- German State Schleswig-Holstein will remove all traces of Microsoft, including Windows
- Transition started in 2023 and should be completed by the end of 2025
- Digitization Minister says, “We are done with teams”
Schleswig-Holstein, Germany’s northernmost state, has confirmed that it will phase out Microsoft Office software tools (including teams, Word, Excel and Outlook) in its public offices in an attempt to reduce its dependence on US tech giants.
The region is now looking for open source alternatives, where LibreOffice, Open-Xchange and Linux are widely adopted.
So far, an estimated 30,000 public employees have already turned their backs on Microsoft’s products, with another 30,000 teachers ready to follow.
German state pulls the plug on Microsoft Software
The move means that Schleswig-Holstein has become the first German state, and one of the first in Europe to fully fill Microsoft products in public administration, but it marks a growing trend across the continent as administrations seek to support local and sovereign opportunities, get digital independence and tackle the dominance of US tech giants-a-top subject that has been central to several EU antitru. in recent years.
Set to influence almost all government departments in the state, started the transition in 2023. A full switch for officials, police and judges is expected by the end of this year.
Possibly one of the biggest changes that has occurred, the transition extends far beyond switching Microsoft Office to LibreOffice.
Outlook is to be replaced by Open-Xchange, Microsoft Teams will be phased out into an open source German platform, and even the entire operating system-Windows will be replaced to Linux-based OSS.
In addition to seeking geographical independence, Schleswig-Holstein’s approach can also be seen as a reaction to geopolitical instability, such as President Trump’s return to office and subsequent EU-American tensions.
By betting on Open Source Software (OSS), the German state could avoid expensive license fees tied to Microsoft’s products (one of the relevant antitrust cases led by the Europe Commission), which potentially saves tens of thousands of millions of euros in the long term.
Neighboring Danish cities, such as Copenhagen and Aarhus, are also reportedly investigating Microsoft alternatives, but such a change could come at a price.
For example, the state that runs into potential interoperability problems by adopting solutions from a number of providers, while workers may need full retraining and support during the transition.
However, wishes to cut ties are clear. Talking with AFP (via France24), Digitization Minister Dirk Schroedter concluded: “We’re done with teams!”
“Geopolitical development in the past few months has strengthened the interest in the path we have taken,” Schroedter added.
