German government moves closer to ditching Microsoft: "We're done with Teams!"

In brief: The long-running battle of Germany's northernmost state, Schleswig-Holstein, to make a complete switch from Microsoft software to open-source alternatives looks close to an end. Many government operatives will permanently wave goodbye to the likes of Teams, Word, Excel, and Outlook in the next three months in a move to ensure independence, sustainability, and security.

Plans to go open-source were drawn up by Schleswig-Holstein as far back as 2017. In 2021, the state found another incentive to make the switch: Windows 11's hardware requirements. A move to LibreOffice and other open-source programs had a deadline of 2026 – there was no date set for ditching Windows at the time.

Last year brought news of a plan by the state to replace Windows with Linux and further expansion of LibreOffice, Open-Xchange, Nextcloud, and the Univention Active Directory (AD).

Now, Digitalisation Minister Dirk Schroedter has announced that "We're done with Teams!"

Question! Why should local governments use taxpayers' money to buy proprietary software from a single vendor? And what happens to citizens' data? A solution is to move to free software like Linux and LibreOffice – which is what Schleswig-Holstein is doing: https://t.co/P7cQJwEP7u pic.twitter.com/OuIHPlSteV

Of the state's approximately 60,000 public servants, which includes civil servants, judges, and police officers, around half are transitioning away from Microsoft in this initial phase, with 30,000 more – mostly teachers – doing the same over the next few years.

Schroedter highlighted several reasons for the move. Money is obviously a major factor, with Microsoft's enterprise licensing fees reaching into the millions of euros.

Global politics have also influenced the decision. The EU has a long history of imposing massive fines on US tech giants, something that Donald Trump has repeatedly taken issue with.

In 2023, Microsoft became the subject of an antitrust investigation in the continent over the way it integrates Teams into its other programs for businesses, though the Redmond firm agreed to a formal package of commitments, including selling the Office suite without Teams at a lower price, in May, which should allow it to escape a fine.

"The geopolitical developments of the past few months have strengthened interest in the path that we've taken," said Schroedter.

"The war in Ukraine revealed our energy dependencies, and now we see there are also digital dependencies," he said.

There's also the EU's "Interoperable Europe Act" that came into effect last year. It encourages the use of open-source software.

Other public bodies across the world are also moving away from Microsoft's products in favor of open-source or home-grown alternatives, from French police to India's defence ministry, writes France 24. Local governments in Denmark are also looking to ditch the firm.

Munich, the capital of the German state Bavaria, switched from Windows to Linux-based LiMux in 2004, though it switched back in 2017 as part of an IT overhaul. Wanting Microsoft to move its headquarters to Munich likely played a part in the return to Windows, too.