Swiss Government Pilots Microsoft 365 Replacement on 3,000 PCs as Europe Pushes Digital Sovereignty
Updated
Updated · Computerworld · Sep 8
Swiss Government Pilots Microsoft 365 Replacement on 3,000 PCs as Europe Pushes Digital Sovereignty
3 articles · Updated · Computerworld · Sep 8
Summary
3,000 federal computers—about 7% of Switzerland’s workforce—are entering a pilot to test whether open-source tools can replace Microsoft 365 across government operations.
A 172-civil-servant proof of concept using Germany’s openDesk platform preceded the trial, which officials say is meant to cut reliance on U.S. services, improve reliability and lower costs.
Highly sensitive-data users will be prioritized in the pilot, while the broader federal administration runs more than 54,000 workstations.
The Swiss Armed Forces are already migrating from Microsoft 365 to openDesk, with that separate rollout expected to finish in October.
The move fits a wider European digital-sovereignty drive after EU lawmakers in January told the Commission to map critical technology dependencies and craft policies to reduce foreign-provider reliance.