World

Schleswig-Holstein Dumps Microsoft: How Open-Source Software Empowers German Region and Saves Money

Schleswig-Holstein shifts 30k civil servants to open-source, aiming for digital sovereignty & savings, despite challenges.

byAndres Castro

September 15, 2025, 10:51 AM

The German flag is overlaid with lines of computer code, representing technology and data

A conceptual image of the German flag overlaid with computer programming code, symbolizing Germany's adoption of open-source technology. By MDL.

Executive Summary

The German region of Schleswig-Holstein is migrating 30,000 civil servants from Microsoft Office to open-source software like LibreOffice, OpenXchange, Thunderbird, and Nextcloud.

This strategic shift aims to achieve digital sovereignty, realize long-term economic savings by reducing Office licenses, and establish a fully open-source digital infrastructure.

The migration faces implementation challenges, including outages in new email clients and integration difficulties with existing systems like SAP, while also piloting a switch from Windows to Linux.

The Story So Far

The German region of Schleswig-Holstein is undertaking a significant digital transformation to migrate 30,000 civil servants from Microsoft Office to open-source alternatives. This strategic shift is primarily driven by a strong commitment to achieving greater digital sovereignty, aiming to reduce reliance on proprietary vendors and gain more control over its IT infrastructure and data. Additionally, the move seeks to realize long-term economic savings by reducing software licensing costs and serves as a model for promoting broader adoption of open-source solutions within the public sector.

Why This Matters

The ambitious migration of 30,000 civil servants in Schleswig-Holstein from Microsoft to open-source software like LibreOffice and Linux underscores a growing European trend towards digital sovereignty and long-term economic savings for public administrations. While facing implementation hurdles such as integration challenges and service outages, this initiative provides a significant blueprint for other regions seeking to enhance digital independence and promote open-source solutions through strategic public procurement.

Who Thinks What?

Officials in Schleswig-Holstein believe the migration to open-source software is an economically sound long-term strategy to achieve digital sovereignty, reduce reliance on a single vendor, and promote broader adoption of open-source solutions across the public sector.

Reports indicate that the implementation of the open-source migration has faced challenges, including outages in new email clients and difficulties integrating the software with existing workflows, particularly with the enterprise resource planning system, SAP.

The German region of Schleswig-Holstein is implementing a significant digital transformation, migrating 30,000 civil servants from Microsoft Office software to open-source alternatives. This strategic shift, aimed at reducing Office licenses by over two-thirds by the end of the month, underscores the state’s commitment to digital sovereignty and long-term economic savings, despite some reported challenges.

The Migration Details

Civil servants in Schleswig-Holstein are transitioning to LibreOffice for productivity tasks, OpenXchange and Thunderbird for email, and Nextcloud for cloud services. This comprehensive move away from proprietary software is part of a broader effort to enhance digital independence across the public sector.

In parallel with the software migration, a pilot program is underway to replace the Windows operating system with Linux on civil servants’ machines. This dual-pronged approach aims to establish a fully open-source digital infrastructure within the state administration.

Driving Forces and Challenges

Digital Sovereignty and Economic Goals

Officials in Schleswig-Holstein emphasize that the switch is economically sound in the long run, with a primary focus on achieving greater digital sovereignty. By reducing reliance on a single vendor, the region aims to gain more control over its IT infrastructure and data.

The state also believes that public procurement can serve as a crucial lever in promoting the adoption of open-source solutions more broadly. This initiative is positioned as a model for how public administrations can influence the market towards open standards.

Implementation Hurdles

While the goal is a seamless transition, some challenges have emerged during the migration process. Reports indicate issues such as outages in the new email clients and difficulties in integrating the open-source software with existing workflows, particularly with the enterprise resource planning system, SAP.

According to reports, Microsoft is reportedly ignoring Schleswig-Holstein’s move, while simultaneously attempting to influence other German regions regarding their software choices. This dynamic highlights the competitive landscape surrounding public sector IT procurement.

Broader Implications

This ambitious migration by Schleswig-Holstein highlights a growing trend within European public administrations to prioritize digital autonomy and leverage open-source solutions. While presenting implementation hurdles, the initiative is positioned as a blueprint for other regions seeking to enhance their digital independence through strategic procurement and a commitment to open standards.