Swiss Government Cloud
With the Swiss Government Cloud (SGC) project, a new cloud infrastructure tailored to the requirements and needs of the Confederation is to be set up at the Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT). The project will be carried out from 2025 to 2032.
Brief summary
Between 2025 and 2032, a new hybrid multi-cloud infrastructure tailored to the requirements and needs of the federal government is to be set up at the FOITT as part of the Swiss Government Cloud (SGC) project. It will consist of three levels. A guarantee credit of CHF 246.9 million has been requested for this purpose. In total, the project is expected to cost CHF 319.4 million. The SGC is designed to meet the requirements and needs of the federal authorities. However, cantons and communes should also be able to benefit from the service if they are interested. By contrast, no services will be provided for the private sector via the SGC.
Background
Digitalisation is increasing the demand for innovative IT solutions and calls for IT infrastructures that meet higher performance, reliability and security requirements. In order to respond to this development, the federal government intends to focus more on cloud solutions. To create the basis needed for this, the Federal Council adopted the Federal Administration's cloud strategy on 11 December 2020. This envisages a hybrid multi-cloud approach, which means that federal authorities should be able to obtain both internal federal cloud services and cloud services supplied by several external providers, and also combine them.
The federal government took a first step towards implementing the cloud strategy in 2022 with the ‹Public Clouds Bund› procurement procedure, which supplemented the Federal Administration's existing private cloud offering with public cloud offerings from external providers. The SGC is the next stage in the implementation of the cloud strategy.
Project content
With the SGC, it is planned to set up a new hybrid multi-cloud infrastructure tailored to the requirements and needs of the Confederation. Combining both public and private cloud offerings, it is to provide the Federal Administration with a uniform global solution for most of its cloud activities. It will also replace the FOITT's existing cloud offerings.
To ensure that the SGC can be developed and used in a targeted manner, a holistic approach is being pursued. Overall, investments in five key areas are planned:
Establishment of a hybrid multi-cloud infrastructure
At the heart of the project lies the creation of a hybrid multi-cloud infrastructure, consisting of three components:
Public Cloud
At the Public Cloud level, the SGC offers extensive functions, access to innovative solutions and a high degree of flexibility. The Public Cloud includes services from established public cloud providers that must be able to meet additional statutory and technical specifications.
Public Cloud Switzerland
At the Public Cloud Switzerland level, the SGC offers public cloud services from established public cloud providers with data storage and data processing in Switzerland – also to fulfil increased sovereignty requirements. It offers innovative cloud services and is ideal for building hybrid solutions.
Private Cloud Bund
At the Private Cloud Bund level, the SGC offers standardised services with a high level of control and transparency. Data is stored and processed in the federal government's data centres, which guarantees a high level of data and operational sovereignty.
Aside from the hybrid cloud infrastructure, the SGC also includes the expansion of the network infrastructure, the expansion of cybersecurity, a comprehensive range of advisory and training services and the automation of operational and commercial processes.
Expansion of the network infrastructure
The network infrastructure is crucial to the success of the digital transformation, as it forms the basis for all the services provided by the FOITT's current and future hybrid multi-cloud infrastructure. With the increased use of cloud services in the hybrid cloud model, the requirements for a modern network infrastructure are also changing, e.g. in terms of bandwidth availability, automation and security. For this reason, it is planned to expand the network infrastructure accordingly as part of the project.
Expansion of cybersecurity
The aim of cybersecurity is to prevent the misuse and disruption of the IT resources used to perform statutory tasks. However, the challenges in this regard have changed radically: while IT systems used to be operated centrally in data centres and workstations were located in federal buildings, today's technology enables employees to work anywhere and to access the federal network using various devices, a process in which the use of the public cloud is also growing in importance. Implementing the hybrid multi-cloud strategy therefore entails new cybersecurity challenges. In order to meet these challenges, the cybersecurity area for action will ensure that data protection is adapted to the new circumstances.
Operating and commercial processes
The growing momentum in the digitalisation environment requires industrialised and highly automated solutions for the technical operation of the hybrid multi-cloud environment (operating processes) and for order processing (commercial processes). Consequently, the entire process chain will be analysed, adapted and, where possible, automated within the framework of the operating and commercial processes area for action.
Training, consulting and governance
Administrative units must be able to use the SGC in a secure, efficient and targeted manner. The training, consulting and governance area for action will ensure that comprehensive support is available for the use of the hybrid multi-cloud environment if needed. To this end, training and advisory services will be developed and SGC-wide cloud governance established.
Benefits
When using cloud services, it is always necessary to weigh up various requirements in the areas of data protection, information security, digital sovereignty, functionality and cost efficiency. With its three-part solution, the SGC can cover the various requirements and needs of the administrative units to the extent necessary. SGC-wide governance will ensure that solutions operated in the SGC can be integrated into the federal system landscape as easily as possible, thereby reducing costs and allowing valuable resources to be invested in the digitalisation of business processes.
Furthermore, by providing access to innovation, the SGC will enable the Confederation to reap the benefits of digitalisation. Its digital resilience will also be strengthened, as customers will be able to respond quickly to new developments in the business environment thanks to appropriate cloud-based solutions. Regular investment will help ensure that the SGC also meets the Confederation's digitalisation needs in the long term. Data protection and information security are key core requirements for the future IT infrastructure and are therefore given priority. Overall, the SGC will establish an appropriate technical basis for efficiently implementing the main upcoming digitalisation projects of the federal government, and thus make an essential contribution to its digital transformation.
Cantons, cities and communes shall also be able to benefit from the service if they are interested. By contrast, no services will be provided for the private sector via the SGC.
Timeframe
The project will be carried out from 2025 to 2032. The first functionalities of the individual measures should be available as early as 2026. From 2027, the volume of functionalities that can be used productively must be sufficient to start migrating specialist applications from the FOITT's existing cloud infrastructures. The migration work is expected to be completed four years after the first migration. Optimisation and further development work will be carried out on the SGC during the migration and through to the end of the project in 2032, so as to ensure that the solution remains fit for purpose and innovative.
Financial implications
A guarantee credit of CHF 246.9 million has been requested. In total, the project is expected to cost CHF 319.4 million, which also includes the FOITT's own work and investments over the entire duration of the programme, as well as expenditure that will be incurred already in 2024 for preparatory work.
No additional internal resources are planned for the SGC.
Index
The SGC in the context of the Federal Administration's cloud strategy
The SGC is based directly on the Federal Administration's cloud strategy adopted by the Federal Council on 11 December 2020. It is the result of the implementation of this strategy at the FOITT. It constitutes a global solution for most of the Federal Administration's cloud activities and in the future will cover its cloud levels I, II and III.
