International SOS, a leading provider of safety and health services, has just released its annual interactive Risk Map 2023. This helps companies and their mobile workers gain a better overview of the level of risk in each country around the world. With the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and the security conflict in Ukraine, the risk map provides valuable information that enables organizations to identify and understand the specific impact of these risks on their employees. As global risks continue to evolve around the world, the use of data-driven tools such as the risk map can help organizations and companies meet their duty of care in these often uncertain times.

Mental illness as a risk

In addition to the medical and safety risk levels, the map now offers a further category representing mental illnesses worldwide. This is based on external data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Global Burden of Disease. The new risk layer shows the estimated percentage of a given country's population suffering from mental illness. This allows organizations, particularly large multinationals, to understand which locations may be vulnerable to the onset of mental illness. The data shows the extent of the epidemic increase in mental illness that employees are facing and employers are having to absorb. It is estimated that approximately 14 percent (1 in 7) of people worldwide currently suffer from one or more mental health or substance use disorders.

Dr. Stefan Esser, Medical Director Central Europe at International SOS comments, "Due to the growing increase in travel and health risks in many regions, it is important that companies also focus on mitigating the ongoing impact of mental health issues. Although other acute medical issues regularly arise that can also have a significant impact, mental health issues remain in the background and should not be overlooked." The details provided by the risk map could now help decision-makers better protect employees: "Responsible parties can see at a glance at which locations access to medical care is more difficult or which locations are particularly vulnerable to the occurrence of mental health problems," says Stefan Esser.

World risk map shows changing security situations

In various countries, the risk level has changed compared to the previous year. For example, the Caribbean islands have improved significantly in terms of medical risk, mainly due to the relaxation of COVID-related travel restrictions. In contrast, the medical risk for Mali was raised to "Very High" due to the complex security environment in Mali. This has led to a challenging humanitarian situation and is weakening health systems in the face of increasing demand. The risk map also provides a better understanding of the overall security situation in the countries through which employees may be traveling or working. This in turn helps companies develop tailored solutions to mitigate the specific risks their employees may face.

In various regions of the world, the security situation has changed compared with previous years. In Africa, for example, there has been an increase in risk ratings, particularly in the Sahel, where areas of extreme security risk have expanded due to increased militancy. This trend is also evident in Mozambique and other parts of Africa. Or in Latin America, where a rise in crime, due in part to the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to an increase in high-risk areas in Colombia.

Security: Ukraine crisis changes the security situation in Europe

The biggest security crisis of the past year was undoubtedly the conflict in Ukraine. This is reflected in the security layer of the map, as parts of Ukraine are now marked with an "extreme" security risk. Gautier Porot, Head of Crisis management Practice EMEA at International SOS comments, "The security crisis in Ukraine has affected the country and neighboring regions in many ways. International SOS has worked with a wide range of organizations and companies during this difficult time, providing support on all security, health and travel matters. Our support has been provided in two ways: on the one hand, at a strategic level, with the aim of directly advising the crisis cells of the companies so that they understand the current situation, the possible evolution of the situation and the immediate measures to be taken in order to preserve their freedom of action. Secondly, at the operational and tactical level, by means of evacuations for large multinational companies around the world, including Swiss companies. In this regard, where necessary, we have assisted some of their employees, i.e. international employees and Ukrainians without military obligations, to leave Ukraine." In addition, International SOS has assisted companies that have remained in Ukraine with on-the-ground assistance as well as timely information, about the risks that may affect them. This is proving particularly important for non-governmental organizations, for the media and for service companies, where many Ukrainian employees want to return home to visit relatives. "We are monitoring the current situation in detail and continue to keep our clients informed of the state of the conflict, taking care to provide them with an objective assessment of the facts, including their short, medium and long-term implications. It is critical to consider this conflict extremely carefully, as insidious and (slow) emerging crises could have systemic implications for the entire region and beyond (e.g., energy crisis, food crisis). To prepare for future crises, it is essential to go through future scenarios and possible solutions to problems. This makes it possible to limit the impact of the crisis - in terms of the company's resilience. Detecting weak signals is one of the most important success factors here," adds Porot.

Despite the far-reaching impact of the Ukraine conflict and an observed rise in social unrest associated with increased costs of living, the fundamental security risk environment in Europe has not changed.

Overall, employees are increasingly mindful of risks, and are more concerned about travel than they were before the pandemic. Therefore, companies should consider changes in risk assessment and trends in their planning. They should ensure that employees have access to reliable information about the risks they may face, support them with effective risk mitigation measures, and create clear communication plans for employees before and during higher-risk travel.

Source: International SOS. Go to the interactive map here.

The new CEO of Huawei Technologies Switzerland is Michael Yang. For this new role, he is moving from Germany to Switzerland: Michael Yang was previously Chief Representative of Huawei's capital office in Berlin and was responsible for government relations, communications, and activities such as the Huawei Cyber Security Innovation Lab in Bonn and the Huawei Digital Competence Center in Saarbrücken.

According to the provider of information technology and telecommunications solutions, Michael Yang has already gained experience in the management of Huawei national companies in the Netherlands and in West Africa. In his more than 14-year career at Huawei, he has already held many other management positions; among other things, he looked after the major customer Deutsche Telekom for more than 4 years as General Manager. After graduating from Beijing Foreign Studies University, he started as an account service manager at Motorola.

Michael Yang is eager to take on his new role, adding: "Huawei has been firmly anchored in Switzerland for almost 15 years and maintains excellent relationships with renowned customers and loyal partners in our various business sectors. I am very confident that we can contribute even more to Switzerland's digitalization, innovation, and sustainability with our existing solutions and many new smart technologies. This makes Huawei not only an investor, but also a partner that enables innovation, protects the environment and saves energy, and contributes to many households, businesses, institutions, and organizations in a wide range of sectors in Switzerland," the designated CEO is quoted as saying.

Huawei has had its Swiss headquarters in Liebefeld (Bern) since 2008 and has maintained additional offices in Dübendorf, Oerlikon (Zurich), and Lausanne since 2012. Currently, Huawei Switzerland has over 400 employees from more than 30 different nations. Huawei works with all major Swiss telecommunications providers and is also active in the enterprise and consumer sectors.

Source: Huawei

Small and micro retailers across Europe are responding to the difficult business environment with energy-saving measures, reductions in margins, price increases and cuts in their own wages. Even though many fear a drop in sales for the Christmas season, 83% in Switzerland rule out temporary or permanent store closures. This is because for more than a third of the SumUp retailers surveyed, rising energy prices and material costs are having the greatest negative impact on business performance. In Switzerland, energy costs (39 percent) are causing retailers slightly more headaches than rising material costs (30 percent). Added to this is the change in customer shopping behavior: 36% of retailers feel that customers in Switzerland are shopping less often and spending less in the process. These developments are also observed in the UK, France, Italy and Germany.

Swiss traders most positive

Christmas is the peak sales period for many companies. In Switzerland, retailers are rather confident about the seasonal business: one in six retailers (12%) expect more sales than in 2021. Among our neighbors and in the UK, these figures are significantly lower at 5 to 9 percent. In addition, around half of the small and micro retailers in these countries expect sales to decline. A third of the Swiss SumUp retailers do not feel any increase in stress levels - the situation in Italy, on the other hand, is quite different: there, 80% of the survey participants perceived the current situation as stressful. To reduce stress, European retailers rely heavily on yoga or meditation (approx. 20%) and spend more time with family and friends (approx. 20%). Professional support in the form of psychological help is sought most frequently by the British (9.5%) and least frequently by the Germans (2.8%). Switzerland is in line with the European average with 7%.

How retailers in Switzerland and Europe are dealing with the challenges

In Switzerland, 47 percent of respondents want to continue reducing energy consumption. The situation is similar in Germany (47%) and also in Italy (39%), while in the UK (31%) and France (29%) energy saving is less of a focus. Across Europe, Swiss companies are most likely to cut costs in their own wages as well: 28% cite this as a savings option. This willingness is also strong in France (24%) and the UK (26%), but somewhat lower in Germany (18%) and Italy (15%). In addition, just under a third of all retailers across Europe feel compelled to reduce their margins - in Switzerland, the figure is clearly lower at 21%. However, small and micro retailers in Europe will also have to pass on prices to their customers: on average, two-fifths of those surveyed plan to increase prices, and in Germany even more than half (52%).

Source: Sumup

If Switzerland and Liechtenstein want to achieve their net-zero climate targets, additional alternative energy sources are needed. Also in view of a possible energy crisis, the importance of domestic and renewable energy sources is increasing. Wind energy is still little used in Switzerland. The Swiss Climate Foundation is therefore giving wind power technologies a boost and supporting two local SMEs in the realization of innovative wind energy projects.

Wind energy from your own roof and in the high alpine region

In this sense, the foundation promotes the Locksmith Nägelin from Kaiseraugst in the development of vertical turbines for local electricity production. The 1×1 meter turbine is intended to supply renewable electricity virtually silently on private house roofs or along highways, for example, even at low wind speeds. Urs Giger, an engineer and mechanical engineer from Uri, is also receiving new funding from the foundation. His company is developing what is currently probably a unique concept for wind turbines in the high alpine region. The technically sophisticated "wind bridge", which is tailored to the Alpine region, connects five wind turbines in a joint construction and is expected to harvest up to five times more wind than conventional individual turbines.

"Wind power plays an essential role in the energy transition," says Daniel Wild, member of the Board of Trustees of the Swiss Climate Foundation and Chief Sustainability Officer at Bank J. Safra Sarasin. Wind power technologies are particularly important in winter: "Wind power can bridge potential electricity gaps in winter when photovoltaics and hydropower supply less energy. New technologies and bold ideas in the field of wind power are therefore urgently needed. With our funding, we are helping to strengthen such technologies."

1.1 million for ten innovative SMEs

The Swiss Climate Foundation has awarded a total of 1.1 million Swiss francs in its current funding round. Ten climate innovations are now receiving funding from the foundation. These include the online platform useagain.chwhich focuses on the circular economy in the construction industry. The platform acts as a marketplace and process support for the reuse of building components and thus aims to reduce the waste of resources in the construction and real estate industry.

The commitment of the Swiss Climate Foundation is made possible not least thanks to partnerships with large companies: A total of 30 service providers from Switzerland and Liechtenstein have supported the initiative to date and donate the funds from the redistribution of their CO₂-Levy. In October, the Basler Kantonalbank (BKB) and the Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank (BLKB) joined the foundation as partner companies. And even earlier, the foundation was able to an increase in partners record. Ennio Perna, Head of Sustainability at BKB, was newly elected to the Foundation Board.

More information: Climate Foundation Switzerland

Recruiting new staff for companies is increasingly becoming a major challenge. There is a shortage of skilled workers across all industries. In particular, positions for healthcare specialists, IT specialists and engineering specialists are currently very difficult to fill. This is shown by the Shortage of Skilled Workers Index of the Adecco Group Switzerland and the Job Market Monitor Switzerland of the University of Zurich.

Corona pandemic: a curse and a blessing for the Swiss labor market

The Corona pandemic has had a noticeable impact on the Swiss labor market over the past two years. The outbreak of the pandemic and the accompanying measures severely slowed down large parts of the economy in 2020 and 2021. Despite the introduction of broad-based economic support measures, as well as the expansion and simplification of short-time work compensation, the effects on the labor market were clearly felt. Unemployment figures shot up. At the same time, companies were looking for noticeably fewer staff, as can be seen from the decline in the Job Index. These two opposing effects resulted in the demand for skilled workers reaching a low in 2021.

It was not until access to vaccination and the gradual abolition of the measures that the need for consumption increased by leaps and bounds, both nationally and internationally. The strong economic upswing drove the number of job postings to new record levels at a rapid pace. Companies in all sectors needed significantly more staff in one fell swoop to meet the increased demand. The increased demand for personnel, in turn, caused unemployment figures to fall dramatically. While SECO still counted 120,294 unemployed in September 2021, this figure fell to 89,526 in September 2022. Even groups of the unemployed that usually have a longer placement period, such as 50-64 year-olds (-25.6%) and the long-term unemployed (-47%), benefited from the companies' thirst for personnel.

Record values wherever you look

Despite these findings, the sharp increase in the shortage of skilled workers is causing consternation among labor market experts: The Skilled Worker Shortage Index reaches a record 155 points this year; a value that has never been recorded before. Compared to 2021, the current index is a full 68% higher. Moreover, it exceeds the value of the pre-crisis year 2019 by 21%.

A look at the language regions shows that both German-speaking and Latin-speaking Switzerland achieved record levels, with the demand for skilled workers in German-speaking Switzerland (+77%) increasing significantly more than in Latin-speaking Switzerland (+48%). The difference in growth between the language regions is mainly due to the fact that German-speaking Switzerland suffered a significantly greater slump in demand for skilled workers at the beginning of the pandemic than Latin Switzerland. Thus, the labor market in German-speaking Switzerland had a significantly greater catch-up potential, which is now reflected in a stronger upswing.

"The Corona pandemic was a roller coaster ride for the Swiss labor market. While the demand for skilled labor initially reached an all-time low last year, it skyrocketed all the more rapidly to unprecedented levels this year. The retirement of the baby boomers and the discussion about re- and near-shoring of production activities due to global uncertainties are likely to cause the demand for qualified specialists to rise further. That's why companies are increasingly choosing their employees not the other way around," says Marcel Keller, Country Head Adecco Switzerland.

Greatest shortage of personnel among specialists in health care professions

Specialists in health care professions (e.g., medical specialists, specialized nursing staff and pharmacists) occupy first place in the shortage of skilled workers ranking. There was already a significant shortage of specialists in this occupational group before the pandemic. The shortage has also worsened since then. Corinne Scheiber, Head of Adecco Medical, states: "One reason for the worsening shortage of healthcare professionals is that Switzerland does not train enough specialized healthcare personnel to meet the actual demand for these professionals. In order to close this gap, a considerable part of the health personnel is recruited abroad. For example, according to the Swiss Health Observatory, the proportion of graduate nursing staff with a foreign diploma in Swiss hospitals and nursing homes was as high as 30 percent in 2019. The FMH physician statistics come to a similar conclusion with regard to physicians. Many healthcare professionals come from neighboring countries. In these countries, however, there is also an increasing shortage of healthcare specialists. The competition for these specialists has therefore intensified. Furthermore, Yanik Kipfer from Stellenmarkt-Monitor Schweiz states: "The increasing shortage of specialists is putting additional pressure on existing healthcare staff, as the workload is increasing due to the lack of personnel". Corinne Scheiber adds, "There is a noticeable frustration about the challenging working conditions and the slow implementation of the nursing initiative. As a result, many professionals are opting for temporary positions, which promise better pay and greater flexibility than permanent employment."

Second place goes to developers and analysts of software and IT applications (e.g., computer engineers, software developers, and systems analysts). Similar to specialists in the health care professions, this occupational group has been experiencing a significant shortage of skilled workers for several years, and this year the shortage has again intensified and reached an all-time high. James Peck, Vice President of LHH Recruitment Solutions Switzerland states, "Especially software developers:inside with experience in object-oriented programming languages such as, Java or C# and front-end software developers:inside with knowledge of Angular or React frameworks are currently desperately sought." It is somewhat surprising that the occupational group of information and communication technicians (e.g. web content managers, telematics specialists or e-commerce specialists) have lost eleven places this year. This is after the demand for skilled workers in this occupational group had risen sharply in 2021. Yanik Kipfer from the Job Market Monitor explains "Information and communication technicians:inside seem to have benefited from the corona-induced increased demand for e-commerce solutions. However, the e-commerce boom now seems to be returning to normal, as noted by the Swiss Retail Federation. This is also causing the demand for these professionals to stagnate."

Ongoing shortage of skilled workers in the industry

In addition to construction foremen, foremen and production managers, who occupy fourth place, industrial occupations are also clearly affected by a shortage of skilled workers. For example, engineering technicians and similar specialists (e.g. mechanical engineers, electrical engineers or process controllers in metal production) occupy third place, while polymechanics, production mechanics, machine mechanics and fitters occupy fifth place. The shortage of skilled workers in these occupational groups has increased considerably year-on-year. Yanik Kipfer of Job Market Monitor Switzerland notes, "The strong demand for skilled workers in industrial occupations shows that Switzerland continues to have a strong industrial base." James Peck, Vice President of LHH Recruitment Solutions Switzerland, further explains, "In order to withstand international competition for industrial products, Swiss industry has specialized in complex and technically demanding niche products, such as the production of precision tools, medtech or the development and construction of subsystems for aerospace. This results in various niche markets for industrial professions in which candidates with very specific skills are sought. These skills are difficult to transfer to other niches, making it difficult to find suitable skilled workers." Furthermore, Tom Vanoirbeek, VP of Adecco Workforce Solutions Western & Southern Switzerland, adds: "Especially in technical professions such as those in the watch industry, we are facing a significant skills shortage, which affects not only the highly skilled, but also the low-skilled professionals. Adecco Switzerland has therefore created the Watch Academy in Geneva to invest in new talent. The Watch Academy's mission is to train technically gifted individuals to become watchmakers, thus enabling them to enter this unique industry."

Occupational groups with an oversupply of skilled workers

There is not a shortage of skilled workers everywhere. At the bottom of the ranking are occupational groups in which there is an oversupply of skilled workers. In these occupations, more people are looking for a job than there are vacancies. In last place are unskilled workers, skilled workers in agriculture, forestry and fishing (e.g., assistant cooks, gardeners and parcel delivery workers), followed by managers, general office and secretarial workers and other office workers (e.g., data entry clerks, library assistants and proofreaders). For many occupational groups in the lower segment of the ranking, the demand for skilled workers dropped drastically with the outbreak of the pandemic. Nevertheless, it can now be observed that the shortage of skilled workers is also noticeably worsening for the occupational groups with a surplus of skilled workers. In other words, the situation for employees in these occupational groups is improving significantly compared with the previous year, as fewer job seekers are competing for the vacancies. At the same time, however, this means that it is becoming more difficult for companies to find suitable skilled workers, even in the occupational groups at the bottom of the ranking.

Source: Adecco Group

Karin Zahnd Cadoux, who was elected to the Board of Directors of Bank WIR in 2014 and as its Chairwoman in 2019, has decided not to stand again in the overall renewal elections of the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting on June 5, 2023. The 49-year-old cites personal reasons for this decision: "I am a workaholic, but two deaths and a serious illness in my immediate environment have caused me to rethink my priorities." As head of the company, Zahnd Cadoux therefore not only wants to focus more on her own business again, but also to have more time for her family.

In order to strike a balance between continuity and a breath of fresh air, the Board of Directors of Bank WIR supports the presidential candidacy of Marc Reimann (41). The CEO of Zirkumflex AG, headquartered in Cham, has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2013 - and its Vice Chairman since 2021.

"During my term of office, I was able to contribute to setting an important course for a continued successful future at Bank WIR," concludes Zahnd Cadoux. She describes her designated successor as a "young, digital-savvy man with foresight, who has all the qualities required for this office.

Source: Bank WE

Even if it sounds surprising: we often get in our own way because we want to win too much. And even worse: we frustrate others with it. This is especially significant if you are a leader. How is this to be understood? Well, there's a delicate line between wanting to win for the sake of it (because it really does get us better results) and wanting to win for the sake of our own ego.

Winning because of ego?

We all have a more or less pronounced ego - no exception. In most cases, this is positive because it is reflected in healthy self-confidence and also helps us to assert important interests. Only: the ego also leads us to want to win on issues that are actually unimportant. Sometimes there is no other reason to stand up for ourselves than to satisfy our ego.

Remember the last argument you had: to what extent was it really about the matter at hand and to what extent about our own ego, which we saw hurt? In conflicts, the ego almost always plays the greater role than the matter at hand. It follows: You can become a significantly better leader and can achieve significantly more if you stop wanting to win too much - in other words, if you put your ego aside.

Three steps to less ego

Here are 3 steps on how to reset your ego and become a more influential leader as a result (it's not always easy):

• Step1: Clarity about your priorities. In order for you to decide if the outcome is worth fighting for, you must first know your priorities. Most leaders have far too many "priorities." As a result, you want to get your way on issues that just aren't among your top priorities. Tip: Have a maximum of three priorities at the same time.
• Step 2: How important is the point of contention really? After Step 1, you can now examine each discussion: Is this one of my top priorities? If not, then stop pushing your point of view. You certainly know situations in which you were emotionally strongly involved, but the next day wondered why it was so important to you. That's when your ego spoke. If, on the other hand, you ask yourself in every discussion whether it really contributes to achieving your goals, you can often save your energy.
• Step 3: Give in on unimportant things. After steps 1 and 2, you can now give in on any discussion that doesn't contribute to achieving your top goals. Initially, this requires concentrated practice. This is because we all too quickly get into situations where our ego wants to get the upper hand. So when you catch yourself in an emotional discussion, take a deep breath, ask yourself the question from Step 2, and end your engagement if necessary.

The consequence of the three steps:

You will save energy enormously, you will have a positive influence on others, you will be more focused on what is really important and you will have more joy as a result.

Valentin Vogt has decided to hand over the presidency of the Swiss Employers' Association (SAV) at the next general meeting on June 27, 2023. Vogt has been president of the SAV since July 2011. This was announced by the association on November 25, 2022. Valentin Vogt intends to largely withdraw from the public eye: "After 12 years, it is time to pass on the presidency. This is another step in my plan to withdraw from my offices and functions in the public over the next few years. I am looking forward to being able to focus more on my entrepreneurial activities and my board mandates at non-listed companies again," he explains in the media release. During his time as president, the employers' association was repositioned and gained significant clout, according to the association.

The arrangement for the succession of the Employer President has already been initiated. The Executive Committee of the SAV proposes Severin Moser for election as the new President to the Executive Committee for the attention of the General Meeting. The election of Severin Moser will take place at the next Employers' Day, the annual meeting of the SAV, on June 27, 2023. With Severin Moser, for the first time in the history of the Swiss Employers' Association, a candidate with a professional background in the growing service sector will be proposed for election.

The 60-year-old economist Severin Moser has many years of experience as a CEO and board member in the insurance industry and was CEO of Allianz Versicherungen Schweiz and a board member of the Swiss Insurance Association until the end of 2021. Severin Moser is very familiar with the Swiss Employers' Association and its key topics, having been a member of the SAV Board Committee for 5 years. "In addition to my activities as a member of the Board of Directors, I would like to become more involved in employer policy and campaign for good framework conditions for the Swiss economy and for a viable social partnership," explains Moser.

Source: Swiss Employers' Association

Opacc Software AG, based in Rothenburg LU, has been developing its own enterprise software platform in Switzerland since 1988. The core of the platform is OpaccOXAS, which provides all digital enterprise resources such as data, documents, functions, integrations, etc. centrally. On this basis, homogeneous, powerful and standardized applications are available: OpaccERP, OpaccERP-Mobile (service, sales), OpaccEnterpriseCRM and OpaccEnterpriseShop. The interaction of all solutions allows an almost complete customer journey starting with contact capture, through order processing, to data analysis for further optimization of business processes. Even with the new ERP generation "Nytron" presented at the customer conference "Opacc Connect 2022", this claim will not be shaken.

Broad industry mix

Under the motto "Better Experiene", the audience was first taken on a "journey of experiences". Speakers from Opacc used live demos and customer videos to show how the software accelerates business processes and makes them clearer. The focus is always on the user experience: "If the user experience is not right, even the best machine is of no use," says Opacc CEO Beat Bussmann. For example, a large concert organizer showed how the processing of thousands of new addresses per year and ticketing can be largely automated thanks to OpaccEnterpriseCRM. Or a regional manufacturer of wood heating systems was able to cope with a massive increase in demand only thanks to this software solution. A large international supplier of sanitary products even replaced its SAP system with the Opacc solution. This also showed that Opacc's solutions can cover needs across all industries - from small businesses to large enterprises. However, a certain degree of complexity must be present in order for the product to fully play out its strengths, Beat Bussmann admitted to the media.

High customer satisfaction

Various innovations were presented, such as new features for the online store and CRM as well as a flexible MobileApp. Other improvements included release processes for document management and expanded warehouse management. All of these innovations came about as a result of customer feedback, as was emphasized again and again. And user satisfaction is high, as confirmed by a recent study by the IT consulting firm Trovarit: Opacc is in the top quadrant in terms of ERP satisfaction. The update and release capability of the Opacc software is cited as a compelling argument. Nevertheless, the manufacturer had to state on the basis of its own customer survey that there is still room for improvement in some areas. For example, the lack of specialists seems to have had a somewhat negative impact on the quality of support. With a positive corporate culture, a high value of vocational training - for 20 years, mediamaticians and computer scientists have been trained - and the certification as a "Friendly Workplace", however, Opacc presents itself as an attractive employer and today employs 182 people.

Taking "Nytron" to the next level

In addition to the many "small" innovations presented, Opacc then let the cat out of the bag towards the end of the customer conference: CEO and founder Beat Bussmann did not miss the opportunity to personally announce the new Opacc ERP generation "Nytron" - together with CTO Christian Reiter: "By the beginning of 2024, we will provide a completely renewed, modernized Opacc ERP software. All customers can easily migrate to the new version thanks to the comprehensive update guarantee and adopt all functionalities and all individual settings 1:1," they said. The first features shown are impressive: A streamlined user interface, operation via keyboard/mouse or touch screen and a new color scheme will ensure a significantly improved user experience - true to the conference motto: "Better Experience".

Source: Opacc

The current energy crisis has led to skyrocketing energy costs across Europe. This makes energy efficiency and supply a top priority for CIOs and data center providers. Events such as COP27 also increased awareness among companies of all sizes and industries of the need to put sustainability and climate protection at the top of their strategic agenda. But while the majority of companies want to do just that, there is as yet little objective information about what options are available to them, how their benefits compare, and what risks are inherent in different approaches. This is particularly true in the areas of IT infrastructure and the data center, which must be high on the agenda if companies are to successfully implement their plans to achieve the goal of climate neutrality.

Data centers need a lot of energy

"Data centers and digital infrastructures as a whole are responsible for a significant portion of the world's energy consumption, leaving a significant carbon footprint," said Sammy Zoghlami, SVP Nutanix EMEA. "In EMEA alone, data centers consume over 90TWh per year. This is equivalent to the emissions level of approximately 5.9 million vehicles - or 27 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents (CO²e). Action in this area can therefore have a significant impact, but must be balanced with the need for enterprises to effectively maintain and strengthen their competitiveness in increasingly digital markets. That's why Nutanix commissioned this study, which examines in detail how different data center technologies compare when companies weigh the pros and cons of their efforts to meet their carbon neutrality goals."

The central results

The findings of the study can be summarized as follows: Together with automation, innovative cooling systems and renewable energy, the transformation of traditional 3-tier architectures to next-generation models - such as hyperconverged infrastructures (HCI) - will be key to realizing the potential savings in data center energy consumption and carbon footprint. Measurable benefits could be realized by a wide range of enterprises - from large hyperscalers and managed service providers to large enterprises and smaller businesses. Compared to traditional 3-tier IT platforms, next-generation HCI architectures could potentially reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint by approximately 27 percent annually. Within the EMEA region, HCI transformation has the potential to reduce energy consumption by 56.7 TWh and emissions by 14.2 million tons of CO²e between 2022 and 2025. By 2025, a complete shift to HCI in the data centers could be

• Germany's potential 11.9 TWh of energy and nearly 3.69 million tons of CO²e,
• of the UK potentially 8.1 TWh of energy and 1.8 million tons of CO²e (equivalent to about 400,000 fewer cars on the road),
• France's potential 8.8 TWh of energy and 440,000 tons of CO²e,
• of the Netherlands potentially 3.3 TWh of energy and, with its above-average emission levels, just over one million tons of CO²e,
• of the Middle East and Africa could potentially generate 4 TWh of energy and around 2.4 million metric tons of CO²e.

save.

Large collocation data centers typically offer a much lower PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) value than typical on-premises facilities. Converting them to HCI architectures could potentially increase energy savings to around 30 to 40 percent. Long-term power supply contracts, known as power purchase agreements (PPAs), could also give next-generation collocation data centers access to renewable energy, contributing to the company's carbon neutrality goal without having to invest in carbon credits. Companies planning to move to an HCI architecture for their on-premises data centers should also evaluate next-generation cooling technologies in light of increased energy prices.

The data center industry has produced significant improvements in energy efficiency over the last few decades and is now one of the most advanced - both in terms of energy efficiency and decarbonization. Nonetheless, energy demand will increase significantly in the future, leading to a large amount of carbon dioxide emissions. Innovative technologies such as HCI could create considerable efficiency potential and have a strong impact on energy cost savings.

The study

The findings and predictions in the study commissioned by Nutanix are based on a March analysis this year developed by independent research and consulting firm Atlantic Ventures. The research compares and contrasts different technology models, particularly traditional 3-tier architectures and newer hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) approaches. To this end, Atlantic Ventures modeled a manufacturing company typical of Western Europe to estimate energy consumption and carbon footprint of data centers in different locations. As part of this modeling exercise, the study examined the potential effects of hyperconverged infrastructures (HCI) on data center energy costs and CO2 emissions. It makes the first ever prediction of aggregate savings potential in the EMEA region and individual national markets. The study results show what a broad transformation towards modern data center architectures could achieve in terms of energy efficiency and climate protection.

Says Dr. Carlo Velten, CEO at Atlantic Ventures: "The aim of this report is to provide business decision-makers with suggestions and food for thought on how to design an energy-efficient and climate-friendly IT infrastructure - in particular hyperconverged infrastructures, whose technology we examine in detail and whose potential benefits we quantify at both European and national level. We hope the study will be useful and provide an insight into understanding what a broad transformation towards modern data center models can mean for energy efficiency and climate protection."

Source: Nutanix

The platform Compasso is a neutral and nationally active network with a broad sponsorship of over 90 members. It plays an important role in the occupational integration of people with disabilities by networking employers with the relevant system partners in order to jointly develop practical processes and instruments.

Vocational (re)integration as a solution to the shortage of skilled workers

Following this vision, the theme of this year's symposium was: "Vocational (re)integration as a solution to the shortage of skilled workers - an untapped potential".
Experts from the fields of economic consulting, specialized agencies for labor integration as well as from the social insurance area presented their findings, successful practical examples as well as the first results of an ongoing study on the subject of the shortage of skilled workers at the IV-Stelle Bern. The goal of the event was the exchange of ideas, the development of solution approaches as well as the elaboration of concrete measures to combat the shortage of skilled workers under the aspect of (re)integration. The participants included representatives of the largest Swiss employers such as SBB, Swisscom, Swiss Post, executives and decision-makers from SMEs, as well as integration and social partner specialists from renowned foundations and organizations.

The signs of the times discussed included demographic change, weak compatibility of work and non-work responsibilities, and the desire for more flexible working models. These are among the greatest challenges facing the Swiss labor market. In the near future, there will be a shortage of many workers in Switzerland. In order to counteract the expected labor shortage in Switzerland, future-oriented solutions are now required.

Making better use of resources

The conference participants agreed that there is potential in the professional (re)integration of people who have dropped out of working life due to illness or accident or who are at risk of dropping out. The (re)integration into the labor market creates the opportunity to better exploit domestic know-how, which benefits both the economy and society.

This year's Compasso symposium was dedicated to some approaches on how the potential of vocational (re)integration for the Swiss labor market can be presented and used in concrete terms. Through contributions from experts and a moderated exchange of experiences, it was possible to find out what untapped potential vocational (re)integration represents and how it can counteract the future challenges of the Swiss labor market. Breakout courses dealt with barrier-free recruitment processes, the sustainable design of employment relationships for professionals with an impairment, and the topic of lateral entry.

For more than 85 years, the Faigle Group has been offering products for effective and efficient information and output management and accompanying its customers on the path to digital transformation - from strategic planning to operational implementation. Now the company is strengthening itself with Stephen Trowbridge; he will be the new Chief Digital Officer. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the areas of digitization, development and engineering, which will be very important for digitization both internally and externally. Stephen Trowbridge will work closely with Simeon Roth, Group CEO, to drive the company's further development.

"I am very much looking forward to the challenge of being able to support Faigle in all digital aspects so that we can strengthen our offering and accompany our customers even better on their digital journey," says Stephen Trowbridge. With Stephen Trowbridge, the Faigle Group says it wants to underline its claim to offer customized digital solutions with the best service and to increase this sustainably.

CEO Simeon Roth is delighted with this important decision: "With the addition of Stephen to the management team, we will be able to support and develop our customers even better in the digital transformation of their companies. But we will also benefit internally from being able to work efficiently with digital tools."

Source: Faigle Group