The increasing digitalisation of all areas of life opens up great potential for business and society in Switzerland. At the same time, digitalisation creates new risks that need to be addressed quickly and consistently
Individual businesses and organisations have a fundamental responsibility to protect themselves. However, wherever the functioning of critical infrastructures is affected, the state has a responsibility to protect them (National Economic Supply Act). The ICT minimum standard is an expression of the state's responsibility to protect citizens, the economy, institutions and public administration.
All operators of critical infrastructures are advised to implement the respective ICT minimum standards. Minimum standards in the electricity sector have been mandatory since 1 July 2024 and are expected to become binding for gas providers from 1 July 2025. However, the standards also offer guidance to all other companies and organisations on how to improve their own ICT resilience.
The Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES) has developed preventive measures to strengthen the resilience of critical ICT infrastructures and has created industry-specific ICT minimum standards for this purpose.
Responsibilities were reallocated as part of the strategy review and the establishment of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Since March 2024, the NCSC has been responsible for the ICT minimum standards.
