Swiss IT departments between stability, automation and collaboration
New DACH report shows: Switzerland is ahead in IT resilience and automation - but there is still room for improvement in terms of collaboration.
IT is the backbone of modern organizations - and is particularly stable in Switzerland. According to the new ITSM 2026 DACH report from TOPdesk, for which a total of 3,000 IT professionals from Germany, Austria and Switzerland were surveyed in August 2025 as part of a European online study, 43 % of respondents from Switzerland rate their IT department as «fully future-proof». This puts Switzerland just ahead of Austria (40%) and Germany (37%). This strong starting position forms the basis for further developments in the direction of automation and collaboration.
Workload and challenges in Swiss IT departments
At 27 %, the Swiss IT teams - together with Austria - have the lowest perceived overload not only in the DACH region, but also in Europe. However, this does not mean that they are free of disruptions: 20 % report that serious IT problems occur in their organization several times a week - the same figure as in Austria, but higher than in Germany (15 %). 17 % say that such incidents regularly lead to additional work in other departments. According to the report, 46 % even spend so much time on acute problems that there is hardly any room for preventive measures. And 54 % also report a lack of resources - the highest figure in the DACH region (Austria 50 %, Germany 46 %).
«Swiss IT departments work in a very structured and stable manner - but they are also under pressure,» says Steffen Groß, Director of International Consultancy at TOPdesk. «The high demand for quality and reliability means that many teams are working at full capacity. The next step is to automate routine activities to a greater extent in order to create more freedom for strategic tasks.»
Security as a foundation
Despite scarce resources, the level of security remains high: 35 % of respondents cite strong cybersecurity and data protection protocols as a key feature of future-proof IT - just behind Austria in the DACH comparison (36 %), while Germany is ahead with 41 %. When it comes to the integration of security processes in other business areas, however, the picture is reversed: Switzerland and Austria are on a par here with 41 % each, while Germany follows close behind with 40 %.
«Security is deeply rooted in IT structures in Switzerland,» continues Groß. «It is not seen as a brake, but as the basis for trust, efficiency and innovation. This sense of responsibility is one of the reasons why Swiss IT teams are so stable and resilient.»
Automation at a high level - AI on the rise
30 % of respondents say that AI is already fully implemented in their organization - the highest value in the DACH region. In a European comparison, Switzerland is also ahead, behind the UK (36 %) but well ahead of Austria and Belgium (26 % each), Germany (23 %) and the Netherlands (16 %). 42 % also state that AI is established in their company, i.e. AI is used in several areas but not yet company-wide. The trend is particularly strong in the area of support: according to 33 % respondents, first-line support is already fully automated in their company - in Austria it is mainly manual and in Germany it is hybrid (both 37 %). Nevertheless, 32 % of Swiss IT specialists see AI as a significant risk that requires additional resources.
«Switzerland shows that stability and innovation are not a contradiction in terms,» says Groß. «AI and automation are used here in a targeted manner to increase efficiency and quality - without losing sight of security and governance.»
Cooperation as development potential
80% of the IT professionals surveyed in Switzerland are convinced that IT disruptions would be resolved more quickly if departments worked better together. This puts Switzerland slightly ahead of Austria (79 %) and slightly more ahead of Germany (71 %). 59 % also see a direct correlation between functioning IT processes and the employee experience of their colleagues - a value that underlines the growing importance of IT in everyday working life.
«A strong technical basis is important, but without collaboration, potential remains untapped,» adds Groß. «Especially in mature IT organizations, cross-departmental coordination becomes a decisive factor.»
The key message for Switzerland remains: Reliable, forward-looking and open to automation - Swiss IT departments are among the most stable in the DACH region. If they combine their technical excellence even more closely with cross-divisional collaboration in the future, they can further expand their role as a strategic partner - and thus move from short-term disruption management to sustainable resilience.
Source: https://www.topdesk.com/de/
