Schleswig-Holstein, Germany’s most northern state, is starting its switch from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice, and is planning to move from Windows to Linux on the 30,000 PCs it uses for local government functions.
Concerns over data security are also front and center in the Minister-President’s statement, especially data that may make its way to other countries. Back in 2021, when the transition plans were first being drawn up, the hardware requirements for Windows 11 were also mentioned as a reason to move away from Microsoft.
Saunders noted that “the reasons for switching to Linux and LibreOffice are different today. Back when LiMux started, it was mostly seen as a way to save money. Now the focus is far more on data protection, privacy and security. Consider that the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) recently found that the European Commission’s use of Microsoft 365 breaches data protection law for EU institutions and bodies.”
There’s a learning curve, but really, every large org can save so much money that way.
Heck, most proprietary apps are web apps these days anyway, so it really doesn’t hurt running Linux except for a few specialty roles. Just run Mac or Windows for those areas, and everyone else gets Linux.
I would love it if my work computer was Linux, 90% of my work is on a terminal anyway, it would save me from having to SSH to a Linux server every day.
Honestly, large org could pay FOSS developers for maintenance etc and it would be still a better deal all around.