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Switzerland’s Federal Chancellery is launching a follow-up program to deploy a sovereign, browser-based open-source digital workplace alongside Microsoft 365 for personnel conducting critical government processes. The platform will provide email, calendars, document editing, file storage, collaboration, telephony, and audio/video conferencing, aiming to reduce dependence on a single cloud provider and preserve operations during outages, supply-chain incidents, or geopolitical crises. About 3,000 employees are expected to receive access by the end of 2027, supported by an initial budget of roughly CHF 9 million.
The program follows the BOSS proof-of-concept feasibility study, which found the platform adequate for standard office work but identified shortcomings in large video conferences. Authorities must further address interoperability, security, identity management, performance, user support, and integration with government-specific applications before broader use. The initiative is intended to strengthen digital sovereignty, resilience, and continuity for sensitive operations, not to immediately replace Microsoft 365 across the federal administration.
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The Swiss Federal Council was informed of the PoC BOSS feasibility-study results, which found the browser-based open-source workplace suitable for standard office workflows but identified limitations for large video conferences and further needs around security, interoperability, identity management, support, and government-application integration.
The Swiss Federal Chancellery will run a follow-up program to build and deploy a sovereign open-source digital workplace for selected federal employees alongside Microsoft 365. The initial phase is budgeted at approximately CHF 9 million and is intended to support digital sovereignty and continuity during provider outages, supply-chain risks, or geopolitical disruptions.
The Swiss Armed Forces said it would replace Microsoft Office 365 with OpenDesk for cybersecurity workers by October. This was a separate agency-specific OpenDesk adoption effort from the Federal Chancellery's broader workplace program.
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Austria's Ministry of Economy has transitioned 1,200 employees to a Nextcloud-based cloud and collaboration platform hosted on Austrian infrastructure, marking a significant move away from proprietary, foreign-owned cloud services such as Microsoft 365. This migration is part of a broader European trend emphasizing digital sovereignty, with governments and agencies seeking greater control over sensitive data and reducing reliance on US-based technology providers. The EuroStack Initiative, a non-profit foundation, has been established to promote European technology solutions, further supporting this movement. France has adopted the Matrix protocol as the backbone of its secure instant messaging service, Tchap, which is now used by over 600,000 public officials. The French Interministerial Digital Directorate (DINUM) has also become a Silver member of the Matrix.org Foundation, reinforcing its commitment to open-source, European-based technologies. Other countries, including Germany and Sweden, are exploring or implementing similar solutions, driven by concerns over data sovereignty, security, and the unpredictability of foreign technology providers. These developments reflect a growing momentum across Europe to adopt homegrown or open alternatives for cloud and messaging services in both public and private sectors.
Jun 29, 2026
Swiss public-sector data protection officers have issued a resolution urging government agencies to avoid using international software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms, such as Microsoft 365, for sensitive data unless true end-to-end encryption is implemented. The resolution highlights that most SaaS solutions do not provide end-to-end encryption, leaving data accessible to providers and subject to foreign legal processes like the US CLOUD Act. This lack of control is seen as a significant risk to data sovereignty, as agencies cannot guarantee the confidentiality of particularly sensitive or legally protected information when using these services. The Swiss stance reflects a broader European skepticism toward foreign-owned hyperscale cloud providers, with similar concerns raised in Germany, France, Denmark, and by the European Commission. Security analysts emphasize that true data sovereignty requires government control over encryption keys, not just data residency. The resolution also warns that SaaS providers can unilaterally change terms and conditions, further eroding security and privacy guarantees for public sector data.
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France’s Ministry of the Economy and Finance announced the generalization of **Visio**, a videoconferencing platform developed by the government’s Interministerial Directorate for Digital Affairs (**DINUM**), with the stated goal of making it the default—and ultimately exclusive—video meeting tool for French public servants by 2027. The policy aims to end reliance on “extra-European” services such as **Microsoft Teams**, **Zoom**, **Webex**, and **Google Meet**, citing concerns over **data sovereignty**, confidentiality of government communications, and exposure to foreign infrastructure, laws, and political pressure. French officials framed the move as part of a broader **digital sovereignty** strategy intended to reduce strategic dependencies and improve resilience across ministries and public bodies. Visio has already been piloted at scale (reported as tens of thousands of users, including ~40,000 regular users) and is being expanded toward broader adoption across the state; the plan includes not renewing external videoconferencing licenses once Visio is fully in routine use. The Register reporting echoes the government’s rationale and notes that major public-sector entities (including tax and social security bodies) have begun transitioning away from US-based platforms.
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