#interview "Switzerland is further ahead than Germany in its understanding of the benefits of digitization" Tim Weinmann, mimacom

A conversation with Tim Weinmann, Director of Marketing and Sales at mimacom, about the company's success, its participation at CeBIT and the viewpoint on digital innovation that differentiates Switzerland and Germany in particular.

Alp ICT: Can you tell us about your company and its development?

Tim Weinmann: mimacom was founded in Switzerland in 1999 and has always been dedicated to developing individual software solutions for businesses based on open source software technology. Our entire team is therefore committed to realizing digital innovation in companies, mainly in the finance, insurance and telecoms sectors, but also for government agencies via open source software.

Our company made great strides in Switzerland in its early years, but over the last 5 years it has become increasingly international. We have launched several subsidiaries in other European countries, and in 2015 we opened our first offices outside Europe, in the USA, in Charlotte. Last year, in September, we opened an office in Singapore to cover the Asia-Pacific region for some of our global customers who have asked us to have a local presence.

We still have three offices in Switzerland: in Berne, Zurich and Lausanne, from where we can serve customers in French-speaking Switzerland. We share the same values on a global scale, but we're very committed on a local level. The organizations in each country self-manage the local mimacom business, building it around the needs of customers in local markets. 

Alp ICT: You attended CeBIT in 2017 for the second time. Why and what did you get out of it?

Tim Weinmann: We went to CeBIT with our own stand for the first time in 2016, when Switzerland was the partner country, and the event proved very interesting and attractive for us. We had a lot of visitors to our stand, so we decided to return in 2017. We joined the Swiss Pavilion again at CeBIT to meet representatives from different types of industries and countries and present what mimacom has to offer them. We presented our unique services and some usecases on what we can do for companies.

One of the main reasons we attended is that all the possibilities that come with digital innovation are affecting every company and individual on this planet right now. The event helps us get an orientation on the current needs of industries and companies: some are already at the heart of implementation and enjoying the early benefits of digital transformation, others are still looking for guidance and advice. CeBIT is a place where you can talk to a few hundred thousand people, and you know that everyone who visits your stand is affected by, and potentially interested in, the services we can offer. 

Alp ICT: Do you see a difference between Germany and Switzerland in their approach to digital innovation?

Tim Weinmann: In Germany, in the public discussion, digital life and digital innovation are very much linked to industry and manufacturing and machinery. Switzerland is more advanced in seeing digitalization as an all-encompassing topic that affects not just business and manufacturing, but all aspects of life, society and the public. For example, mobile payment services are already much more widely accepted in Switzerland than in Germany.

And I think this is linked to the fact that Swiss society is much more open and optimistic about the benefits that digitization can bring to the life of the country as a whole. So German society needs to catch up when it comes to understanding and accepting how these digital technologies can improve people's lives and everyday situations. I really appreciate it when I come to Switzerland to see how digital innovation has already affected, for example, public transport or mobile payment services.

I believe that politics, business, industry and associations in Germany need to work together to convince the public that digitization is not a threat, that computers are not replacing humans, but rather to show how it can improve all areas of everyday life.