Switzerland's public sector is initiating a pilot project to phase out Microsoft 365. The government aims to reduce reliance on large multinational tech companies and increase national digital sovereignty. This transition is led by the federal and local public administration technology owns
The move is driven by concerns over cross-border data flow risks, geopolitical complexities, and high commercial licensing costs. Swiss authorities are worried about the sensitive public data being locked into external cloud providers and the potential for data leakage
The pilot focuses on verifying the feasibility, security, and efficiency of alternative solutions. Officials are considering open-source tools such as Nextcloud for private document sharing and collaboration, LibreOffice for desktop editing, and secure email and instant messaging systems
The project tests whether these open-source alternatives can replace complex workflows like Microsoft Teams' video conferencing, real-time multi-user document collaboration, и calendar synchronization. A key requirement is that systems must be deployable in Swiss data centers or on fully autonomous infrastructure to avoid foreign legal jurisdiction
Initial participants from government departments and civil servants are already testing the replacement platforms. Technical teams are assessing software stability, user transition difficulty, and compatibility with legacy document formats. If successful, the migration plan will be expanded to broader federal agencies and public education systems over the coming years
