SCION Internet infrastructure for high-availability data communications

The SCION secure internet architecture (Scalability, Control, and Isolation On Next-Generation Networks) has been in development at ETH Zurich since 2013 and has now reached an advanced state of development and maturity. SCION offers enhanced security, availability and performance for all networked systems and services. With a SCION connection from a communication provider, it is possible to achieve highly available communication with all other participants via public and heterogeneous networks, comparable to the security offered by closed networks. In view of the large number of new functions, SCION - compared to the current Internet backbone - represents a quantum leap in technological innovation and security for all users.

SCION improves security and performance in important use cases: these include the transmission of sensitive data (e.g. electronic patient files) or large amounts of data that are processed and stored, for example, in the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS). ETH-wide implementation will also create a platform for a new type of cutting-edge research in the areas of networking and security that is not possible on today's Internet. Thanks to its maturity, the SCION infrastructure can be implemented on a large scale.

The technology has been in productive use since 2017 and has since been intensively tested and analysed. SCION is the technology basis for the Secure Swiss Finance Network (SSFN), which ensures communication between financial market participants for Swiss Interbank Clearing (SIC) transactions. Other use cases include connections to cloud services and communication between armasuisse’s cyber defence (CYD) campuses.

Implementation phase ongoing

• https://www.scion-architecture.net
• https://www.scion.org