Infomaniak
 | |
| Industry | Internet |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Siegenthaler & Lucchi, TWS Infomaniak |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Boris Siegenthaler, Fabian Lucchi |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Services | web hosting, VOD, streaming |
| Subsidiaries | Infomaniak Entertainment |
| Website |
infomaniak |
Infomaniak is Switzerland’s largest web-hosting company,[1] also offering live-streaming and video on demand services.[2]
History
The company started as a user group founded in 1990 by Boris Siegenthaler in the Canton of Geneva, offering a bulletin board system to its members. In 1994, Siegenthaler and fellow developer Fabian Lucchi opened the Siegenthlaer & Lucchi computer store in the Genevan suburb of Châtelaine. They offered low-cost, custom-built computers - acting as an alternative to the larger distributors available at the time.[3] The same year, the pair purchased a modem and 64 kbs line, becoming the first privately owned Internet Service Provider in the canton (after CERN and the University of Geneva). From 1995 on and for a few months, the store offered complimentary internet access to all customers who purchased a computer with them.[4] In May 1997, Infomaniak became a fully-fledged ISP with the creation of TWS Infomaniak SA – the company developed its offer based on low-cost internet access and web-hosting services alongside its staple of computer equipment retail.[4]
On the 1st January 1998, the Swiss state monopoly on telecom services came to an end and new providers were allowed onto the Swiss market.[5] Sunrise, a joint-venture between Tele Danmark and BT, started offering free internet access services, forcing the company to revise its strategy: in 1999, TWS Infomaniak was reincorporated to create Infomaniak Network. They specialised in web-hosting services for private users and small and medium-sized enterprises, including basic.ch, the first Swiss web radio.[6]
By 2003, Infomaniak was the largest web-host in Western Switzerland, and by July 2005, it was the largest web-radio broadcaster in Western Switzerland and France.[7]
In 2007, the company created and launched their sustainability charter.[8][9][10] As a result, it implemented a number of key measures including joining an ethical pension fund on behalf of its employees, a commitment to sustainable travel, and donating 1% of its annual revenue to a range of NGOs.[8][11]
In 2010, the company created a subsidiary - Infomaniak Entertainment - marking the company's expansion into the ticketing, staff, and accreditation-management.[12]
Infomaniak's main business remains as a webhost and registrar. In 2011, the company announced that they managed more than 100,000 domain names.[13] They opened their third data center in 2014. As with all their facilities, the new data center was fully sustainable – using 100% renewable energy and low-voltage technologies. The centre was heralded as the "greenest there is in Switzerland" with a PUE under 1.1[14] which won the company the Geneva sustainability prize.[15] A few months later, Infomaniak obtains its ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certifications for environmental and energy management systems.
Infomaniak fully switched to SSD technology at the end of 2015.[16] The latest figures from the company suggest that it managed more than 200,000 domain names, 150,000 site, and 350 radio/TV stations in 2016. It has also become one of the first web companies to implement the new Let's Encrypt SSL certificates.[17]
References
- ↑ Seydtaghia, Anouch (11 February 2016). "Infomaniak accélère sa diversification". Le Temps. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ↑ Willemin, Alexandre (10 June 2013). "Chefs d'entreprise: entre travail et sommeil, un équilibre difficile à trouver". MM. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ↑ Praz, Nathalie (March 2014). "Dans l'antre romand des geeks". Focus PME. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- 1 2 Boris, Siegenthaler (2013). "Historique d'Infomaniak" (PDF). Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ↑ "Swisscom et Sunrise concluent un premier accord tarifaire". Le Temps. 6 November 1997. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ↑ "Basic diffuse sur le net le meilleur des musiques électroniques". Le Temps. 22 May 1998. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ↑ "Infomaniak Network". Remix Jobs. 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- 1 2 RTS.ch. "T.T.C. (Toutes taxes comprises)". rts.ch. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
- ↑ "Des Geeks et des lettres". desgeeksetdeslettres.com. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
- ↑ "Charte écologique infomaniak". www.infomaniak.com. Infomaniak Network. 2007. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
- ↑ "Russie.fr s'engage dans le green IT". Green IT. 2012-06-26. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
- ↑ "Infomaniak Entertainment SA Carouge GE - Moneyhouse". www.moneyhouse.ch. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
- ↑ Praz, Nathalie (2014). "La success-story d'un geek romand". Focus PME. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
- ↑ "Infomaniak : 14% d'augmentation du chiffre d'affaires en 2014". Cominmag. 2015-04-14. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
- ↑ "Bourse, prix et distinction : lauréats 2015 | Agenda 21 - République et canton de Genève (Suisse) - ge.ch". ge.ch. Canton of Geneva. 2015. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
- ↑ "Première suisse: Infomaniak équipe ses Datacenters avec des disques durs SSD / Amélioration significative des performances". presseportal.ch. 2015-11-23. Retrieved 2016-10-26.
- ↑ Legrand, David (2016-02-01). "Let's Encrypt disponible chez Infomaniak : comment activer un certificat SSL/TLS gratuit". Next INpact. Retrieved 2016-10-26.