AR Informatik
AR Informatik AG, founded 2013 and jointly owned by the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden and its 20 municipalities, is the statutory shared IT service corporation delivering standardized workplace, infrastructure, applications, and digital government services to the canton administration, municipalities, hospitals, schools, police, and other public-law institutions in the canton.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersHerisau, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What AR Informatik does
AR Informatik AG (ARI) is a Swiss spezialgesetzliche AG (special-law corporation) founded in 2013 and jointly owned by the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden and its 20 municipalities, operating under a statutory mandate defined by the cantonal Law on eGovernment and IT (eGovG). Headquartered in Herisau, ARI functions as the sole shared IT service corporation for the canton administration, all 20 municipalities, the Spitalverbund Appenzell Ausserrhoden (SVAR) hospital group, schools, the Kantonspolizei, Assekuranz AR, and additional public-law institutions. Its service portfolio is organized into four categories: a standardized electronic workplace (the harmonized AP21 environment), IT infrastructure (network, servers, storage, cloud), project support and consulting, and business applications. Underlying technology centers on Microsoft 365 (Teams, Exchange Online, SharePoint), VMware Horizon virtual desktops, and a fully georedundant dual data center architecture across Herisau and Gais, hosting roughly 7,500 servers, 5,000 identities, and 6,400 endpoint devices across 3,001 customer sites. ARI also operates vertical-specific sub-products including newsystem public for civil registration and finance, Scolaris for school administration, NEST for cantonal tax, eUmzugCH for electronic move notifications, and a Managed-Cloud service hosting Assekuranz AR's core insurance application.
The company's commercial model is structured around mandated, recurring service fees for public-sector clients rather than open-market sales. Pricing is cost-covering, market-appropriate, and reported as the lowest among comparable cantonal IT service providers in an external benchmark; service levels are codified in a public service catalog (Servicekatalog 2026) covering electronic workplace, IT infrastructure, individual services, and applications. ARI holds ISO/IEC 27001:2013/COR 2:2015 certification since 2021, runs a CISO-led ISMS, and operates an LUCY-based cyber-awareness eLearning program. Recent strategic moves include the 2022 takeover of Assekuranz AR's IT base infrastructure with a managed-cloud offering, the 2024 launch of the mein.ar.ch citizen-services platform, and the 2025 launch of DIJAR implementing the national Justitia 4.0 digital-justice initiative. The Informatikstrategie-Kommission (IT Strategy Commission) — five canton and five municipal representatives plus the CEO and two external experts — provides strategic governance, and an early-2025 restructuring yielded an 83.3% customer satisfaction score in 2025 (up 4 percentage points year-over-year).
AR Informatik firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AR Informatik
- Legal name
- AR Informatik AG
- Website
- https://ari-ag.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- AR Informatik AG, founded 2013 and jointly owned by the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden and its 20 municipalities, is the statutory shared IT service corporation delivering standardized workplace, infrastructure, applications, and digital government services to the canton administration, municipalities, hospitals, schools, police, and other public-law institutions in the canton.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AR Informatik industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Sector IT Services
- NAICS
- Computer Facilities Management Services (541513), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategy & IT Advisory (BPAEAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Enterprise Architecture & IT Operating Model (BPAHAEAB), AV/Collaboration & Unified Communications Support (VoIP, Video, UCaaS) (BPAAACAJ)
Keywords
Where AR Informatik is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Herisau
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
AR Informatik business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- IT Services and Support: Recurring service fees for electronic workplace, IT infrastructure, service desk, and application management delivered to public sector clients under long-term service agreements
- Project-based Services: One-time project fees for digital transformation, process optimization, and system implementation projects
- Training Services: ICT training services offered through dedicated training portal (schulungen.ari-ag.ch)
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
AR Informatik product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AR Informatik AG provides IT infrastructure, electronic workplace, business applications, and project support services to the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, its 20 municipalities, hospitals, schools, cantonal police, and other public-law institutions under a statutory mandate. The offering centers on four service categories: standardized electronic workplace (AP21), IT infrastructure (network, servers, storage, cloud), project support/consulting, and business applications. Services are delivered from two georedundant data centers in Herisau and Gais with full 24/7 support.
Product overview
AR Informatik AG provides a comprehensive, modular IT services portfolio for the public sector in Appenzell Ausserrhoden. The offering centers on four main categories: Elektronischer Arbeitsplatz (standardized electronic workplace with hardware, identity management, and telephony), IT-Infrastruktur (network, servers, storage, cloud services), Projektunterstützung und Beratung (project support and consulting), and Geschäftsapplikationen (business applications). Key sub-products include newsystem® public for administration and finance, Scolaris for school administration, and NEST for tax management. Services are delivered from redundant data centers in Herisau and Gais with full georedundancy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Overall customer satisfaction at 83.3% in 2025, up 4 percentage points year-over-year
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use AR Informatik
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
AR Informatik technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
AR Informatik partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Omnissa (formerly VMware)coreProvides VMware Horizon virtual desktop infrastructure technology used by ARI for secure remote access and virtual workplace solutions. ARI distributes Horizon client download links to customers.
- TeamViewercoreRemote support tool used by ARI's Service Desk to provide remote assistance to customers. ARI distributes TeamViewer QuickSupport links for customer access.
- Informatikstrategie-Kommission (ISK)coreStrategic governance body comprising 5 canton representatives, 5 municipal representatives, ARI CEO, and 2 external experts. Develops joint IT strategy and reviews projects for canton and municipalities.
- Justitia 4.0 ConsortiumcoreNational consortium of cantonal justice directors (KKJPD), courts, and federal prosecution working on digital transformation of Swiss justice. ARI implementing DIJAR project for canton AR.
- SSGi (Swiss eGovernment Expertise)minorSwiss association for eGovernment expertise providing exchange and collaboration opportunities in digital public administration.
- DVS (Digitale Verwaltung Schweiz)minorSwiss association for digital public administration promoting exchange and best practices in government digitalization.
- itrockt.chminorRegional IT community organization in Appenzellerland. ARI participates in networking events including Kick football tournament.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
AR Informatik competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Inventx: Swiss IT services company focused on banking, insurance and public-sector clients with managed cloud, workplace and application services — overlapping ARI's managed-cloud and application-management capabilities.
- KAIO Informatik Aargau: Cantonal IT organization for the Canton of Aargau, providing shared IT infrastructure, workplace and application services to the canton, municipalities and affiliated public entities — directly comparable to ARI's statutory shared-services role.
- Bedag: Cantonal IT service provider for the Canton of Bern, offering workplace, infrastructure, application management and eGovernment services to public-sector clients — the closest functional analogue to ARI's eGovG-mandated model for another Swiss canton.
- itk hoch3 (IT- und Telekommunikationszentrale): Regional IT and telecommunications service provider supporting Swiss cantonal/municipal administrations with infrastructure and workplace services — comparable Swiss public-sector IT services provider in scope and customer type.
- Amt für Informatik Kanton St. Gallen: In-house IT organization of the Canton of St. Gallen serving the cantonal administration, municipalities and schools — a peer public-sector IT provider operating at the same cantonal scale as AR Informatik.
- Datahouse: Swiss IT services firm specializing in public-sector and regulated-industry customers with managed infrastructure, application and database services — closely comparable in customer type and managed-services delivery model.
Broad incumbents
- Swisscom: Switzerland's incumbent telecom and large IT services provider with a dedicated public-sector business serving cantons and municipalities — a much larger, broader incumbent that competes for some of the same Swiss eGovernment workloads as ARI.
- ELCA: Established Swiss IT consultancy and software firm delivering custom development, integration and managed services to public and private clients — competes in adjacent Swiss IT services categories but with a much broader portfolio than ARI's focused canton-mandate scope.
- Dataport: Public-sector IT service provider for several German state governments, offering workplace, data center and eGovernment services — a broader incumbent whose shared-services public-sector IT model mirrors ARI's cantonal utility.
Regional players
- Netrics: Swiss managed-services and cloud provider serving SMEs and public-sector clients with workplace, infrastructure and security services — a regional competitor in the same Swiss IT services market with overlapping capabilities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AR Informatik social profiles
Digital presenceAR Informatik compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
AR Informatik financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AR Informatik leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
AR Informatik funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AR Informatik M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AR Informatik
What does AR Informatik do?
AR Informatik AG provides IT infrastructure, electronic workplace, business applications, and project support services to the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, its 20 municipalities, hospitals, schools, cantonal police, and other public-law institutions under a statutory mandate. The offering centers on four service categories: standardized electronic workplace (AP21), IT infrastructure (network, servers, storage, cloud), project support/consulting, and business applications. Services are delivered from two georedundant data centers in Herisau and Gais with full 24/7 support.
Is AR Informatik a public or private company?
AR Informatik is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was AR Informatik founded?
AR Informatik was founded in 2013. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is AR Informatik based?
AR Informatik is headquartered in Herisau, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does AR Informatik make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. IT Services and Support is the primary driver. The others are project-based Services and training Services.
Who are AR Informatik's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Inventx, KAIO Informatik Aargau, Bedag, itk hoch3 (IT- und Telekommunikationszentrale), Amt für Informatik Kanton St. Gallen and Datahouse. Broad incumbents are Swisscom, ELCA and Dataport. Netrics is listed as a regional player.
Does AR Informatik have an API?
No public API is recorded for AR Informatik.
What industry is AR Informatik in?
AR Informatik's product category is Public Sector IT Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAAAA, Strategy & IT Advisory, with a secondary code of BPAHAEAB, Enterprise Architecture & IT Operating Model. Its NAICS code is 541513 and its SIC code is 7370.