SCION – transporting sensitive data securely

SCION – for secure data transmission

Standing for Scalability, Control and Isolation On Next-Generation Networks, a SCION network architecture delivers the highest levels of availability, security and control, combined with the openness and flexibility of the public Internet.

With a SCION network architecture, you can build a secure, private ecosystem for high-performance networks and cloud-based applications and for routing your sensitive data, enabling you to achieve any-to-any communication in the most important regions of the world (Europe, the United States and Asia) and enjoy secure data transmission within your ecosystem.

Multi-path communication and network AI

SCION path-based architecture provides in-depth insights into the network and clear visibility of paths, performance metrics and network conditions. The best network path for each application can be selected and routed efficiently using artificial intelligence.

You retain full control over how your data is routed on the Internet, thereby protecting it from routing and DDoS attacks. You can also use geofencing to define which geographical area your data is not allowed to leave or which countries to exclude.

When is it the right solution?

Do your critical infrastructures in the healthcare, energy, transportation or banking sectors need secure data transmission, encrypted data transfer and maximum resistance to DDoS attacks? Are you looking for reliable, high-bandwidth, low-latency performance for your VR applications or video streaming?

If you need a highly secure network to securely share sensitive data across Swiss or international ecosystems and want to determine and control the paths your data will take, SCION is the ideal network architecture for maximum business continuity.

Your benefits:

  • Largest telecoms provider on the Swiss market, with more than 10 years of experience and certified IP-Plus engineers
  • Pool of IP addresses based on Layer 3 technology for SCION communication
  • SCION-based Internet connectivity for secure data transmission 

SCION connectivity

SCION Access

Advanced solution based on Swisscom’s Business Internet Service IP-Plus, which comes with Layer 3 technology and a dedicated IP address pool that is used exclusively for SCION communication and cannot be routed to the public Internet. Available as single, dual or dual ISP access.

  • High data transfer rates guaranteed
  • Customisable routing, peering and network capacity
  • Optimised response times (RTT) and protective filters to protect against cyberattacks
  • Available as an unmanaged, partially managed or fully managed service 

SCION Access International

SCION-based data traffic to and from Switzerland based on the most powerful IP-Plus backbone for high-quality Internet communication between headquarters and international subsidiaries. Available as single or dual ISP access.

  • Optimal latency for international connections
  • Fast access to the secure Swisscom infrastructure
  • Reliable connectivity for international business communications
  • Available as a full-managed SCION service 

SCION GATE

The SCION-based solution for protecting business-critical services against DDoS attacks from the public Internet ensures maximum business continuity. Business-critical services are fully protected from cyberattacks.

  • Failover function for guaranteed business continuity even in the event of a network failure
  • Business-critical services are no longer visible on the public Internet
  • Better policy-based access control to business-critical services 

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Typical SCION application scenarios

Swiss companies with national locations

What benefits does SCION offer a Swiss company that transfers confidential data between its locations in Switzerland?

In cases like this, Software Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WANs) from Swisscom provide the flexibility and agility needed to meet the network challenges of today’s cloud-based application landscape.

In such a simple network example, SCION does not offer any relevant additional benefits. Critical data can be encrypted end to end over the SD-WAN, and advanced, integrated firewall features provide protection against threats from public Internet domains.

An ecosystem of multiple Swiss companies

What advantage does SCION offer a community of Swiss companies, which exchange confidential data within Switzerland?

When you have an ecosystem comprising different Swiss organisations, critical information must be exchanged securely, in real time and across organisational boundaries. This can be done by:

  1. connecting over the public Internet
  2. connecting to a single shared instance of a single-provider private network
  3. using a data line and connecting to the concentration node of an in-house private network 

SCION technology offers the most value for the ‘Swiss ecosystem’ application scenario. If SCION is used as the ecosystem’s underlying network technology, all organisations are connected to the SCION Internet and thus have multiple paths to their destinations at all times. These diverse paths, all of which can be used at the same time, dramatically increase reliability and security – making the network the ideal transport network for business-critical data.

A SCION-based ecosystem therefore also solves existing challenges, such as the man-in-the-middle problem, and facilitates secure, any-to-any communication between the members of the ecosystem.

A Swiss organisation with locations outside Switzerland

What is the added value of the SCION network for organisations that exchange sensitive data within an international ecosystem?

A Swiss company must exchange business-oriented data traffic with its locations outside Switzerland. Some of the applications are latency sensitive (voice, video, VDI etc.). Others are bandwidth intensive (application or security updates, e-learning etc.) and some have no specific requirements (e-mail, CRM, HR etc.) but are still sensitive. The applications are hosted either in a private data centre or in the cloud. Organisations essentially have two options:

  1. to use the public Internet as a transport channel for encrypted tunnels such as an IP
  2. VPN to build an international private network, such as an MPLS VPN  

Swisscom has an extensive network of high-performance, advanced business Internet IP-Plus backbones in the major cities of Europe, Asia Pacific, North and South America, the Middle East and Africa. This backbone integrates SCION technology to allow highly secure SCION connectivity from international locations to Switzerland.

The combination of Swisscom’s advanced business Internet IP-Plus backbone and SCION technology enables Swisscom to offer its customers optimum latency on international connections, fast access to Swisscom’s own secure infrastructure and secure connectivity for international business communications.

Why Swisscom?

Innovation driver

As a business innovation leader, Swisscom has been a sponsor of SCION development at ETH Zurich since 2012.

Industry expertise

Swisscom is the largest and most experienced connectivity provider in Switzerland and the Swiss market leader.

Broad portfolio

At Swisscom, you will find a comprehensive portfolio to meet all your network needs, from high to low-end business Internet.

Our partnerships

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“Together, we are forging a partnership that will connect millions of customers [...] We are shaping the future of robust, secure and powerful network solutions.“

Martin Bosshardt, CEO, Anapaya Systems

“The commercial deployment of SCION will create the new opportunities we expect of the Internet in the 21st century.”

Prof. Dr. Adrian Perrig, Professor ETH Zürich

“With our Swisscom SCION Service, your critical networks become robust against network attacks and resilient against disruptions, guaranteeing business continuity.“

Urs Lehner
Head of Business Customers

Our experts will be happy to answer your questions. Contact us.