Swiss Post wants to be the champion of digitization
General manager Roberto Cirillo presented on Wednesday the digital challenges facing the yellow giant. The company wants to become a reliable data transmitter.
The postal electronic voting system should be back in service during the course of next year, confirmed the director general Roberto Cirillo.
KEYSTONE/Jean-Christophe Bott
Swiss Post is fine-tuning its corporate image as a champion of digitization, while remaining committed to its mission of universal service. Its managing director, Roberto Cirillo, wants to continue to make it a major player in the Swiss economic landscape.
The Director General of La Poste Roberto Cirillo led the visit of the cryptography center located in Neuchâtel in 2019.
KEYSTONE/Jean-Christophe Bott
With around fifty employees, the latter includes the cell of 10 computer engineers responsible for improving the electronic voting system that the Post Office suspended in 2019. Due to “bugs and not flaws”, wanted to specify Roberto Cirillo. The CEO has confirmed a return to operation in 2023.
No critical flaw
The skills center has been present in Neuchâtel since 1989. But the contribution of its activity in cryptography dates back only to 2019. “In a Neuchâtel environment favorable to technology” (note, in particular fintech), indicated the Ticino, happy to spend the day on Latin soil.
“The reward of 250,000 francs promised to anyone who discovers a critical flaw in the system remains available,” noted Baptiste Lanoix, head of the Post Office’s computer center in Neuchâtel. With digitization, the yellow giant intends to continue the mission entrusted to it 173 years ago.
Instead of delivering letters securely, the company wants to become a reliable transmitter of data. Hence the priority given to cybersecurity, in a world where the dangers accompanying digitization are growing. “The Post Office of tomorrow will always have to meet the need for privacy,” said Roberto Cirillo.
In the top 3
The yellow giant has to deal with some 10 million phishing and spam messages as well as 100 hacker attacks per month. Not to mention the 100% blocking of around 10,000 viruses. To achieve this, no less than 70 experts and 40 “champions” of the computer field keep an eye on the grain, they who also practice self-attacks.
A total of 1,250 people work in Swiss Post’s IT department, spread over eight sites across Switzerland. This allows the entity in the hands of the Confederation, to which it pays 50 million francs in dividends per year, to appear in the top 3 of companies in the sector, underlined the managing director.
Beyond that, Roberto Cirillo, in place for three years, wants to combine the physical and the digital, recalling that 300,000 to 400,000 people still visit a counter daily. At the same time, between 140,000 and 150,000 “logins” are registered. La Poste must adapt to changing demand, he added.
job provider
Four major expectations are set by the customer: ever shorter delivery times, 24/7 services (the Neuchâtel IT site is also developing parcel distribution machines), user-friendly digital offers and a offer to be able to vote and elect online.
The managing director again highlighted the economic role played by the yellow giant. In the canton of Neuchâtel alone, it employs 500 people (for 450 full-time equivalent positions), with a direct value creation of 60 million francs per year as well as 55 million for service providers located upstream.
Posted today at 6:55 p.m.
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