Tests successful: Switzerland extends its farewell to Microsoft
The Swiss federal government wants to gradually move away from Microsoft for its IT infrastructure. In a pilot project, around 3,000 PCs in the authorities will initially be equipped with open source alternatives to Microsoft 365.
Teams alternative still questionable
This migration project was preceded by a practical test with 172 employees of the Swiss Federal Chancellery. They tested the open source collaboration platform OpenDesk, developed in Germany, as a possible alternative to Microsoft 365. The results were positive overall, the broadcaster reports RTS. In particular, the processing of documents and the e-mail infrastructure proved to be suitable for everyday government work. However, problems emerged with large video conferences. Microsoft Teams has so far been used in this area. The technical challenges in implementing the corresponding functions are therefore considered to be one of the open issues in a possible comprehensive changeover.
After completing the test, the Federal Chancellery decided to significantly expand the experiment. The pilot project includes 3,000 computers and is expected to cost around 9 million Swiss francs. Microsoft 365 will continue to operate in parallel during the test phase. This is intended to enable a gradual transition while ensuring that authorities can maintain their usual work processes.
The goal is 54,000 PCs
If the larger test also proves successful, the switch to open source software could be expanded to the entire federal administration. This currently includes around 54,000 PCs. The current pilot test would therefore cover around seven percent of the existing infrastructure. The move is primarily based on strategic considerations regarding digital sovereignty. The Swiss government wants to reduce dependencies on US technology companies and local legislation.
The strong ties to individual foreign providers are also viewed as a potential risk for the state IT infrastructure. Added to this are the rising costs of software licenses. Switzerland has been following the transition course in various areas for several years. He is particularly advanced in the military Cyber Command. The cybersecurity unit is expected to complete its migration to OpenDesk by October 2026.
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