The need to work flexibly, and not tied to a specific location, will not go away or fade in the same way as "Corona". It is becoming apparent that, for many, this form of work is set to become a permanent feature of work arrangements, over and above the classic home office. This confronts an employer with complex organizational, legal and technical security challenges. The article by Yves Gogniat provides a brief overview of the legal framework that an employer must observe if she wants to allow remote work. Unfortunately, there is no simple yes or no for remote work; because remote work can be structured differently depending on the company. In addition, industry-specific differences must be taken into account (e.g. due to regulations or the like).

Article by Yves Gogniat concerning National Councillor Daniela Schneeberger's motion, which is heading in the wrong direction. If you read the Accounting Ordinance carefully, you will realise that a digital signature already isn't necessary to keep the accounts electronically. Much would already be possible today. Rather, there is a lack of uniform practice.

Alexander Hofmann's practice note (for Thomson Reuters) regarding the Swiss banking secrecy law has received its annual update (first published in February 2018).

The use of cloud solutions is steadily increasing. In regulated sectors particularly, there are framework conditions that have to be taken into account for the use of cloud services. At the webinar with AWK Group AG on 16 March 2022, our senior advisors Christian Laux and Alexander Hofmann explained what needs to be taken into account.

Very often, those discussing Digital Sovereignty want data to be stored in Switzerland. Sometimes, the term is linked to the demand that data is only secure on IT infrastructures owned by the controller oft the data (and some even want the federal government to operate such a structure). In his Lex Laux on inside-it.ch, Christian Laux mentions the basic work of the Swiss Data Alliance. These show that the concept of digital sovereignty is consistently used very inconsistently. The Swiss Data Alliance is planning a working group to develop a definition of terms in this area.

Our Advisor Yves Gogniat has summarized the changes regarding international data transfer in the current issue of the it-business magazine (4/2021). In the wake of the Schrems II ruling, the EU has introduced new standard contractual clauses. Subsequently, the FDPIC has also adapted its guidelines, which is why most Swiss companies should review their transfers too.

In the 2021 winter session, the two chambers of the Swiss parliament will once again be dealing with various IT law topics. We provide an overview. The IT infrastructure of MeteoSwiss is to be expanded so that the entire application landscape is transferred to cloud providers. It will be discussed whether more competences are needed at federal level to defend against the dangers of cyber-attacks (ransomware attacks, etc.).

Christian Laux has contributed to the SATW Technology Outlook 2021 with a short piece on Digital Trust (p. 82). The Technology Outlook 2021 is an important format of the Swiss Academy of Technical Sciences, SATW. It educates about important trends in Tech. With that approach, it operates very much similarly as a travel guide. Why? "A travel guide is a publication that will tell you about places you want to visit", Christian suggests. It will prepare the reader about places he or she will visit in the future. As the Technology Outlook informs about Tech that is about to come, it also is sort of a travel guide. If you feel ready for this trip, dive into the Technology Outlook 2021 and learn more.

Attacks by cyber criminals have become an everyday reality. In many cases, companies are the direct target. However, businesses and their reputation can also be indirectly affected when individuals are attacked. In their article in the current issue of Computerworld, Marc Feldmann and Alexander Hofmann point out possible approaches how to react.