Governments are rethinking their reliance on US tech. Switzerland is testing a large-scale shift away from proprietary software by deploying open-source alternatives on government computers.
Switzerland government openDesk Microsoft 365 alternative
Following a test with 172 employees using openDesk—a German open-source office suite—Switzerland is expanding the trial to 3,000 workstations.
While document management and email worked well, large video calls still relied on Teams. Because a total switch is difficult right now, the open-source platform runs alongside Microsoft 365. If successful, the rollout could eventually cover all 54,000 federal computers.European digital sovereignty open-source migration
This reflects a broader trend. With France and other nations moving toward open-source options, European countries are pushing back against vendor lock-in.
Experts note that the main drivers are digital sovereignty, data protection, and soaring annual licensing fees from US tech providers. Public sectors are turning to open-source tools to protect state data and support local tech jobs, while sharing progress at industry events and via the devs.com.pt website.
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