Tech Strategy of Wikimedia Switzerland 🇨🇭 Open Source unlocks Innovation

Session type: Lightning talk (5 minutes, in person only)

Track: Governance & Strategy

Speakers

Valerio Bozzolan

Open Source consultant for Wikimedia Switzerland since 2018.

President of the non-profit "Italian Linux Society" association (400+ voting members - zero staff). This association manages "Linux.it" and Refund4Freedom:
https://en.refund4freedom.org/

Wikimedians for Software Freedom
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedians_for_software_freedom

Open Source programmer for the Landscapefor Foundation.

Phorge (ex Phabricator) software developer
https://we.phorge.it/

Scholarship: not requested

I will share my personal working experience and I do not speak as behalf of Wikimedia Switzerland or any other Wikimedia organisation.

Abstract

Relax, sit down, and enjoy the Technology Strategy of Wikimedia Switzerland presented to the public for the first time in the world 💫

When Wikimedia Switzerland started talking about a "Tech Strategy" in 2022, we mainly wanted to document our private infrastructure, to manage our "tech area" more efficiently, to be ready about new innovative projects... but as 2026, our strategy is more than an "internal doc": we changed our workflows to better serve volunteers, in a safe space, ready for real-time collaboration.

🔎 Spoiler: our best partners in the Wikimedia Switzerland strategy are the Open Source Software and the Free Software Movement. Not just because Open Source gives more control, neutrality and transparency, but also empowers experimentation and innovation.

This abstract and title are proudly not generated with closed source AI 😸

Additional information

How does your session relate to the event theme: Liberté, Équité, Fiabilité (Freedom, Equity, Reliability).
Freedom: The Wikimedia Switzerland Tech Strategy is 100% about Software **Freedom**, and empowering digital freedoms. Equity: The Wikimedia Switzerland Tech Strategy is the first in the world (in the Wikimedia world) about access equity: it means everybody is equally able to access our local movement even without being a customer of a specific Big Tech company. Reliability: For us reliable means two things: one: very good uptime (so, always online) but also means everybody can analyse the software; so, people do not have to blindly trust our tools - but can have their own scientific opinion about what the software does.

Which Wikimedia audiences will find this content the most useful?
Decision makers (or future ones) Technical enthusiasts

What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?
Average knowledge about Wikimedia projects or activities