Infomaniak

Infomaniak is a Swiss technology company offering sustainable and privacy-focused online services. It is Switzerland's largest cloud computing company,^[1] also offering cloud storage and webmail services, through kSuite.

Infomaniak

Company type	SA
Industry	Internet
Predecessor	Siegenthaler & Lucchi, TWS Infomaniak
Founded	1994
Founder	Boris Siegenthaler, Fabian Lucchi
Fate	1990: creation of the computer club 1994: opening of the shop Early 1996: internet access provider Early 2000: hosting
Headquarters	Geneva , Switzerland
Services	kSuite tools Cloud computing Domain registrar Web hosting Website builder
Revenue	CHF 26M (2020) CHF 21M (2019)
Number of employees	200
Website	infomaniak.com

History

The company started as a user group founded in 1990 by Boris Siegenthaler in the Canton of Geneva, offering a bulletin board system to its members. In 1994, Siegenthaler and fellow developer Fabian Lucchi opened the Siegenthlaer & Lucchi computer store in the Genevan suburb of Châtelaine. They offered low-cost, custom-built computers – acting as an alternative to the larger distributors available at the time.^[2] The same year, the pair purchased a modem and 64 kbs line, becoming the first privately owned Internet service provider in the canton (after CERN and the University of Geneva). From 1995 on and for a few months, the store offered complimentary internet access to all customers who purchased a computer with them.^[3] In May 1997, Infomaniak became a fully-fledged ISP with the creation of TWS Infomaniak SA – the company developed its offer based on low-cost internet access and web-hosting services alongside its staple of computer equipment retail.^[3]

On 1 January 1998, the Swiss state monopoly on telecom services came to an end and new providers were allowed onto the Swiss market.^[4] Sunrise, a joint-venture between Tele Danmark and BT, started offering free internet access services, forcing the company to revise its strategy: in 1999, TWS Infomaniak was reincorporated to create Infomaniak Network. They specialised in web-hosting services for private users and small and medium-sized enterprises, including basic.ch, the first Swiss web radio.^[5]

By 2003, Infomaniak was the largest web-host in Western Switzerland, and by July 2005, it was the largest web-radio broadcaster in Western Switzerland and France.^[6]

In 2007, the company created and launched their sustainability charter.^[7][8][9] As a result, it implemented a number of key measures including joining an ethical pension fund on behalf of its employees, a commitment to sustainable travel, and donating 1% of its annual revenue to a range of NGOs.^[7][10]

In 2010, the company created a subsidiary – Infomaniak Entertainment – marking the company's expansion into the ticketing, staff, and accreditation-management.^[11]

Infomaniak's main business remains as a webhost and registrar. In 2011, the company announced that they managed more than 100,000 domain names.^[12] They opened their third data centre in 2014. As with all their facilities, the new data centre was fully sustainable – using 100% renewable energy and low-voltage technologies. The centre was heralded as the "greenest there is in Switzerland" with a PUE under 1.1,^[13] which won the company the Geneva sustainability prize.^[14]

Infomaniak fully switched to SSD technology at the end of 2015.^[15] 2016 figures from the company suggest that it managed more than 200,000 domain names, 150,000 site, and 350 radio/TV stations. It also became one of the first web companies to implement the then new Let's Encrypt SSL Certificates.^[16]

According to CEO Boris Siegenthaler in 2016, Infomaniak's customer base was composed of businesses (70%) and individuals (30%), small to mid-sized businesses representing a significant portion of sales. Around 30% of customers came from France and Belgium, and the company had 60 employees.^[17]

Criticisms and controversies

Infomaniak has been criticized for controversial statements made in a Linkedin post by founder Boris Siegenthaler, where they opposed online anonymity, criticized free privacy services, and argued that requiring ID to use online services and mass metadata collection is acceptable.^[18] On TV and Radio, Communication Manager, Thomas Jacobsen, criticized the stance of privacy companies who publicly opposed a Swiss surveillance law, stating that their advocacy for online anonymity would "prevent justice from doing its work".^[19]