Switzerland tests a FOSS escape route from Microsoft 365

“The platform is expected to become available to about 3,000 selected employees from the end of 2027, with the first phase forecast to cost CHF 9 million.”

Switzerland’s Federal Chancellery is rolling out openDesk, an open-source office suite built by Germany’s state-owned ZenDIS, to 3,000 federal employees. CHF 9 million for phase one is a rounding error against what Microsoft charges for the same headcount every year. Most governments talk about ditching a single vendor and never move. Switzerland put a date on it.