The Swiss government plans to reduce its dependence on Microsoft products, according to a report from NZZ am Sonntag. A spokesman for the Federal Chancellery confirmed the federal administration aims to transition away from Microsoft 365 gradually over the long term. This marks a significant policy shift after the government recently deployed Microsoft's software on 54,000 administration workstations.

Despite concerns about data security and sovereignty, calls for alternatives previously faced internal resistance. The move comes as Switzerland examines Germany's approach to digital independence, where work is underway on an independent open-source solution. The German state of Schleswig-Holstein has already migrated its entire administration to open-source software, demonstrating the feasibility of such a transition.

Swiss authorities have spent over CHF1.1 billion ($1.4 billion) on Microsoft licenses over the past decade, according to an SRF investigation. The shift is partly driven by concerns over the 2018 Cloud Act, which allows US authorities to access data stored by American tech companies regardless of where servers are physically located. This legal framework has heightened anxiety about data sovereignty, particularly given the current US administration's approach to the rule of law.