Switzerland's federal government has initiated a pilot project to replace Microsoft 365 with open source alternatives on 3,000 federal workstations, representing about 7% of its workforce. The migration is planned to be completed by the end of 2027. This effort builds on a successful proof-of-concept involving 172 employees who tested the openDesk suite, a German open-source collaboration platform. Core office functions such as document processing and email received positive feedback, although large-scale video conferencing still faces technical challenges.
The pilot phase will run the new open source system alongside Microsoft 365 rather than replacing it immediately, allowing for a gradual transition. If successful, the migration could extend to all 54,000 federal workstations. The move is driven by concerns over digital sovereignty, including risks of foreign government access to data under US cloud laws, operational risks from dependence on a single foreign vendor, and rising licensing costs.
Separately, Switzerland's military cybersecurity unit, Cyber Command, is advancing more quickly and plans to fully replace Microsoft 365 with openDesk by October 2026 to protect sensitive military data.
This initiative aligns with Switzerland's 2024 EMBAG Law, which mandates that government-developed software be published as open source by default, and the Federal Council's 2025 designation of digital sovereignty as a key priority. The goal is to reduce dependence on foreign technology providers, particularly large US companies.
Neighboring countries like France and Germany have pursued similar strategies. Meanwhile, Microsoft is investing over CHF 325 million to expand AI and cloud infrastructure in Switzerland, aiming to address sovereignty concerns. The Swiss pilot represents a significant test case for government adoption of open source software at scale.