Bye bye Windows: 30,000 government employees will soon be working with Linux

Debora Pape

5.4.2024

Translation: machine translated

Schleswig-Holstein wants to be the first German federal state to switch its entire data processing system to free software. There have also been open source projects in Switzerland, but some of these have failed.

Microsoft applications are an integral part of most offices. In addition to Windows and Office, these also include cloud and server services. However, the dependence on Microsoft and other corporations is a thorn in the side of some government organisations and authorities: they are daring to switch to open source solutions. Not always with long-term success - more on this later. Now the state administration of the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein has also decided against proprietary applications. 30,000 employees are affected.

Reasons for the switch: data protection and licence fees

For state institutions, licence fees are only part of the problem. Schleswig-Holstein's Minister for Digitalisation Dirk Schrödter explains in a press release that data protection is the main argument against proprietary software.

Cloud services are usually also part of Windows and Office solutions. Data is transmitted or stored via Microsoft servers. In the case of public organisations, this can also include sensitive citizen data. The licence holder has no influence over how the data is transmitted and how it is handled. Schrödter points out the risk that the data could even be transferred to third countries.

It is therefore about "digital sovereignty": independence from corporations that offer no insight into their processes, have economic interests and evade scrutiny. Schrödter states that public institutions have a great responsibility towards people when handling data and tax revenue. The money saved should flow into programming and optimising their own solutions and thus creating jobs locally.

Problems with the changeover: Solothurn and Munich

The idea of doing without closed-source applications is not new. In Switzerland, the Federal Court in Lausanne, the authorities in the cantons of Solothurn and Vaud and the city of Zurich have completely or partially abandoned proprietary software.

The canton of Solothurn was an early adopter in 2001. The primary aim was to save costs. But there was no happy ending: central applications were not converted until 2010 and in the same year the decision was made to install Windows and Office on all computers again. Although the canton was able to save high licence fees and the switch was almost complete, according to an analysis, the move away from free software was more due to "poor organisation and pent-up anger".

In Germany, the city of Munich was a pioneer in switching to open source software in 2003. The project was deemed "successfully completed" in 2013, but in 2017 the city council decided to return to Microsoft. The reasons given for this were a reduced range of functions and a lack of compatibility when communicating with other authorities. However, the last word has not yet been spoken in Munich, and another switch to free software is once again under discussion.

By the way: Digitec Galaxus has also successfully switched to open source systems in the area of logistics:

Debora Pape

Editor

Debora.Pape@galaxus.de

Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.