# Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication

> Swiss governmental agency

**Wikidata**: [Q1005438](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1005438)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Office_of_Information_Technology,_Systems_and_Telecommunication)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/federal-office-of-information-technology-systems-and-telecommunication

# Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication

## Summary

The Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT) — also known by its abbreviations OFIT and BIT — is a Swiss governmental agency established in 1999. It operates as a federal office of Switzerland under the Federal Department of Finance, with its headquarters located in Zollikofen, Switzerland. The agency serves as the central IT service provider for the Swiss federal administration.

## Key Facts

- **Full Name**: Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication
- **Abbreviations/Aliases**: FOITT, OFIT, BIT
- **Type of Entity**: Federal office of Switzerland; Government agency; Government agency of Switzerland
- **Country**: Switzerland
- **Founded (Inception)**: 1999
- **Parent Organization**: Federal Department of Finance
- **Headquarters Location**: Zollikofen, Switzerland
- **Street Address**: Eichenweg 3
- **Coordinates**: Latitude 46.997371944444446, Longitude 7.46301
- **Official Website (German)**: https://www.bit.admin.ch
- **Official Website (French)**: https://www.bit.admin.ch/fr
- **Official Website (Italian)**: https://www.bit.admin.ch/it
- **Official Website (English)**: https://www.bit.admin.ch/en
- **GND ID**: 10056196-2
- **ROR ID**: 03wmjwc96
- **GRID ID**: grid.483060.9
- **VIAF ID**: 165939710
- **Google Knowledge Graph ID**: /g/1215v767
- **Scilit Organization ID**: 73198
- **Swiss Enterprise Identification Number**: CHE-221.032.573
- **Wikipedia Languages**: Commons, German, English, French, Italian
- **Sitelink Count**: 5 (Wikidata)
- **Commons Category**: Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication
- **Wikidata Description**: Swiss governmental agency
- **Related Entity Class**: Government agency (organisational part of a government responsible for specific public services)

## FAQs

**What is the FOITT and what does it do?**
The Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication is a Swiss federal government agency that functions as the central IT service provider for Switzerland's federal administration. It was established in 1999 and operates under the authority of the Federal Department of Finance.

**Where is the FOITT headquartered?**
The agency is headquartered in Zollikofen, Switzerland, at the street address Eichenweg 3. Its geographic coordinates are latitude 46.997371944444446 and longitude 7.46301.

**What department does the FOITT report to?**
The FOITT is a subordinate agency of the Federal Department of Finance, which serves as its parent organization within the Swiss federal government structure.

**In what languages is the FOITT website available?**
The official website is available in four languages: German, French, Italian, and English, each accessible through dedicated URL paths at bit.admin.ch. This reflects Switzerland's multilingual federal administration.

**How can the FOITT be identified in academic and authority databases?**
The FOITT is indexed in multiple authority and research databases, including GND (10056196-2), VIAF (165939710), ROR (03wmjwc96), GRID (grid.483060.9), Google Knowledge Graph (/g/1215v767), and Scilit (73198). Its Swiss Enterprise Identification Number is CHE-221.032.573.

## Why It Matters

The Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication plays a critical role in Switzerland's federal governance infrastructure as the centralized provider of IT services, systems management, and telecommunications for the Swiss government. Established in 1999, the agency represents Switzerland's commitment to professionalizing and consolidating federal information technology resources under a single administrative body.

As a government agency operating under the Federal Department of Finance, the FOITT ensures that Switzerland's federal administration has reliable, secure, and modern technological infrastructure. Its existence as a dedicated IT agency reflects the growing importance of digital governance and the need for specialized technical expertise within public administration. The multilingual nature of its website — offering content in German, French, Italian, and English — underscores its role in serving all of Switzerland's linguistic communities, ensuring equitable access to federal IT services and information across the country's diverse population.

The agency's recognition across numerous international authority databases (GND, VIAF, ROR, GRID) and its presence in academic research databases (Scilit) indicate its standing as a significant institutional entity within both governmental and research contexts.

## Notable For

- Serving as the central IT and telecommunications service provider for the entire Swiss federal administration
- Operating as a specialized federal office dedicated exclusively to information technology and systems within the Swiss government
- Being one of the federal offices of Switzerland operating under the Federal Department of Finance
- Maintaining multilingual public-facing services in all four national-level languages (German, French, Italian) plus English
- Holding registrations across multiple international authority and research identification systems (GND, VIAF, ROR, GRID, Google Knowledge Graph, Scilit)
- Being headquartered in Zollikofen, a municipality in the Canton of Bern, rather than in the capital city itself

## Body

### Overview and Classification

The Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (commonly abbreviated as FOITT, OFIT, or BIT) is a Swiss governmental agency classified as a federal office of Switzerland and a government agency of Switzerland. It is an organizational part of the Swiss government, specifically designed to handle information technology services, systems management, and telecommunications infrastructure for the federal administration. The agency was established in 1999 and has since operated as a key component of the country's governmental operations.

### Organizational Structure and Governance

The FOITT operates under the direct authority of the Federal Department of Finance (FDF), which serves as its parent organization. This placement within the FDF reflects the strategic importance of IT infrastructure as a financial and administrative concern within the Swiss federal system. As a federal office, the FOITT holds the same institutional classification as other specialized Swiss federal agencies tasked with delivering specific public services.

The agency's Swiss Enterprise Identification Number — CHE-221.032.573 — formally registers it within Switzerland's official business and organizational registry, confirming its status as a legitimate federal entity.

### Headquarters and Location

The FOITT is headquartered in Zollikofen, Switzerland, with its offices located at Eichenweg 3. The precise geographic coordinates of its headquarters are latitude 46.997371944444446 and longitude 7.46301, placing it in the Canton of Bern near the federal capital. Zollikofen serves as the agency's primary operational base.

An image of the agency's main headquarters (BIT Hauptsitz in Zollikofen) is documented and available through Wikimedia Commons, providing visual documentation of the facility.

### Digital Presence and Accessibility

The FOITT maintains an official web presence at bit.admin.ch, with dedicated language versions accessible through distinct URL paths:

- **German**: https://www.bit.admin.ch (primary/default)
- **French**: https://www.bit.admin.ch/fr
- **Italian**: https://www.bit.admin.ch/it
- **English**: https://www.bit.admin.ch/en

This four-language approach reflects Switzerland's commitment to serving its multilingual population and international stakeholders. The German version appears to serve as the primary entry point, consistent with German being the most widely spoken language in Switzerland.

### Authority and Research Database Identifiers

The FOITT is indexed and recognized across numerous national and international authority databases, reflecting its institutional significance:

- **GND ID**: 10056196-2 — The German National Library's authority file identifier
- **VIAF ID**: 165939710 — The Virtual International Authority File identifier, with reference sourced as of August 6, 2015
- **ROR ID**: 03wmjwc96 — The Research Organization Registry identifier
- **GRID ID**: grid.483060.9 — The Global Research Identifier Database entry
- **Google Knowledge Graph ID**: /g/1215v767 — Google's entity identification
- **Scilit Organization ID**: 73198 — An identifier within the scientific literature indexing system

These registrations enable accurate identification and cross-referencing of the agency across academic, governmental, and information science platforms.

### Wikipedia and Open Knowledge Presence

The FOITT has a documented presence across multiple Wikipedia language editions, with sitelinks to Wikipedia in German, English, French, Italian, and Wikimedia Commons. The Wikipedia article title is "Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication," and the agency has a dedicated Commons category for media files. The Wikidata entry for the FOITT carries 5 sitelinks, indicating moderate representation across open knowledge platforms. The Wikidata description characterizes it simply as a "Swiss governmental agency."

## References

1. GRID Release 2017-07-12
2. [Source](https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/departments/department-of-finance-fdf.html)
3. [Source](https://www.staatskalender.admin.ch/organization/10008669)
4. Virtual International Authority File