The German state of Schleswig-Holstein is transitioning from Microsoft’s proprietary software to free, open-source systems. The state government plans to replace Windows and Office with Linux and LibreOffice for its approximately 30,000 employees. The decision was driven by the value placed on “digital sovereignty” rather than the technical superiority of Linux and LibreOffice.
In the European Union, digital sovereignty refers to the protection of citizens’ data from being collected by foreign companies and enabling European tech companies to compete with their American and Chinese counterparts. The state’s digital sovereignty is compromised when it uses proprietary, closed software that can’t be studied or modified, making it difficult to know what happens to users’ data.
The state also aims to save money and increase security through the use of open-source software. The plan includes replacing Microsoft Office with LibreOffice, Windows with a yet-to-be-determined Linux desktop distro, and other Microsoft-specific programs with open-source equivalents. For instance, the state plans to use Nextcloud, Open Xchange/Thunderbird, and the Univention Active Directory (AD) connector to replace Sharepoint and Exchange/Outlook.
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