“DATA IS THE MONEY OF THE FUTURE”

Some unusual secrets are hidden in the Swiss mountains. “Swiss Fort Knox” – an ultra-secure data centre in what was formerly a Swiss Army fortress – is concealed beneath the rocky slopes of one such mountain. Business Mir describes their exclusive visit to this unique site.

A small and discreet entrance nestled in a steep mountain slope near Gstaad; no one would expect to find one of the world’s most technologically advanced data centres in the heart of the Swiss mountains. After entering a top secret code, a guard opened the door and led us into the mountain itself. The first security check point appeared at the end of a hallway, a sort of portal that closes around the visitor and appears to analyse all sorts of data. What is it really checking up on? “I can’t tell you, it’s a secret” is all that a smiling Christoph Oschwald, who co-owns and co-founded SIAG – the company that owns and operates Swiss Fort Knox – with partner Hanspeter Baumann, is willing to reveal.Formerly a Swiss Army parachute grenadier officer, Oschwald was the first to grasp the incredible potential of this secret fortress the army built as an air force command post in the 1960s. Swiss Fort Knox project was the first joint-venture between the Swiss Army and a private company. It officially began in 1994 with plans to operate two sites - Swiss Fort Knox I and II – separated by a distance of 20 kms. In partnership with the Swiss Army, SIAG became co-owner of Fort Knox II and obtained a 20-year lease on Fort Knox I, which is inaccessible to visitors and guarded by the army.The two sites were renovated to become a new type of ultra-secure data centre using the latest in advanced technology. These data centres guarantee protection of sensitive data to various clients, be they large corporations or individuals from the private sector. The centres guarantee data protection from every possible threat imaginable – terrorist attacks, nuclear catastrophes, epidemics or earthquakes. Swiss Fort Knox includes an air strip, a rudimentary hotel service and even a special customs area for emergencies! Data can be conveyed physically or via the “MOUNT10” backup programme specially designed by SIAG. The data are encrypted at 448 bits (approximately 320 times superior to the 128 bit banking security norm) and two copies are stored, one in each of the Swiss Fort Knox sites. In addition to these basic services, SIAG offers a wide range of customised high-tech products, which can be very pricey indeed…access to James Bond’s level of technology is not available to those on a budget! As we progressed towards the heart of the fortress, the awesome size of the facility became more apparent. After crossing a series of long hallways buried deep within the mountain, passing through multiple security portals and boarding an elevator, we eventually reached the inner sanctum – a hall lined with ultra-secure, limited-access rooms. Inside these rooms, we found shelves holding small, sealed, blue plastic boxes containing the secret data SIAG’s clients store there. But we weren’t allowed to see rooms located in the fort’s even higher security areas, some of which even the site’s own administrators aren’t permitted to access! The technical installations alone, entirely designed by Swiss engineers (as was the rest of the site), make it worth the trip. Over 40 million CHF were invested in the project, which included creating a cooling system using water from an underground lake – making Swiss Fort Knox “the world’s most ecofriendly data centre”, according to Christoph Oschwald. The site is linked to a separate electrical supply network and has powerful generators in case of power failures. Each of the facility’s component was manufactured twice; should one element fail, the backup copy can immediately take its place. Swiss Fort Knox’s expensive installations are easily justified by Christoph Oschwald's statement that “Data is the money of the future” and that kind of security has become priceless.After a 2 hour tour, we returned to the surface. The surrounding Bernese countryside was idyllic, bathed in radiant sunlight. The impassive guard who had followed us since the beginning of the visit closed the door behind us. Swiss Fort Knox guards are all Swiss nationals who are recruited according to extremely strict security criteria and trained by the Swiss Army. Yet another way in which SIAG ensures “Swiss Made” services.So how’s business? The ever-smiling Christoph Oschwald’s pithy answer to our question went as follows: “Considering that the data protection market is booming and that demand for the type of service we provide is constantly rising, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions”.