Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany. According to Dirk Schrödter, Head of the State Chancellery and Minister for Digital Transformation, Schleswig-Holstein will save €15 million in 2026 by dropping Microsoft software in favor of FOSS (free and open source software) running on Linux. As of publication date of this article, €15 million is approximately US$17,660,250. Schleswig-Holstein aims for digital sovereignty and cost savings by replacing programs like Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook with tools such as LibreOffice, Open-Xchange and/or Thunderbird, and Linux.

Schleswig-Holstein’s goals

• To regain control over data, reduce reliance on tech giants and save money on licensing fees.
• Software replaced: Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) and Microsoft Teams.
• Replacement software: LibreOffice (for office suite), Open-Xchange and/or Thunderbird (for email/calendar) and Linux (operating system).
• Scope: Affects tens of thousands of public servants, including teachers and police.

Since the early 2000s, France’s Gendarmerie Nationale has been migrating to Linux.

*Standard Windows 11 versions versus the preferred versions

When I say «standard» Windows 11, I am referring to the Home and Pro versions, not the IoT and LTSC Enterprise versions I covered in this recent article. Even though the article mentions special yet «secret» versions of Windows 10 which still have security updates from Microsoft, it also covers these special and «secret» versions of Windows 11.

Image credit

The image Locator map Schleswig-Holstein in Germany by NordNordWest (Author TUBS) is used via GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.

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Schleswig-Holstein ahorrará €15 millones en 2026 al dejar de utilizar el sóftwer de Microsoft en favor del Linux gratuito

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