German workforce shifts from Windows to Linux: 30,000 employees prepare for migration

Authorities in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein have confirmed plans to switch tens of thousands of computer systems from Microsoft Windows to Linux.

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Schleswig-Holstein, one of Germany's 16 states, has confirmed plans to migrate tens of thousands of systems from Microsoft Windows to Linux. This follows earlier plans to migrate state employees from Microsoft Office to the open source LibreOffice software. The government has completed a pilot run of LibreOffice and is now announcing plans to expand its use of other open source sources.

On the web page of Minister-President Daniel Gunther this week, it is confirmed that all systems are moving to the Linux operating system. The government is offering a training programme, which it says it will update as necessary.

Explaining the decision, the Schleswig-Holstein government announced the move to open source software in order to improve IT security, save money and improve interoperability between different systems. The state's Minister for Digitalisation, Dirk Schrödter, stressed the importance of digital sovereignty, comparing it to energy sovereignty. He stated that digital sovereignty is not possible with current standard IT products. Schrödter also said the transition would help the state budget by redistributing funds from licence fees to real software services from the local digital economy, which could also create local jobs.

Source: Ars Technica