Name

SWITCH

Legal name

Stiftung Switch

Website

https://switch.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Infrastructure Services

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Management & Automation for Switching (Provisioning/Telemetry) (HDAFAAAK)

Keywords

• DNS firewall services
• Domain registry management
• Research network infrastructure
• Incident response CERT
• Digital identity platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Domain Registry Services: Switch manages .ch and .li domain names globally, operating as the registry under contract with OFCOM (Federal Office of Communications). The new contract for continued management enters into force on 1 January 2027.
2. Cybersecurity Services: Switch provides cybersecurity services including DNS Firewall, incident response, threat intelligence, and detection services to universities, banks, energy sector, and critical infrastructure organisations.
3. Cloud Services: Comprehensive cloud solutions combining operations and data services for Swiss higher education institutions with strict Swiss security standards compliance.
4. Digital Identity Services: Innovative digital identity technologies for university members and users across Swiss universities with lifelong learning support and Swiss data protection compliance.
5. Research Network Services: Switch LAN connects Swiss universities with each other and the internet, providing data network infrastructure and optimal usage services since 1989.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SWITCH operates Switzerland's national digital infrastructure for education and research, including the contracted registry for all .ch and .li internet domain names, a dedicated national CERT for cybersecurity incident response, the Switch DNS Firewall security service, encrypted Public DNS resolution (DoT/DoH), the Switch LAN research network connecting Swiss universities, and managed Cloud Services and cross-university Digital Identity services. The portfolio is delivered under a non-profit foundation model to Swiss universities, the broader research community, the Swiss internet community, and critical infrastructure organisations in finance, energy, industry and logistics.

Product overview

Switch is a non-profit Swiss foundation established in 1987 that provides critical digital infrastructure and services for Switzerland's education, research, and innovation communities, as well as the broader Swiss internet community. The organization's core offerings include the management of the .ch and .li internet domain registry, the Switch CERT cybersecurity team, DNS Firewall security services, Public DNS resolution, Cloud Services, Digital Identity solutions, Research Network infrastructure, and various community platforms including eduhub for e-learning. The product portfolio operates as an integrated ecosystem where the Registry Services form the foundational domain management layer, the DNS Firewall and Public DNS services provide security and resolution capabilities, Cyber Security services offer incident response and threat intelligence, and the Community Portal serves as the unified access point for customers. Additional offerings include Open Data services for domain statistics, event programs like ICT Focus, Forum Day, and Human Centred Security Day, and tools like the Reputation Checker and Security Engagement Kit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Switch DNS Firewall: DNS Firewall service that provides protection by blocking access to infected or malicious websites through DNS response policy zones (RPZ).
• Switch Public DNS
• Switch CERT
• Switch Digital Identity

Products and services

• Registry Services (.ch and .li Domain Management) Contracted registry operation for all .ch and .li internet domain names globally, including DNSSEC signing, DNS Health Reports checking name server reachability and compliance, and controlled zone file access for authorized parties.
• Switch DNS Firewall DNS-based security service that allows organisations to overwrite DNS responses to block access to infected or malicious domains, delivered via RPZ feed modules, an educational landing page for blocked users, and Malware-Alert notifications.
• Switch Public DNS Free public encrypted DNS resolver service supporting DNS over TLS (DoT) on port 853/TCP and DNS over HTTPS (DoH) on port 443/TCP, with DNSSEC validation, DNS Query Name Minimisation, and DNS Firewall blocking of malicious sites, available to any user with business users asked to contact SWITCH first.
• Switch CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) Independent national center of expertise for information security providing incident response, threat intelligence, threat hunting, malware analysis, and domain security for universities, critical infrastructure organisations, and the Swiss internet community.
• Cyber Security Services Comprehensive IT security services including incident response, threat intelligence, threat hunting, malware analysis, and domain security, delivered to Swiss universities, the domain registry, banks, industry, logistics, and the energy sector.
• Cloud Services Managed cloud solutions combining operations and data services for Swiss higher education and research institutions, designed to comply with strict Swiss security and data protection standards.
• Switch Digital Identity Cross-university digital identity service for university members and other users that works across all Swiss universities, never expires, supports lifelong learning, and ensures data remains in Switzerland under the Swiss Data Protection Act.
• Switch Research Network (Switch LAN) Switch LAN research network connecting Swiss universities with each other and with the internet since 1989, providing data network infrastructure and supporting services for optimal usage by the research and education community.
• eduhub (Swiss Higher Education E-Learning Community) Community platform and annual conference dedicated to e-learning, teaching, technology, and didactics for Swiss higher education institutions, including the eduhub Days conference series.

Quantifiable outcome

• Switch DNS Firewall blocking malicious domains
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and strategic.

• Swiss Internet Security Alliance (SISA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSISA vision is to make Switzerland the most secure internet country in the world. iBarry platform backed by SISA provides trustworthy information and self-help tools for Swiss internet users.
• CERNmajorTechnology or IntegrationCERN uses Switch DNS Firewall since Q4 2015 for pro-actively preventing user community from accessing malicious domain names and phishing websites.
• École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)majorTechnology or IntegrationEPFL has used Switch DNS Firewall since July 2017 with 16,000 users, describing it as a smart and straightforward solution complementing existing security.
• University of BernmajorTechnology or IntegrationUniversity of Bern has used Switch DNS Firewall since 2015 with 21,000 users, finding it easy to integrate, low-maintenance, and effective at preventing phishing and malware.
• JiscstrategicTechnology or IntegrationJisc uses Switch DNS Firewall data feeds for protective DNS service supporting over 300 UK Higher and Further Education organisations with 2.7 million users.
• Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOFCOM has decided to continue working with Switch foundation to manage the .ch internet domain. New contract enters into force on 1 January 2027 based on operational continuity, security requirements, and satisfaction among market participants.
• National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)coreTechnology or IntegrationSwitch CERT works closely with the federal government's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as one of two national CERTs in Switzerland.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Jisc: UK National Research and Education Network providing digital, data, and cyber security services to UK universities and colleges. Direct peer because Switch supplies DNS Firewall data feeds to Jisc's Janet Network Resolver Service, both operate the same protective-DNS-plus-registry-plus-community model, and both serve national academic communities with comparable service portfolios.
• SURF: Dutch NREN and cooperative providing research network, cloud, identity, and security services to Dutch education and research institutions. Comparable as a national, member-driven organization delivering the same combined network/cloud/security/identity stack to a country's higher-education sector.
• Internet2: US non-profit computer networking consortium serving research and education. Comparable as a national-scale non-profit delivering research network, identity federation (InCommon), and security services to universities and research organizations.
• CANARIE: Canadian NREN providing research network, identity, and collaboration tools to Canadian universities and colleges. Comparable national non-profit model with research networking plus a growing portfolio of cybersecurity and identity services.

Broad incumbents

• GÉANT: Pan-European research and education networking organization interconnecting Europe's NRENs. Comparable because Switch is a member/contributor and operates at the same layer (research networking, trust, identity, security) but at continental rather than national scope.
• Cloudflare: Global cloud provider whose 1.1.1.1 public DNS resolver and DNS Firewall/RPZ-style threat feeds compete directly with Switch's Public DNS and DNS Firewall offerings. Comparable as a commercial incumbent in the DNS and protective-DNS market that Switch also addresses, especially for users outside Switzerland.

Regional players

• DFN-Verein: German research network association providing the X-WiN backbone, DFN-Cloud, and CERT services to German universities. Highly comparable service portfolio (network + cloud + security + identity) for the German academic market; serves a different country than Switch.
• RENATER: French national research and education network offering connectivity, identity federation, and security services to French higher education. Comparable non-profit, government-affiliated NREN serving a national academic constituency with overlapping security and identity offerings.
• AARNet: Australian NREN providing high-capacity research network, cloud, and cyber security services to Australian universities and research institutions. Comparable as a non-profit NREN with a similar mixed research-network/security/cloud service mix, but operating in a different geography.

Emerging players

• Okta: Identity and access management platform increasingly used by European universities. Comparable because Switch Digital Identity competes for the same SSO/federation/identity-lifecycle use case in Swiss higher education, though Okta is a global commercial SaaS rather than a domestic non-profit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SWITCH_ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/switch-switzerland

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SWITCH