A consultation procedure is a political process in which federal projects are examined for their factual correctness, suitability for implementation and acceptance. Thanks to the E-Mitwirkung solution developed by Zug-based Konova AG, addressee management is more efficient, obtaining comments is simpler and collaborative evaluations in consultation procedures are easier than ever before. The end customers of E-Mitwirkung are cantons, municipalities and cities. "The software relieves the authorities of monotonous, error-prone administrative work and allows them to concentrate on the essentials," says Roger Sonderegger, Head of the Office for Spatial Development and Transport at the Canton of Obwalden.
E-participation has the potential to accelerate the digitization of consultation processes throughout Switzerland. Besides the canton of Obwalden, e-participation is currently used by numerous cantons, cities and municipalities and Konova is in the process of expanding the solution. For further expansion, we needed a customized and stable IT infrastructure on which our developers can build. We are in a growth phase, which is why the infrastructure needs to be easily expandable.
What is Kubernetes and how does Konova AG's software, popular with developers around the world, help expand e-collaboration? Kubernetes, also known as K8s, is an open-source software introduced in 2014 for end-to-end automation of deployment and scaling processes and centralized management of Linux container clusters. Kubernetes supports end-to-end optimization of software deployments as well as management processes and provides scripts for increased fault tolerance, horizontal scaling and self- repairing systems. With the ability to place containers on multiple hosts simultaneously, changes can be made to copies without interrupting all work processes.
Xelon added Kubernetes to its portfolio because of its high scalability. The open source software reduces the need for additional hardware during expansions. Horizontal scaling is much more cost-effective than struggling with server load spikes when using the vertical method. Kubernetes not only solves the scaling problem, but also minimizes the likelihood of downtime by enabling containers on different machines. A Kubernetes-powered solution can be deployed on an elastic cloud or a physical server infrastructure. With a cloud service provider, software developers can quickly and easily rent server units. Virtual servers are provided, which in turn are located on physical servers in external data centers.
These servers can be rented without a fixed contract term and most cloud service providers bill according to actual usage. At Xelon, for example, customers only pay for resources actually used thanks to the pay-as-you-go model.
Hegnauer first came across Xelon at the 2018 Zug Young Entrepreneur Award ceremony. A year later, he decided to partner with Xelon for the migration of e-collaboration to Kubernetes. "Swissness and data security played an important role in the choice of provider. Our customers work with highly confidential data that must be protected in the best possible way," says Hegnauer. Xelon's infrastructure is located in ISO-certified data centers in Switzerland and all data is subject to Swiss data protection laws. What the Konova owner appreciates most about working with Xelon - in addition to the great expertise - is the agility. "The Xelon team is much more agile, pragmatic and straightforward than other infrastructure providers," says Hegnauer.
Zug-based Konova AG enables organizations to realize their projects and products cooperatively and with the involvement of their stakeholders. The Konova team combines knowledge and expertise in strategic communication, digitalization and organizational consulting. With e-participation, the company offers the first complete digital solution for public participation and consultation that is in use throughout Switzerland.