A tender won before the team existed
Thomas Failer and Tamara Rüegg found Data Migration AG in Kreuzlingen — and win a public tender before building the team. While others chase SAP consulting, DMI specialises in the data itself.
File Nº DMI—1996–2026
Classification · Public Dossier30 · Anniversary EditionData Migration InternationalEst. 1996 · Kreuzlingen, Switzerland
Applications come and go.
Technology evolves.
Data remains.
30
Years · 1996 – 2026
Est. 1996Kreuzlingen · CHJiVS PlatformSAP TransformationData Preservation30 YearsEnterprise AIData Stays · Applications Don't
Est. 1996Kreuzlingen · CHJiVS PlatformSAP TransformationData Preservation30 YearsEnterprise AIData Stays · Applications Don't
Est. 1996Kreuzlingen · CHJiVS PlatformSAP TransformationData Preservation30 YearsEnterprise AIData Stays · Applications Don't
Est. 1996Kreuzlingen · CHJiVS PlatformSAP TransformationData Preservation30 YearsEnterprise AIData Stays · Applications Don't
§ 01 · Origin
Since 1996, Data Migration International has helped enterprises navigate every major technology shift — from ERP modernization and SAP transformation to cloud adoption and the age of AI.
§ 02 · Thesis
One conviction has guided us throughout: enterprise data must outlive the systems that created it.
§ 03 · Record
This timeline traces the people, ideas and breakthroughs that transformed that conviction into the JiVS platform — preserving decades of business history and preparing trusted data for what comes next.
Nº 01
3,000+
Enterprise implementations delivered
Nº 02
1,500+
SAP systems retired
Nº 03
2,000+
SAP business objects supported
Dossier · Timeline16 Records · 2 Statements
Record 011996 Founders · Kreuzlingen A tender won before the team existed
Thomas Failer and Tamara Rüegg found Data Migration AG in Kreuzlingen — and win a public tender before building the team. While others chase SAP consulting, DMI specialises in the data itself.Record 02Early Years 
The first team Trust before technology
DMI gains its first major foothold through ABB High Voltage Technology, managing projects on behalf of Digital Equipment Corporation. Reliability, quality and commitment open doors across ABB. “They trusted us because we were reliable, punctual, delivered quality and were always there when they needed us.”Record 03The Breakthrough The project that changed everything
A contract with SBB worth more than CHF 10 million becomes one of the largest SAP projects in Switzerland at the time. The team grows to around fifty people, turning DMI from a small subcontractor into an established SAP technology consulting provider.That was when we realised there was potential to become much more than a small company.
— Thomas Failer, FounderRecord 041997 The question that changed everything
After every migration, customers ask the same question: What happens to the data we leave behind? A legacy system can be switched off — but decades of financial, operational and compliance information cannot simply disappear. DMI recognises an entirely new challenge: preserving business history independently of its original application.Record 051997 The first History System
The answer gets a name of its own — IVS, the Intranet Viewing System. Less a finished product than a toolbox, but the seed of everything that follows.Record 062003 – 2005 
Building JiVS JiVS is born
DMI decides to build standard software instead of isolated tools — developed on Java, where the “J” joins IVS to form JiVS. JiVS Migration and JiVS History launch as the platform’s first modules. Consulting company becomes software company.Record 072011 A bold decision to focus
DMI divests its consulting business to concentrate entirely on developing JiVS. A smaller, specialised team emerges with one clear mission: to build the leading platform for enterprise data historisation and migration.Record 082012 Commerzbank — the software house is born
A major project with Commerzbank establishes DMI in Germany’s financial sector and accelerates its transformation from a specialised niche provider into a recognised enterprise software company.Record 092015 – 2019 
The leadership team Building for international growth
The company group is restructured to support global expansion. Under the Data Migration International Group, six independent companies now operate across markets.Record 102018 
Lake Constance · 2018 Digital Lounge premieres at Lake Constance
DMI launches Digital Lounge, its flagship annual event, on the shores of Lake Constance. The series later expands to Davos, Zurich, Madrid and Orlando.Record 112019 The US market takes off
Within one year of entering the United States, the market already generates around one-third of the company’s revenue — confirming the global relevance of DMI’s platform and vision.We’ve always said that data is the gold of every company.
— Thomas Failer, FounderThe platform idea — patented years before AI became mainstream.Record 122020s The S/4HANA era
As enterprises begin moving thousands of SAP systems to S/4HANA, DMI’s principle becomes essential: Retire it. Don’t carry it. JiVS allows organisations to move only the data they need, retire legacy applications and preserve complete, compliant access to decades of business history. More than 3,000 implementations are delivered for organisations including DuPont, ABB, Mercedes-Benz, Deutsche Telekom, GE, Holcim and AXA.Record 132021 Expanding our Swiss foundation
Another Swiss location joins the map, widening DMI’s footprint at home while the international entities scale abroad.Record 142024 
EY EOY · 2024 Building the future
Construction begins on DMI’s new headquarters in Tägerwilen — a future home for the company’s next chapter. The same year, Thomas Failer is named an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year finalist — dubbed the “Magician of Migration.” He calls it teamwork.Record 152024 Sustainability recognised
DMI is shortlisted for ESG Excellence of the Year at the ERP Today Awards 2024, alongside industry leaders including SAP, IBM, IFS and SUSE. The recognition highlights DMI’s contribution to sustainable IT — helping enterprises retire resource-intensive legacy systems, reduce infrastructure costs and advance transformation with a smaller environmental footprint.Record 162025 Where AI meets the physical world
Robotics becomes AI’s physical layer — machines generating enormous volumes of operational data, valuable only once it’s captured, governed and connected to enterprise business information. Already in motion: Stadler Rail’s AI-supported robotic dogs on maintenance rounds, Bühler’s service robots across operations. “AI is the brain. Robotics are the hands. Enterprise data is the memory.”Record 17Sealed · 2026 The next mission
The next generation is already in the lab: JiVS IMP AI. Thirty years of preserved, trusted enterprise data becomes the foundation for what AI needs most.Reveal · Digital Lounge 2026
Dispatch · Global PresenceEU · US · APAC
Swiss roots. Global reach.
From a headquarters in Kreuzlingen, DMI now runs a federation of six independent companies and serves enterprise customers across three continents. Every pin on the map marks a system retired, a migration completed, a decade of business history preserved.
From Kreuzlingen — outward.
A Swiss headquarters, six independent companies, and enterprise deployments spanning three continents. Each pin is a story preserved.
◆ HQ · Kreuzlingen◇ Regional Hub· Deployment NodeEU · US · APAC
§ 04 · Invitation
Three decades in. The next chapter begins now.
Explore the full 30-year dossier, download the anniversary edition, or speak with the team building the future of enterprise data.