The Swiss government's long-standing dependence on Microsoft is meant to come to an end: a feasibility study examined whether moving away from Microsoft software is fundamentally achievable. The result came back positive, and a larger-scale trial is now meant to provide further insights.
From 172 test participants to 3,000 employees
The feasibility study involved 172 people. In a next step, 3,000 employees are set to take part in a trial run, deliberately selected from various departments and the Federal Chancellery, working in especially critical business processes. An alternative software platform is meant to be ready by the end of 2027. According to the Swiss government, it's staying in close contact throughout these steps with the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, which has already relied on open-source solutions for nearly 80 percent of its systems since late 2025 and has largely dropped Microsoft products.
Tight integration with the Microsoft architecture as the biggest hurdle
"A major challenge here is the large number of applications and specialized programs that are tightly tied to the Microsoft architecture," the Federal Council states. According to the government, extensive adjustments as well as security and platform assessments are required, and employees will also need training in using other software. It's not yet possible to say whether the federal administration's workplace will fully switch to a sovereign solution at some later point. For now, the plan is to run an alternative software solution alongside Microsoft 365.
Typical office functions are meant to be covered by other products, including email, calendar management, document management, creating presentations, telephony, and audio and video conferencing. Speaking to broadcaster SRF, Daniel Markwalder, the official in charge of implementation, said it hasn't yet been decided how far-reaching the planned move away from Microsoft will ultimately be.
The goal: a genuine fallback solution
"By the end of the test, we want a realistic assessment of whether a complete replacement is possible. The primary goal is to create a genuine fallback solution and thereby reduce our dependency," Markwalder says, describing the project's aim. Switzerland thus joins a growing number of European administrations looking to reduce their reliance on individual US providers, with Schleswig-Holstein serving as a further-along model.