The Swiss Federal Council has launched a pilot project to test openDesk, an open-source collaboration suite developed in Germany. The initiative aims to evaluate the feasibility of replacing Microsoft 365 within government operations.
The project is driven by the goal of maintaining digital sovereignty and reducing dependence on a single foreign technology provider. This approach allows the Swiss government to maintain control over critical data, software, infrastructure, and technical decisions.
A prior proof-of-concept (PoC) test involving 172 government officials provided positive feedback on document processing, file storage, collaboration, and email and calendar functions. However, the PoC revealed functional limitations regarding large-scale video conferencing.
The current pilot project has a budget of CHF 9 million and covers approximately 3,000 government computers, representing about 7% of civil servants. If successful, Switzerland plans to expand the migration from Microsoft 365 to 54,000 computers.
