VSHN releases K8up – Backup Operator for Kubernetes at KubeCon 2019
21. May 2019
VSHN – The DevOps Company is pleased to announce K8up (pronounced /keɪtæpp/) at KubeCon / CloudNativeCon 2019, our Open Source backup operator for Kubernetes and OpenShift. You can find all information about K8up here: https://vshn.ch/k8up
Tobias Brunner
Tobias Brunner is working since over 20 years in IT and more than 15 years with Internet technology. New technology has to be tried and written about.
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VSHN supports acrevis bank on their way to digitalization
23. Jan 2019
Zurich, January 21, 2019 – Together with our partner Puzzle ITC, VSHN AG is building an OpenShift-based technology platform for the Eastern Swiss regional bank acrevis. The technology platform consists of business, integration, security and delivery layers and enables acrevis to implement a two-speed IT. VSHN and Puzzle thus support acrevis in the ongoing digitalization of its business area in order to react to the growing customer needs and market requirements.
VSHN and Puzzle ITC support acrevis bank on its way to digitization
After an intensive evaluation and detailing phase, acrevis decided on a partnership with VSHN and Puzzle ITC for the implementation, realization and operation of IT platforms. Together we will develop a technology platform, which enables acrevis to use two-speed IT. In addition, it distinguishes the regional bank as an active player in the ongoing digitalization of the financial sector. Michael Steiner, CEO of acrevis Bank: “We are starting small and want to grow consistently and jointly with the needs of our customers and the bank”. The modern platform will provide acrevis with a future-oriented foundation for further digitization initiatives and combine security, stability and flexibility. It also enables acrevis to react quickly, easily and efficiently to customer wishes and new market requirements and to integrate them into the existing system landscape. Thanks to the scalability of the new technology platform, future digitization projects can be realized more quickly, easily and cost-effectively. acrevis is an exciting customer for VSHN and Puzzle ITC in the banking sector. We are very pleased to be able to support acrevis in its pursuit of an offensive digital strategy and look forward to a successful cooperation.
The individual needs stand in the foreground
The technology platform is based on the OpenShift-based APPUiO Swiss Container Platform and represents a classic two-speed integration architecture consisting of the two areas “Steady” and “Speed”. The stable and less agile backend systems (Steady area) are preceded by modern and agile components (Speed area). This architecture forms the basis for reacting flexibly and quickly to changes in applications and services that use data and services from the backend systems. In addition, the new platform provides a standardized environment for future applications and services, enabling them to benefit from the prepared environment in terms of operation, security and deployment. Thus, the new platform enables an optimal response to individual customer needs and new market requirements.
About Puzzle ITC
As an innovative IT service provider, Puzzle ITC covers the entire life cycle of business-critical applications and infrastructures. We consistently rely on open source technologies as well as state-of-the-art methods and tools. Since 1999, the start-up has grown into a successful software and technology SME with over 120 employees in Bern, Zurich and Tübingen (DE). Today, an interdisciplinary and qualified team works on projects in these areas: consulting, applications, delivery, infrastructure and own open source solutions. More information: www.puzzle.ch
About VSHN AG
VSHN AG is the leading Swiss partner for DevOps, Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift and 24/7 Cloud Operations. VSHN helps software developers to run their applications agile and 24/7 on any infrastructure and to relieve IT operations. Since 2014, we have been supporting over 1000 servers in 20 different clouds for 300 different customers & partners as well as on-premises for customers with a total of more than 70000 services. VSHN is ISO 27001 certified and works according to the strict FINMA guidelines to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer data at all times. VSHN is the first Kubernetes Certified Service Provider (KCSP) in Switzerland. More information: www.vshn.ch
About acrevis Bank AG
acrevis Bank AG was created in 2011 from the merger of Bank CA St.Gallen AG and swissregiobank AG. As the leading regional bank between Lake Constance and Lake Zurich, acrevis positions itself through systematic coverage of the market area and segment-specific offerings. Its core competencies lie in the financing of private real estate, investment advice, asset management and commercial business with SMEs, trade and self-employed persons.
VSHN is Rising Star Switzerland at ISG Provider Lens 2019
26. Nov 2018
ISG has published the Provider Lens Switzerland 2019 study and awarded VSHN the title of “Rising Star Switzerland”.
VSHN is Rising Star at Cloud Transformation/Operation Services & XaaS
We are delighted to have been awarded Rising Star by ISG Provider Lens Switzerland 2019 – Cloud Transformation / Operation Services & XaaS. ISG annually awards the Rising Star to the product challenger with the highest potential for the future, which convinces in particular by its promising product portfolio and promising roadmap, focusing on key market trends and customer value. ISG defines the selection criteria of the Rising Star as follows:
“Rising Stars are mostly product challengers with high future potential. When receiving the “Rising Star” award, such companies have a promising portfolio, including the required roadmap and an adequate focus on key market trends and customer requirements. Also, the “Rising Star” has an excellent management and understanding of the local market. This award is only given to vendors or service providers that have made extreme progress towards their goals within the last 12 months and are on a good way to reach the leader quadrant within the next 12-24 months, due to their above-average impact and innovative strength.”
The Managed Public Cloud Services area takes a look at vendors offering Managed Services on third-party IaaS platforms. The services typically include proactive monitoring, automation and cloud platform management to maximize the performance of workloads in the cloud, reduce costs, and ensure security and availability. In particular, the study emphasizes DevOps willingness, new business models and agility. Also very important is the willingness to constantly evolve, to think outside the box and to be able to leave the comfort zone in order to offer new business models and technologies such as container. Managed Service Providers have become strategic partners for customers on their way to cloud transformation and public cloud usage through their specialization. The biggest challenge for Managed Public Cloud Service Providers is to keep up with the evolutions and advancements of the public cloud, while developing a better understanding of the customers and their business processes. Vendors need to invest in their people and their skills, and further develop DevOps know-how.
Meaning of the award for VSHN
What is the significance of the award as Rising Star for VSHN? Firstly, the study confirms our daily work and our strategy of not doing everything ourselves but focusing on the operation of modern hosting platforms and future technologies such as Docker, OpenShift and Kubernetes, to automate and to collaborate with partners. On the other hand, the study results confirm that Switzerland is a multi-cloud country and DevOps is “the way to go”:
DevOps, the combination of software development (Dev) and operations engineering (Ops).
For this reason, we are extremely happy to receive the Rising Star award and see the award as a confirmation of our path so far, as well as an incentive to become even better in the future.
In the Provider Lens, the market research company ISG rates Swiss cloud providers for the attractiveness of their product portfolio and their competitive strength. ISG is one of the leading market research and consulting companies in the information technology segment, helping more than 700 clients worldwide to achieve operational excellence. Customers have the proven expertise in innovative technology solutions, the industry’s most comprehensive database, and more than 50 years of experience and global leadership in an international information and consulting firm. ISG is based in Stamford, Connecticut with 21 locations worldwide and supports its customers in Germany, Switzerland and Austria through its locations in Frankfurt a. M., Kassel and Zurich.
About VSHN – The DevOps Company
VSHN AG is the leading Swiss partner for DevOps, Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift and 24/7 Cloud Operations. VSHN helps software developers run their applications agile and 24/7 on any infrastructure while relieving the burden on IT operations. Since 2014, we are serving more than 900 servers in 20 different clouds as well as on-premises at customer locations with a total of more than 62’000 services for 300 different customers and partners. We are ISO 27001 certified and work to the strict FINMA guidelines to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer information at all times. With APPUiO.ch, we have created a Red Hat OpenShift based Swiss container platform, where we can offer Managed Services as a PaaS solution (Platform-as-a-Service) on any infrastructure: public, dedicated, private and on-premises. At VSHN, we believe in openness and transparency, so we let you decide where to store your data (we call this multi-cloud strategy). Either locally in your own data center (on-premise) or at a cloud provider location of your choice. Take a look at our services and learn more about our services and how we can possibly support you. Follow us on Twitter and don’t miss any news.
Markus Speth
Marketing, Communications, People
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VSHN from Zurich has won two major customers this year: the Australian Ministry of Finance and Opendata.swiss, the Swiss federal government’s open data portal. VSHN founder and CTO Aarno Aukia explains how the DevOps start-up was successful and how it can offer data center services without a data center.
Aarno Aukia: Wir haben VSHN vor vier Jahren gegründet, weil wir gesehen haben, dass sich der Hostingmarkt verändert und zwar insofern, dass sich Hardware und Softwaredienstleistungen im RZ voneinander entkoppeln. Die Hardware mit Servern, Netzwerk, Bandbreite, Rechenleistung, Storage etc. wird von Cloud- beziehungsweise RZ-Betreibern angeboten, und dann gibt es VSHN, die für die Kunden Betrieb, Überwachung, Skalierung und Back-ups von Software sicherstellt. Wir helfen also Softwareentwicklern, ihre Applikationen agil und 24/7 auf beliebiger Infrastruktur zu betreiben.
Warum ist das für Kunden interessant?
Beim Betrieb von Software aus einer Cloud war es bislang so, dass der Entwickler nicht nur entwickelte, sondern oft auch gleichzeitig noch für den Betrieb des Servers zuständig war und Support leisten musste, wenn der Server nicht mehr lief. Er war also quasi Architekt, Provider und Incident Manager in einer Person. Das sind drei Rollen, die eigentlich nicht zusammenpassen. Bei VSHN helfen wir den Kunden, sich auf die Entwicklung zu konzentrieren, und automatisieren alles andere. Wir bieten ihnen Flexibilität, Skalierbarkeit und Einfachheit, wie sie sie von Cloud-Providern kennen, wenn es darum geht, Rechenleistung und Storage zu beziehen. Bei uns beziehen sie stattdessen das Software-Hosting, ohne dass wir ein eigenes Rechenzentrum haben. Und damit sind wir meines Wissens momentan die Einzigen in der Schweiz.
Was für Kunden möchten mit Ihnen zusammenarbeiten?
Das ist vom Kundenprofil abhängig. Einige Kunden haben etwa eine öffentliche Website und sind auf Skalierbarkeit, Zuverlässigkeit und Sicherheit angewiesen. Wir sind ISO-27001-zertifiziert und haben damit bewiesen, dass wir mit Daten sicher umgehen. Wir haben deshalb auch Kunden aus dem Gesundheitswesen und aus dem Finanzumfeld. Was alle unsere Kunden vereint: Sie wollen die Zeit minimieren von der Idee für ein Softwareprojekt bis dieses in Produktion geht beziehungsweise veröffentlicht wird. Diesen Zeitraum kann man nur minimieren, wenn man den ganzen Prozess durchautomatisiert. Und den Prozess kann man nur durchautomatisieren, wenn man ein Interesse daran hat, dass der Prozess stabil, robust und schnell ist. Und genau das ist unser Kerngeschäft. Wir machen für unsere Kunden das “Ops” von DevOps.
Aber machen denn die IT-Abteilungen heutzutage nicht eh schon alle selbst DevOps?
Nein, das ist noch lange nicht so weit – und noch lange sind nicht alle so weit. In der Realität kämpfen viele IT-Abteilungen noch mit traditionellen IT-Modellen. Wer die Ops an uns auslagert, kann viel schneller als innerhalb eines traditionellen IT-Modells in Produktion gehen.
Wer sind Ihre Kunden?
Wir haben Kunden quer durch alle Branchen, von Retail über Banken und Versicherungen bis hin zur Gesundheitsbranche. Die Kunden vereint, dass es für sie geschäftskritisch ist, immer online zu sein. Ein grosser Schweizer Retailer etwa ist ein Kunde von uns. Er nutzt unsere Dienstleistungen, um die Performance seiner Website hochzufahren, wenn er seinen Aktions-Newsletter verschickt und schnell mal 2,5 Millionen User innert einer halben Stunde auf den Onlineshop zugreifen möchten. Dann muss die Website laufen. Und wir helfen ihnen dabei und zwar vollautomatisiert.
Vor Kurzem haben Sie das australische Finanzministerium als Kunde gewonnen. Wie kam es dazu, und welche Rolle spielt dabei Amazee.io?
Die australische Regierung machte eine Ausschreibung, weil sie für den Betrieb ihrer 180 Websites einen neuen Hoster suchten. Dazu muss man wissen, dass diese Websites mit GovCMS auf Drupal-Basis entwickelt wurden und es weltweit nur drei oder vier Hosting-Partner gibt, die alle nötigen Zertifizierungen und den entsprechenden Trackrecord haben, um solche Regierungswebsites zu betreiben. Einer dieser Hosting-Partner ist Amazee.io in Zürich. Sie erhielten zusammen mit der australischen Webagentur Salsa Digital im Februar den Zuschlag, die nächste Evolution des CMS aufzubauen, und VSHN wird die zugrunde liegende Openshift-Plattform betreiben, um einen reibungslosen und hochverfügbaren 24/7-Betrieb der Hosting-Plattform sicherzustellen. Und das Ganze läuft auf AWS.
Ein weiterer grosser Deal, den VSHN gewonnen hat, ist Opendata.swiss. Was bedeutet das für Sie?
Opendata.swiss ist das Portal der Schweizer Behörden für offene, das heisst frei verfügbare Daten. Das Portal ist ein integraler Teil der Open-Government-Data-Strategie Schweiz 2014-2018 des Schweizer Bundesrats und wir freuen uns natürlich sehr, dass wir mit unserem Angebot überzeugen konnten und die Ausschreibung gewonnen haben. Wir werden künftig sowohl den Servicebetrieb als auch den Support über den gesamten Leistungszeitraum der Linked Data Platform für Opendata.swiss sicherstellen und allfällige Beratungs- und Integrationsleistungen erbringen. Bund, Kantone, Gemeinden und weitere Organisationen mit einem staatlichen Auftrag, wie etwa SBB, veröffentlichen ihre offenen Daten auf Opendata.swiss. Das Portal vereint unterschiedlichste Datensätze wie beispielsweise die Gemeindegrenzen der Schweiz, Bevölkerungsstatistiken, aktuelle Wetterdaten, historische Dokumente oder ein Verzeichnis der Schweizer Literatur. Gemeinsam ist den Datensätzen, dass sie alle kostenlos heruntergeladen und weiterverwendet werden können. Softwareseitig wird Stardog eingesetzt werden, eine Enterprise-Knowledge-Graph-Software. Betrieben wird Opendata.swiss bei Exoscale in Crissier.
Das sind beeindruckende Erfolge für ein Jungunternehmen. Was treibt Sie an? Sie haben ja schon einige Start-ups gegründet.
Ja, das stimmt. Das ist nicht meine erste Firma. Ich musste auch Lehrgeld zahlen, konnte aber schon viel Erfahrung sammeln. Mein erstes Informatikprojekt war in der 5. Klasse in der Primarschule, ein Netzwerk zusammenzulöten. Und später hatte ich parallel zum Gymnasium ein eigenes Unternehmen für Veranstaltungstechnik. Da lernte ich, mit Kunden umzugehen und auch mit Zeitdruck. Denn wenn am Freitagabend ein Konzert ist, öffnet der Konzertsaal um 21.00 Uhr, und die Gäste kommen herein, egal, ob wir mit allem fertig sind oder nicht. Nach dem Studium an der ETH musste ich mich dann auf etwas konzentrieren und entschied mich für die Informatik. Wir gründeten eine Firma, die sich auf RZ-Dienstleistungen spezialisierte, und merkten nach einigen Jahren, dass dieser Bereich ein Klotz am Bein ist. Und so konzentrierten wir uns auf den Bereich, in dem wir heute unterwegs sind.
Warum reizt es Sie so, Start-ups zu gründen?
Ich finde es einfach extrem vielseitig, in einem Start-up zu arbeiten. Ich habe grossen Spass daran, etwas Neues aufzubauen und schätze auch die Freiheit enorm, die das Unternehmertum mit sich bringt. Das kombiniert damit, dass ich all die coolen Menschen auswählen kann, mit denen ich zusammenarbeiten möchte, ist einfach toll. Ich kann mir auch die Kunden aussuchen. Es gibt in der Schweiz so tolle Unternehmen, die einfach einen enormen Drive haben und mit Passion und Energie bei der Sache sind, dass es für mich eine Riesenmotivation ist, mit ihnen etwas Tolles auf die Beine zu stellen. Und auch die konstante Veränderung meiner Firma und meiner eigenen Aufgaben und Verantwortung finde ich sehr spannend. Es wird mir nie langweilig. In den vier Jahren mit VSHN hat sich mein Job schon mehrfach geändert. Ich bin ja Engineer. Meine Passion ist es, neue Probleme zu lösen. Und das kann ich hier jeden Tag. Auch wenn es immer mehr unternehmerische Probleme statt technische sind.
Wie finden Sie denn in Zeiten des oft zitierten Fachkräftemangels die gut ausgebildeten, coolen Leute, mit denen Sie zusammenarbeiten möchten?
Wir haben den grossen Vorteil, dass wir eine Open-Source-Company sind. Es ist uns wichtig, transparent zu zeigen, was wir tun und wie wir das tun. Diese Open-Source-Philosophie hilft uns nicht nur im Kontakt mit möglichen Kunden, sondern auch beim Rekrutieren. Man kann in unsere Projekte reinschauen und die Leute sehen, dass wir cooles, spannendes Zeug machen. Das verursacht einen Sog, der die guten Leute und die guten Kunden anzieht.
Ist es schwierig für Sie, als Start-up in der Schweiz das Kapital zu finden, um schnell genug zu wachsen?
Nicht für uns. Wir haben uns entschieden, dass wir keinen Investor suchen, sondern den Aufbau von VSHN zur Produktfirma aus dem Projektgeschäft finanzieren. Als wir vor vier Jahren anfingen, haben wir 100 Prozent Betriebsprozessentwicklung, Customizing etc. für Kunden gemacht und 0 Prozent monatlich wiederkehrende Einnahmen aus Serviceprodukten generiert. Heute sind wir bei über 64 Prozent monatlich wiederkehrenden Serviceprodukteinnahmen angekommen und generieren nur noch 36 Prozent aus dem Projektgeschäft. Und das ist eine Entwicklung, die weitergeht. Wir sind für einen Investor vielleicht auch nicht so attraktiv, weil wir nicht die nächste Billion-Dollar-Company sind. Deshalb sind wir bis auf ein kleines Darlehen selbstfinanziert, das wir für die Sicherstellung der Löhne in den ersten 12 Monaten zur Verfügung hatten. Aber wir mussten dieses nicht einmal ausschöpfen, da wir schon nach 6 Monaten einen positiven Cashflow hatten.
Also gibt es keine Exit-Strategie?
Nein. Wir verfolgen eine langfristige Strategie. Die ganzen Services muss man einmal entwickeln und dann generieren sie monatlich wiederkehrende Erträge. Dieses Geschäftsmodell lohnt sich erst nach einigen Jahren. Wir sind nun seit 4 Jahren unterwegs und machen das mindestens noch 10 weitere Jahre und noch länger. Unser Ziel ist es, nachhaltiges Wachstum für unser Unternehmen zu generieren.
VSHN in the top 10 of the fastest growing Swiss ICT companies
3. Sep 2018
VSHN has made it into the top 10 of Switzerland’s fastest-growing ICT companies in the Computerworld Top 500 2018 edition.
With a revenue growth of 55% compared to the previous year, we came in 6th, which makes us very happy but also strengthens our strategy as a Swiss DevOps startup, to help companies and software developers with our innovative approach and our technology set such as Docker, Kubernetes and OpenShift to run their applications agile and 24/7 on any infrastructure. The rapid growth is likely to repeat itself this year – today only we are welcoming 3 new VSHNeers. 🙂
VSHN: booming DevOps startup
Computerworld Top 500 ICT Companies in Switzerland 2018
This year’s edition of the Computerworld Top 500 bears the title ‘Swiss ICT with record growth’ with record sales made by Swiss ICT companies. Important topics this year include skills shortages, blockchain and crypto fever, how young women can be inspired for ICT professions and how the digital transformation also drives the IT providers themselves. The Computerworld Top 500 2018 can be ordered here.
About VSHN – The DevOps Company
VSHN AG is the leading Swiss partner for DevOps, Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift and 24/7 Cloud Operations. VSHN helps software developers run their applications agile and 24/7 on any infrastructure while relieving the burden on IT operations. Since 2014, we are serving more than 900 servers in 20 different clouds as well as on-premises at customer locations with a total of more than 62’000 services for 300 different customers and partners. We are ISO 27001 certified and work to the strict FINMA guidelines to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer information at all times. With APPUiO.ch, we have created a Red Hat OpenShift based Swiss container platform, where we can offer Managed Services as a PaaS solution (Platform-as-a-Service) on any infrastructure: public, dedicated, private and on-premises. At VSHN, we believe in openness and transparency, so we let you decide where to store your data (we call this multi-cloud strategy). Either locally in your own data center (on-premise) or at a cloud provider location of your choice. Take a look at our services and learn more about our services and how we can possibly support you. Follow us on Twitter and don’t miss any news.
Markus Speth
Marketing, Communications, People
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VSHN – the DevOps Company is official hosting partner of Spryker Systems
29. Aug 2018
VSHN AG and Spryker Systems GmbH agree on partnership
VSHN AG from Zurich and Spryker Systems GmbH from Berlin / Hamburg agree on a strategic cooperation to serve future e-commerce customers jointly with Spryker Commerce OS, the unique e-commerce operating system and VSHN as hosting partner for the 24/7 operation and support of the platform.
In a world of increasing device diversity and increasing complexity of customer behavior, Spryker enables companies to reach their customers across all current and future digital points of contact: online store, mobile apps, IoT scenarios, blockchain technology or bot and voice integrations. Spryker makes it possible. With VSHN, Spryker Systems has chosen the leading Swiss partner for DevOps, container technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift and 24/7 Cloud Operations. VSHN helps software developers run their applications agile and 24/7 on any infrastructure while relieving the burden on IT operations. The scope of services offered to Spryker by VSHN includes, among other things, Managed Servers, Managed Cloud and Managed Container Platforms including 24/7 Operations & Support, Service Management, Maintenance, Incident Management, DevOps Processes, Infrastructure-as-Code, Container Management and advanced consulting services such as conception, development of infrastructure & CI/CD processes, DevOps support and application performance management.
Patrick Kleine-Albers, Director Industry Partnerships, Spryker Systems GmbH: “With VSHN – the DevOps Company, we have won another partner who will provide our customers with professional and modern hosting solutions, container technologies and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) concepts and VSHN fits ideally into our agile development philosophy.”
Aarno Aukia, CTO, VSHN AG: “We are very pleased to be Spryker’s official hosting partner in the future and to be able to assist customers in operating their online shops and other e-commerce solutions based on the innovative Spryker Commerce OS. Through our close collaboration, we want to deliver the highest level of quality and support for our customers and help them implement their digital business processes through our highly secure and scalable hosting platform.” VSHN and Spryker are already working together successfully in their first joint customer projects and the partnership will be further expanded in the long term.
About Spryker
Spryker Systems develops the Spryker Commerce OS – a unique e-commerce operating system for the post-desktop and post-shop era The rapidly growing number of user devices results in an increasing complexity of the customer journey. Spryker Commerce OS enables companies to develop highly individualised digital business models for B2C and B2B that reach customers through all digital touch points. Within short time frames, Spryker Commerce OS allows companies to implement new customer interfaces via frontend applications, such as the desktop shop, mobile apps, IoT scenarios, blockchain technologies or bot and voice integrations. This enables businesses to realise customer-centric sources of revenue without long lead times. Brands and manufacturers including Tom Tailor, Hilti or A.T.U are using Spryker Commerce OS. The Spryker Systems team is based in Berlin and Hamburg. You can find more information about Spryker Commerce OS on the official website of Spryker Systems GmbH and on Twitter.
About VSHN – The DevOps Company
VSHN AG is the leading Swiss partner for DevOps, Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift and 24/7 Cloud Operations. VSHN helps software developers run their applications agile and 24/7 on any infrastructure while relieving the burden on IT operations. Since 2014, we are serving more than 900 servers in 20 different clouds as well as on-premises at customer locations with a total of more than 62’000 services for 300 different customers and partners. We are ISO 27001 certified and work to the strict FINMA guidelines to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer information at all times. With APPUiO.ch, we have created a Red Hat OpenShift based Swiss container platform, where we can offer Managed Services as a PaaS solution (Platform-as-a-Service) on any infrastructure: public, dedicated, private and on-premises. At VSHN, we believe in openness and transparency, so we let you decide where to store your data (we call this multi-cloud strategy). Either locally in your own data center (on-premise) or at a cloud provider location of your choice. Take a look at our services and learn more about our services and how we can possibly support you. Follow us on Twitter and don’t miss any news.
Markus Speth
Marketing, Communications, People
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VSHN wins tender for hosting the Swiss Linked Data Platform
24. Jul 2018
We are happy to announce that VSHN has won the tender for hosting the Swiss Linked Data Platform of the Swiss Federal Archives.
What is the purpose of opendata.swiss?
opendata.swiss is the Swiss authorities’ portal for open – i.e. freely available – data. It is part of the Federal Council’s Open Government Data Strategy for Switzerland 2014-2018. The Confederation, cantons and communes as well as other organisations with a mandate from the state publish their open data on opendata.swiss. The portal brings together a wide range of datasets such as Swiss communal boundaries, population statistics, current weather data, historical documents and health insurance premiums. All the datasets can be downloaded free of charge and exploited. You can find more details about opendata.swiss here.
About Opendata.ch
Opendata.ch is the official support association of opendata.swiss and the Swiss section of the Open Knowledge Foundation.
Opendata.ch develops positions and projects and contributes them to the media. The goal is to make data publicly, freely available and usable for more transparency, innovation and efficiency – that’s Open Data.
The Swiss Federal Archives preserve the documentation of government actions and make it accessible. This enables the administration to account for its activities and work more efficiently. For the public and researchers alike, archiving is essential for the formation of independent, critical opinions in a democratic state under the rule of law. Research in the Federal Archives can be carried out online or on site. More information about the Swiss Federal Archives can be found on their official website or on Twitter.
Purpose of the tender
The Swiss Federal Archives and the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN have agreed to cooperate closely on the establishment, operation and further development of a productive Linked Data Platform. The Swiss Federal Archives and the FOEN prepared the tender documents for the ‘Linked Data Platform’ in close collaboration, the overall WTO tender was lead by the Swiss Federal Archives.
The Swiss Federal Archives has been looking for a competent, reliable and high-performance service provider who can provide the required service organization in close cooperation with the client, successfully migrate existing data from the legacy system and then operate the Triplestore infrastructure in regular operation.
Why was VSHN AG selected?
At the invitation to tender held by the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (FOBL) as an organizer, VSHN AG was able to convince both regarding the good fulfillment of the qualitative requirements and the overall good price / performance ratio. We are very pleased that we will be ensuring the service operation as well as the support throughout the entire performance period of the Swiss Linked Data Platform and to provide further consulting and integration services on behalf of the client.
On the software side, Stardog will be used, the leading Enterprise Knowledge Graph software. Of course, we are also very pleased to be working with Stardog Union to make this project a joint success.
VSHN AG (pronounced ˈvɪʒn like “vision”) is Switzerland’s leading DevOps, Docker, Kubernetes, Openshift and 24/7 cloud operations partner. Since 2014 we support >300 customers & partners operating >900 servers in 20+ different clouds and on-premises with >62000 combined monitored services. We are ISO 27001 certified and work in accordance with the strict FINMA guidelines to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer data at all times. Companies such as Adcubum, Avectris, Generali, Die Schweizerische Post, hitobito, HRM Systems, die Mobiliar, Sherpany, SIX Group, Sobrado, Starticket and many more already trust in our services.
Markus Speth
Marketing, Communications, People
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VSHN will run the OpenShift platform for the next evolution of the Australian GovCMS
19. Jul 2018
VSHN AG will build and operate the OpenShift platform for amazee.io and Salsa Digital to host the next evolution of GovCMS for the Australian Department of Finance.
amazee.io + Salsa Digital + VSHN
amazee.io and Salsa Digital signed a three-year contract with the Australian Department of Finance to build the next evolution of GovCMS, the Drupal-based content management system used by the Australian Government and VSHN will operate the OpenShift platform and ensure highly available 24/7 operation in close collaboration with them.
In February 2018, the Australian Department of Finance approached the market through a Request for Proposal to continue to operate GovCMS, a content management system based on Drupal. Salsa Digital and amazee.io were selected to build the next evolution of the CMS and VSHN will operate and manage the underlying OpenShift platform to ensure a smooth and high available 24/7 operation of the hosting platform.
GovCMS websites will operate in a fully containerised environment which will reduce and simplify agency development efforts, with the same setup and configuration across environments. All SaaS websites will be highly available, with a guaranteed uptime of 99.99% and have self-healing capabilities. PaaS websites can elect for the higher availability option.
You can find more details in the original press release of the Australian Department of Finance here.
Open Source
The new solution will bring GovCMS onto an open source platform making the entire technology stack open source for the first time. Salsa Digital, amazee.io and VSHN share the values of open source and transparency.
Container based hosting platform based on Lagoon
Existing sites on GovCMS, as well as new government agencies on-boarding, will benefit from a fully open source and container based hosting platform.
Together we will be providing GovCMS with a modern hosting solution based on Lagoon. Lagoon is everything you’ve come to expect from Docker in a Drupal-friendly environment. It is made up of a system of microservices that take code, create Docker Images, push the images into OpenShift/Kubernetes, and monitor deployments.
Lagoon allows developers to develop locally with Docker, with the exact same Docker images and Containers running in production in Kubernetes. This eliminates all of the hassle that comes with different versions or configurations. If it runs locally, it will run in production.
The decision to use Lagoon, coming from the Australian Department of Finance, clearly shows the need for open source platforms in the hosting market. Open source has been at the heart of all we do, and amazee.io was built on the idea that hosting should no longer be the one place in web development where open source solutions weren’t available. This is an incredible day for open source and we are excited to be a part of it.’
The original amazee.io media release can be found here.
OpenShift is an open source project by Red Hat, which expands the open source components Docker and Kubernetes through a web based administration interface and the ‘source to image’ (source code to container image) process. With OpenShift, you can centralize the creation of containers to ensure successful testing and to automate deployment to make sure that it isn’t depending on individuals.
Why VSHN?
Thanks to our many years of experience in setting up and operating large-scale and high available OpenShift platforms, we are of course very pleased to be able to secure and manage the 24/7 operation of GovCMS for the Australian Ministry of Finance for Salsa Digital and amazee.io.
Companies such as Adcubum, Die Schweizerische Post, hitobito, HRM Systems, die Mobiliar, Sherpany, SIX, Sobrado, Starticket and many more already trust in our services.
VSHN and amazee.io
VSHN and Amazee Labs, the creators of amazee.io, have been partners since 2015 to offer a new and efficient infrastructure for hosting Drupal. VSHN supported with consulting, engineering and the operation of the servers and through our collaboration, we laid the technological foundation for the future of Drupal hosting. More in-depth information about our partnership with Amazee Labs can be found here.
Salsa Digital will deliver program, application, and support services, and amazee.io will provide the platform and hosting supported by VSHN who will provide OpenShift management. Salsa Digital is an Australian based digital agency with a legacy in Drupal and open source, and key contributor to the open government movement.
About VSHN AG
VSHN (pronounced ˈvɪʒn like “vision”) is Switzerland’s leading DevOps, Docker, Kubernetes, Openshift and 24/7 cloud operations partner. Since 2014 we support >300 partners operating >900 servers in the cloud and on-premises with >62000 combined monitored services and are also ISO 27001 certified to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer data.
In addition to close collaboration and consulting we also take on the responsibility for the stability of our services including 24/7 support. We believe in openness and sharing of know how, experience and code (open source).
APPUiO
We also created APPUiO.ch, the Swiss container platform based on Red Hat OpenShift, where we provide managed services on a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) on any infrastructure: public, dedicated, private and on-premises. Reliable open source concepts such as Docker and Kubernetes allow you to develop, operate and scale your application according to your needs. With APPUiO, your applications can be operated both on public clouds as well as on in-house data centers. The platform was originally built by the two IT specialists Puzzle ITC and VSHN AG to professionalize internal IT. Today, APPUiO is already used in production by several customers and supported by a strong community.
Der Jahreswechsel ist ein guter Moment, um auf das vergangene Jahr zurück zu blicken: VSHN ist im 2017 mehrere Male positiv in der Presse aufgefallen: Ende Juni 2017 sind wir in der ISG Provider Lens Switzerland 2017 Studie der Experton Group namentlich als “neue Anbieter in die Analyse aufgenommen worden, die im Markt an Bedeutung gewonnen haben”. Diese Studie wurde ebenfalls von InsideChannels.ch und IT-daily.net zitiert und verbreitet. Mitte August 2017 hat unser Cloud-Partner Exoscale.ch einen langen Artikel zu OpenShift und VSHN veröffentlicht. Ende August veröffentlichte Computerworld.ch das Ranking der stärksten ICT-Firmen der Schweiz, die VSHN ist von Platz 551 (2016) auf Platz 513 (2017) aufgestiegen. Gemäss Computerworld sind wir das am drittmeisten nach Prozentpunkten wachsende Unternehmen der Schweiz hinter zwei durch Fusionen und Übernahmen stark gewachsenen Firmen.
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