Hostpoint turns 25: A quarter of a century for the Swiss Internet

25 years ago, a start-up was founded in Rapperswil-Jona that has since developed into the largest web hosting provider and leading domain registrar in Switzerland. As an independent, owner-managed company, Hostpoint is ideally positioned and equipped for the future, even in times of growing demands for digital sovereignty.

From vision to market leadership

When Hostpoint was founded in spring 2001 by Markus Gebert and Claudius Röllin, the young entrepreneurs pursued the vision of making web hosting simpler, more efficient, accessible and affordable for everyone. The company was successful with this idea: it grew continuously, developed into the largest web hosting provider and leading domain registrar in Switzerland and has played a key role in the Swiss Internet ever since.

The range of products and services was continuously expanded. In addition to the traditionally strong core areas of hosting and domains, Hostpoint also established itself as a provider of email and office solutions, website builders and e-commerce. At the same time, personal customer support has always been a high priority. With free 7-day support by e-mail and telephone in four languages, Hostpoint is the leader in customer support in the Swiss hosting industry.

The most important milestones in the company's history include the introduction of the self-developed Hostpoint Control Panel in 2007 and the takeover of a large proportion of former Switch customers in 2015, after the registry for .ch domains had to give up the end customer business. Another highlight in the company's recent history was passing the one million domains under management mark in 2022.

A quarter of a century of continuous growth

Even after 25 years, Hostpoint continues to grow. Today, the company manages over 1.3 million domains, hosts around 340,000 websites and operates 800,000 e-mail addresses. Hostpoint employs around 130 people at its Rapperswil-Jona SG site. In the last five years alone, the workforce has grown by almost 70 percent - ten years ago it was just under 50 people.

From the rise of social media and smartphones to the spread of cloud services and AI applications, the internet and customer requirements have changed fundamentally over the past 25 years. Hostpoint has continued to evolve with this technological change and has maintained its position as a reliable Swiss provider of cloud services.

Digital sovereignty as a central topic

Today, security, stability, data protection and digital sovereignty are more important than ever. Hostpoint is experiencing strong growth in demand in the e-mail and office sector, as more and more customers are consciously opting for an e-mail service with a data location in Switzerland. This is precisely one of the company's key strengths: all data is stored on servers in Switzerland, and software development, support and administration are also based in Switzerland. As a 100% owner-managed and Swiss-owned company, Hostpoint combines technological independence with local roots.

Also ideally positioned for the future

Markus Gebert, Co-Founder and CEO of Hostpoint, assesses the development: «The Swiss hosting market has changed significantly and become increasingly consolidated in recent years. While various providers have been taken over by international groups, Hostpoint remains independent. We want to consistently continue on our path, continue to grow and continue to focus on quality, customer proximity and reliable Swiss infrastructure in the future.»

Source: www.hostpoint.ch