By Mateo Meier, Technical Director of Artmotion GmbH.
Like many countries, Switzerland openly embraces new technology and the cloud has been around for some time here. While it is widely used in many facets of life its uptake by large corporations and enterprises remains relatively slow, but why? Well, in truth there is no easy answer to this but much of it lies with Switzerland’s culture and deep routed traditions.
As one of Switzerland’s leading hosting providers we often look to learn more about new technologies before adopting them. On a practical level we like to know that these new methods have been tried and well tested before offering it to our customer base. Although cloud technology is improving all the time evidence from the Swiss market still suggests a sense of unease.
Switzerland is of course famous for its secretive banking laws and strong sense of privacy and applies this cultural thinking to many of its business practices. As a hosting provider we are also keen to embrace this however it does present some challenges with new technologies. The cloud is a prime example because of this because of its open nature and the loose regulations surrounding technology. Simply put we Swiss tend to prefer proven and more tightly controlled technology.
A recent survey seems to be further support this theory with many businesses claiming that they would only move to new technology if it has been reliably tested and over a proven period of time. This is not however to say companies are not open to new technology.
Enquiries of Cloud Services
Artmotion, a data center providing server hosting to business owners, noted that 45% of people who enquired about Cloud hosting ended up ordering a dedicated server solution. This is largely due to privacy concerns.
Cloud services are more “open” in comparison to dedicated server solutions. The difference is due to the open nature of the Cloud networks that are comprised of multi-location setups. In turn, the Cloud is easier for government agencies to request and receive access to certain files. These requests are in fixed locations, but in Switzerland it is very difficult for third parties to gain access to information on the Cloud.
Risks Still a Concern
In time we believe the cloud will become the standard choice of server here but there is still some way to go in this market.
Many in Switzerland remain skeptical about the cloud with many experts coming out and highlighting weaknesses with the approach. The main concern appears to be the technology behind server platforms. From a consumer point of view some experts stated that providers were not as transparent as they could be and often found old server technology being used.
This has been a concern as Switzerland is one of the leading business forums in the world and needs fast connections and reliability. Others of course, like ourselves, share different views. We have seen great advances in this field and are able to offer a great solution to our clients.
Cloud Hosting Providers Entering Switzerland
Despite the recent criticism and slow up take, a number of large providers have moved into the region with a core focus on cloud services. Jelastic for example invested huge sums in a new datacenter in Switzerland and focused heavily on cloud solutions. In time we believe the cloud will become the standard choice of server here but there is still some way to go in this market.
