Company:Infomaniak
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| Type | SA |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet |
| Fate | 1990: creation of the computer club 1994: opening of the shop Early 1996: internet access provider Early 2000: hosting |
| Predecessor | Siegenthaler & Lucchi, TWS Infomaniak |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Boris Siegenthaler, Fabian Lucchi |
| Headquarters | , |
| Services |
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| Revenue |
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Number of employees | 200 |
| Website | 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.
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]
References
- ↑ Seydtaghia, Anouch (11 February 2016). "Infomaniak accélère sa diversification". Le Temps. https://www.letemps.ch/economie/2016/02/11/infomaniak-accelere-diversification.
- ↑ Praz, Nathalie (March 2014). "Dans l'antre romand des geeks". Focus PME. http://issuu.com/ineditpublications/docs/focus_pme_03_2014_light.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Boris, Siegenthaler (2013). "Historique d'Infomaniak". https://www.infomaniak.com/documents/Historique_Infomaniak.pdf.
- ↑ "Swisscom et Sunrise concluent un premier accord tarifaire". Le Temps. 6 November 1997. http://beta.letempsarchives.ch/page/JDG_1997_11_06/13/article/9600387/monopole%20swisscom.
- ↑ "Basic diffuse sur le net le meilleur des musiques électroniques". Le Temps. 22 May 1998. https://www.letemps.ch/no-section/1998/05/22/radio-basic-diffuse-net-meilleur-musiques-electroniques.
- ↑ "Infomaniak Network". Remix Jobs. 2015. https://remixjobs.com/.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 RTS.ch (19 January 2015). "T.T.C. (Toutes taxes comprises)". https://pages.rts.ch/emissions/ttc/6367960-le-cout-du-terrorisme-tsunami-monetaire.html#6367962.
- ↑ "Des Geeks et des lettres". http://desgeeksetdeslettres.com.
- ↑ "Charte écologique infomaniak". Infomaniak Network. 2007. https://www.infomaniak.com/fr/environnement/charte-ecologique.
- ↑ "Russie.fr s'engage dans le green IT". 26 June 2012. https://www.greenit.fr/2012/06/26/russie-fr-s-engage-dans-le-green-it/.
- ↑ "Infomaniak Entertainment SA Carouge GE – Moneyhouse". http://www.moneyhouse.ch/fr/u/infomaniak_entertainment_sa_CH-660.2.138.010-1.htm.
- ↑ Praz, Nathalie (2014). "La success-story d'un geek romand". Focus PME. http://issuu.com/ineditpublications/docs/focus_pme_03_2014_light.
- ↑ "Infomaniak : 14% d'augmentation du chiffre d'affaires en 2014". Cominmag. 14 April 2015. http://www.cominmag.ch/infomaniak-14-daugmentation-du-chiffre-daffaires-en-2014/.
- ↑ "Bourse, prix et distinction : lauréats 2015 | Agenda 21 – République et canton de Genève (Suisse) – ge.ch". Canton of Geneva. 2015. http://ge.ch/agenda21/actualites/bourse-prix-distinction-laureats-2015.
- ↑ "Première suisse: Infomaniak équipe ses Datacenters avec des disques durs SSD / Amélioration significative des performances". presseportal.ch. 23 November 2015. http://www.presseportal.ch/fr/pm/100057093/100780861.
- ↑ Legrand, David (1 February 2016). "Let's Encrypt disponible chez Infomaniak : comment activer un certificat SSL/TLS gratuit". Next INpact. http://www.nextinpact.com/news/97897-lets-encrypt-disponible-chez-infomaniak-comment-activer-certificat-ssltls-gratuit.htm.
- ↑ "Infomaniak is top of mind in Switzerland, emerged from unconventional roots – Interview with Boris Siegenthaler, CEO of Infomaniak". 28 March 2016. https://hostadvice.com/blog/infomaniak-interview/.
- ↑ updated, George Phillips last (2025-06-04). "Privacy providers clash over controversial proposals to change Swiss encryption law" (in en). https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/vpns/infomaniak-breaks-rank-and-comes-out-in-support-of-controversial-swiss-encryption-law.
- ↑ updated, Chiara Castro last (2025-06-06). "Cloud service Infomaniak steps up fight with Proton over controversial Swiss surveillance law" (in en). https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/cloud-service-infomaniak-steps-up-fight-with-proton-over-controversial-swiss-surveillance-law.
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