INFORMATION AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

Keeping up with digital developments

Having played host to the creation of the World Wide Web back in 1989, Switzerland can truly say that it has been dynamic in the digital domain for a number of decades. The country certainly did not wait for the 4.0 revolution to lay a solid foundation in this field.

The state of Vaud has played a pioneering role in this respect, hosting the establishment of Elca Informatique in 1968, Logitech in 1981, and then large-scale data centers at the turn of the millennium. Vaud is something of a digital safe and provides an ideal framework to carry out secure digital activities, as illustrated by Safe Host and Brainserve which are both based in the canton.

In terms of the development of technology, start-ups and multinationals alike can count on the canton of Vaud’s expertise in terms of research laboratories and world-renowned institutions of further education. A number of the latter, namely the EPFL, the HEIG-VD, and the UNIL, bring together significant forces in the ITC sector. The EPFL alone has two centers dedicated to data science – the Swiss Data Science Center and EcoCloud –not forgetting the brand new Center for Digital Trust, which is the first institution of its kind in cybersecurity.

Digital companies in Vaud develop products and services in extremely diverse domains, ranging from cybersecurity, fintech, digital health, smart factories and cities, to wearable technology and e-tourism.