Netstream celebrates company anniversary and launches special project

Three teenagers who start a company in the attic of their parents' house. What reads like the script of a Hollywood movie is the genesis of Zurich-based IT and telecommunications company Netstream. The popular provider of cloud, Internet, telephony, hosting, TV and wholesale solutions in Switzerland, celebrated its 20th anniversary on December 10, 2018.

Netstream's vision points the way forward

"Imagine people living fulfilled lives in harmony with technology and nature," says Alexis Caceda, CEO of Netstream. This is exactly Netstream's vision, which the company is striving to achieve over the next 20 years. Already this year, some sustainable measures have been implemented. For example, in the summer of 2018, Netstream decided to modernize the cooling of its data center and thus relied on a so-called free-cooling system. The Swiss Climate Foundation supported this ecologically valuable conversion with a grant. Many other exciting measures are already planned for 2019.

20th anniversary of the company: "We plant trees".

As part of its 20th anniversary, Netstream has now come up with a special project and that is that the company will plant a tree for every new customer who orders a product from Netstream by the end of February 2019.

"Trees perform a variety of tasks for us. For example, they produce oxygen, bind carbon and slow down climate change. By planting trees, we want to make a step-by-step commitment to a better world," says Alexis Caceda, CEO of Netstream. In March 2019, Netstream will define a day when employees can plant trees. The goal is to plant a variety of native tree species in the Wittikon region to create a new area of mixed forest. "It makes us happy when we as an IT and telecommunications company can do something good for nature together with our employees," concludes Caceda.

Interview with the founders of the company

On the occasion of the company's anniversary, the three founding members Alexis Caceda, Reto Kasser and Dominik Breitenmoser - who have always remained loyal to the company - recall Netstream's beginnings and report on entrepreneurial ups and downs over the past two decades.

How did Netstream come into being?
Alexis Caceda (CEO of Netstream): The 90s were marked by the digital revolution. The Internet slowly gained importance and Reto, Dominik and I followed the developments with curiosity and Voltage. We were 17 and 18 years old and shared a passion for IT. Quasi there were new products and applications every day. We also had many ideas. And so it came about that we turned our hobby into a profession.

What happened next?
Reto Kasser (CTO of Netstream): After founding Netstream on December 10, 1998, we sold computers, configured routers, programmed websites and started our first IT projects from home. It was an exciting time that us extremely bonded as friends as well as business partners. Nevertheless, we never thought back then that we would run the company so successfully for so long.

At an age when others were all about partying, you started experimenting with web TV. Where did this passion come from?
Dominik Breitenmoser (CIO of Netstream): Already in childhood screwed I disassembled technical devices and hoped that they would work again when I reassembled them. When I knew all the devices inside out, I turned my attention to the programs running on them. Together with Alexis and Reto, I looked at how they were built and how they could be used in other places.

20 years have passed since then. 20 years in which Netstream has grown to 80 employees. Do you think this growth will continue?
Reto Kasser: Growth is all well and good, but not the most important thing at the end of the day. Our priority is the satisfaction of customers and Employees. DafWe still put our heart and soul into this every day.

How has the IT market changed since Netstream was founded?
Dominik Breitenmoser: When the topic of IT was discussed in the past, it was primarily about technology and codes. Today's information technology, however, is much more. It permeates every area of life. Whether in the business or private environment, innovative technologies and user-friendly IT solutions are in demand everywhere. Our vision is therefore that people can live fulfilled lives in harmony with technology and nature. This is precisely why we always want to inspire our customers with groundbreaking products.

What impact has the changing IT market had on Netstream?
Reto Kasser: Of course, we also had to constantly evolve. If we had not done this, Netstream would no longer exist today. We have constantly professionalized our services. And We have always been concerned with what it takes to stay one step ahead of the continuous development process in the local IT market.

With success, as this year's anniversary impressively proves. What other factors do you think have contributed decisively to Netstream's success??
Alexis Caceda: First and foremost naturely the commitment of our employees. In dialog with customers, they develop cloud, Internet, telephony and TV solutions that bring real added value to users. Another advantage is the size of our company, which enables us to stay in personal contact with our customers and respond flexibly to their constantly changing needs.

What are you particularly proud of?
Reto Kasser: We are particularly proud of the results of the renowned Bilanz Telekom Rating, because the Swiss IT market is highly competitive. Regularly achieving top positions in the annual surveys is therefore not a matter of course, but the result of consistent alignment along customer needs.

What milestones come to mind when you look back on 20 years of Netstream?
Dominik Breitenmoser: There were many groundbreaking moments. They include the hiring of our first employee as well as the launch of "ADSL.TV," the first Internet TV offering on the Swiss market. Its launch in 2004 marked the beginning for the distribution of TV programs via the Internet in Switzerland. Other milestones in our corporate history were the construction and commissioning of our own data center in Dübendorf and the new brand identity this year.

In addition to the many success stories, there were certainly also challenges. Which ones come to mind spontaneously?
Alexis Caceda: Due to the constant growth of Netstream, the parallel changing requirements in terms of leadership and management of the company were extremely challenging for us. You have to remember that we started out as a team of three and now employ 80 people. This means establishing functioning processes, redefining one's own role and handing over responsibility. This is a task that we - and above all I - first had to grow into.

Speaking of leadership, you've been running Netstream for 20 years now. Has there never been a fight between you?
Dominik Breitenmoser: But there was, and that was a good thing. We have grown and matured as a result of the discussions. In the meantime, we also know better how best to resolve conflict situations. The joy and passion with which we founded Netstream back then is just as great today as it was then. Thanks to the continuous changes in the market, it has never been boring and I am glad that Alexis, Reto and I have walked this exciting path together over the last 20 years.

Link to the project "We-plant-trees": www.netstream.ch/birthday