Unbundling and further development of Ruag after cyber attack
A few years ago, the federal government detected a cyber attack on the federal administration. The gateway was Ruag. Today, extensive precautionary measures protect the IT interfaces between Ruag "MRO Switzerland" and the federal administration, according to the authority.
The National Council's Business Audit Committee (GPK-N) welcomes in its Report of November 19, 2019, that the Federal Council has implemented their recommendations and taken key decisions with regard to the unbundling of IT and the further development of Ruag, according to today's media release. In its statement, the Federal Council confirms that the unbundling of Ruag is proceeding according to plan. Ruag's divisions, which mainly serve the Swiss Armed Forces, and those that operate on the free market have been organizationally separated as of Jan. 1, 2020. The legal and financial unbundling as well as the separation of IT will be completed by mid-2020. The Board of Directors of the newly established BGRB umbrella holding company, which is responsible for enforcing the strategic objectives of the Federal Council, has begun its work.
Risk minimization through unbundling of information technology
As the Federal Council notes in its statement, the unbundling of IT and the integration of the data of the MRO Switzerland extensive precautionary measures have been taken in the security perimeter of the Armed Forces Command Support Base (FUB). All interfaces required for business operations will be demarcated by firewalls and access controls. There will no longer be any uncontrolled "entanglements" and MRO Switzerland will comply with the security standards of the Defense sector. The Federal Council perceives the improvement of processes and the assurance of cyber and information security as an ongoing task.
Appropriate control instruments
As the Federal Council continues, it has complied with the recommendations of the GPK-N on the strategic management of Ruag. In particular, it ensures that its management instruments are used appropriately to safeguard the interests of the owners. As with all federally owned companies, the Confederation also controls Ruag at a strategic level, primarily through the Federal Council's strategic goals, regular owner discussions and the election of the Board of Directors.
The unbundling of the Group and the planned privatization of Ruag International is a highly complex project. The decisive factor for the unbundling and further development of Ruag was the desire to reduce risks for the owner in the medium term, which the owner was no longer willing to bear due to Ruag's international orientation and its integration with the federal government's IT. Moreover, the continuation of the Group in its original form would no longer have been legally tenable.
Press release Confederation
