The current geo-political and trade situation, characterized by protectionist measures from the US government, is causing uncertainty in Switzerland and throughout Europe – including with regard to digital infrastructure. At the same time, many people around the world are using e-mail and Office services operated by a few American tech giants, bringing data protection, control and long-term availability increasingly into the spotlight.
More and more people are therefore wondering how they can become more independent digitally from overseas big-tech companies. In this article, we shed light on why it’s worth taking a closer look at your choice of provider for key work tools such as e-mail and Office applications.
The risks of centralized platforms
Many Swiss private users, companies, associations and the self-employed use services such as Gmail or a Microsoft solution such as Outlook or Office 365. These platforms are easily accessible, offer a wealth of features and are therefore widely used. However, this widespread use brings with it a growing number of problems and risks, as the infrastructure, data storage and range of functions are entirely in the hands of a few international corporations.
Anyone who ties all of their digital communication to a provider that relies exclusively on their own, closed systems puts themselves in a position in which they are technologically dependent. E-mails, calendars, documents and contacts are often so closely linked that switching to another service requires significant effort or loss of functionality.
This is referred to as “vendor lock-in”, as dependence on a single provider without open system standards means that it is virtually impossible for users to make the switch without losing time, money and possibly even data. This problem does not only affect large companies. For SMEs and the self-employed, switching to a new system may also involve a huge amount of effort – and this is exactly what some of these platform providers are aiming for.
A sudden price change, discontinuing manufacturer updates or even the loss of access to saved content upon termination of the contract are also conceivable negative scenarios. The consequences can be particularly severe if a provider is forced to restrict services because of political decisions in certain regions or for certain individuals.
Tip:
Hostpoint, with its “E-Mail & Cloud Office”, offers a trustworthy alternative to American services. The solution combines e-mail, Drive storage, calendar and task management, alongside collaboration on texts, spreadsheets and presentations in real time and much more. Thanks to this completely Swiss solution with data stored in Switzerland, users remain in control of their data and digital tools.
Fast, professional help and availability in the event of any questions or problems are just as important. Unlike many international providers, where support is often only available online in the form of a Help Center, our support team in Switzerland will provide you with personal support by phone or e-mail 7 days a week free of charge in four languages.
Who has access to my e-mails?
When deciding on a suitable provider to choose, the location of the data is often underestimated. This is because even e-mails often contain personal and business-critical information – from offers to confidential contract documents. For international providers based in the USA, it is often unclear where exactly the data is stored and who can access it.
As a US company, a provider such as Microsoft is primarily subject to American law. This also applies if it operates in Switzerland or stores data physically in Europe. Obligations under the Swiss Data Protection Act take a back seat when US laws such as the CLOUD Act apply. The “Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act” allows US authorities to access data from US providers even if the data is physically stored in Europe.
Regardless of legal access rights, there is also the issue of internal company data processing. Providers such as Microsoft state that they do not evaluate the content of e-mails in order to improve their products. However, it is often unclear which metadata is nevertheless automatically analyzed or linked to other services.
With free services in particular, you should pay close attention to exactly how the service is financed and whether data flows are generated that are beyond the control of users. In this way, a seemingly free service quickly becomes a model in which the user pays with their data.
Recommendation:
You can find out more about this in the article “Where are my e-mails?”, which explains in detail the legal and technical issues as well as risks that may arise after updating Outlook to the latest version.
More control with Swiss solutions
Platforms operated in Switzerland are subject to Swiss data protection legislation and Swiss law. This means clear rules and no access by foreign authorities, except in clearly defined exceptional cases, if a Swiss authority approves this as part of a formal legal assistance procedure under Swiss law. Hostpoint stores and processes all information exclusively in Switzerland. The service is paid for directly and not with the disclosure of personal data.
We also deliberately rely on open source protocols such as IMAP, CalDAV or CardDAV. This makes Hostpoint’s E-Mail & Cloud Office compatible with a variety of programs, while reducing dependency on individual platforms – therefore giving users control over their own data. Common platforms such as MS Outlook or Gmail only support these standards to a limited or incomplete extent, which makes it difficult to integrate them into alternative tools.
Switching to an e-mail and Office provider that operates in Switzerland is worthwhile for anyone who values independence, transparency, data protection and a reliable legal framework in Switzerland. This applies in particular to:
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SMEs that want to handle their communications securely and in compliance with the law
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Organizations and associations responsible for personal data
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Self-employed people and consultants who rely on flexibility and open standards
Digital sovereignty starts with choosing the right tools. If you want to rely on a Swiss solution, Hostpoint E-Mail & Cloud Office is a reliable and data-protection-compliant alternative to foreign providers on the market. The services are aimed at anyone who wants to design their digital communication confidently and flexibly with data stored in Switzerland, open standards and personal support.
