanks to increasing digitalization, physical strength is becoming less important than motivation, precise work and knowledge of microbiology and chemistry.

More information: www.milchtechnologe.ch

The requirements of large companies and SMEs regarding a modern and mobile workplace are increasing: More and more employees are working on the road or remotely in their home offices. Applications and data must be secure and easily accessible worldwide. That is why the Cloud-Specialist GIA Informatik AG from Oftringen has set up its own Citrix Cloud in its data centers in Switzerland. With Citrix Netscaler as a load balancer, it ensures the high availability of the infrastructure.

Graphics-supported desktop for CAD applications

Companies can use standardized desktops. Or they strive for a virtual desktop solution (VDI), in which each user receives a dedicated, virtual workstation. Graphics-supported desktops for CAD applications are special here, with data enabled by graphics cards with Nvidia Grid technology: In the conventional form, the graphics power is located directly in the client - but this requires relatively expensive workstations. Citrix now also offers this power in a shared environment, where the graphics-intensive applications run.

Interesting billing model

SMEs interested in Citrix should first consider whether expanding their IT infrastructure is their core competence. If this is not the case, it is advisable to look for a partner who offers flexible IT services and modular billing models with a price per month and user. The services can be scaled up or down at any time.

• Another advantage is GIA's membership in the "Qualified Multitenant Hoster Program": Those who already have laptops and pay for Office and Windows licenses for them do not have to pay for them a second time - for the VDI machines.
• Citrix also extends the usage time of the existing hardware. A three- to four-year-old, slow laptop no longer has an impact on performance, since the server is responsible for this.
• In addition, there are two USB sticks, the "Hedgehog Thin Stick" and the "UD Pocket Stick", which companies can plug into any device, start the Citrix applications, and they are already on their company desktop. Since the performance comes from the stick or the Citrix environment, it is independent of the available hardware.

Easy switch to the Citrix Cloud

What is the process for an SMB to move to the Citrix Cloud? There are usually two approaches to the requirements:

1. Employees should be able to work on a mobile basis.
2. There are special applications that the company wants to install on the devices only for certain employees.

To satisfy the need, GIA's four-person Citrix team establishes a VPN connection to the customer and requires access to its identity management - usually AD services (Windows). The remaining tasks run in a standardized manner:

• Terminal servers (virtual machines) are installed in the customer environment.
• Access to the infrastructure, login and ensuring availability are already in place.
• After that, GIA's cloud specialists define the groups of users.
• Two-factor authentication is recommended for these.
• Finally, they log in to the cloud and work with their desktop as usual.

Author: Andreas Siegrist is Lead ICT Architect and Leader of the Solution Architecture Team at GIA Informatik AG. His activities range from strategic IT planning to innovation management, project management and presales. www.gia.ch