Switzerland Breaks Free from Microsoft with Sovereign Open-Source Workplace

Switzerland's federal administration is moving away from Microsoft 365 to an open-source digital workplace, aiming to reduce its dependence on the cloud productivity suite for sensitive government operations. The Federal Chancellery will build and deploy a sovereign platform alongside Microsoft's service, initially providing core office capabilities to approximately 3,000 employees by the end of 2027.

The planned environment includes email, calendars, document editing, telephony, file storage, collaboration tools, and audio and video conferencing. The Federal Chancellery expects the first implementation phase to cost around CHF 9 million, using funds already approved for developing a sovereign Swiss open-source office automation platform.

This digital sovereignty project is part of Switzerland's Digital Switzerland strategy, focusing on federal agencies' resilience during crises. A locally controlled workplace platform could give the administration additional options during service disruptions or outages affecting a major cloud provider.

The Federal Chancellery consulted Germany's Schleswig-Holstein state government, which has already pursued an open-source deployment in the workplace. The proof of concept involved 172 participants from several departments and reported positive results for standard office processes. However, technical constraints were identified, particularly with large video conferences.