German State Replaces Microsoft Exchange and Outlook with Open-Source Email
This switch isn’t just a technical change; it’s a political move, as industry reports confirm.
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The German state of Schleswig-Holstein has dumped its government email and calendar systems for open-source software. The six-month migration has replaced Microsoft Exchange and Outlook with Open-Xchange and Mozilla Thunderbird. The transfer covered more than 40,000 mailboxes and over 100 million messages and calendar entries, with data shows highlighting the scale of this digital transformation.
Digitalization Minister Dirk Schrödter declared, “Mission accomplished. From the State Chancellery and ministries to the judiciary, police, and other state authorities, our roughly 30,000 employees have embarked on a new path together. We want to become independent of large tech corporations and ensure digital sovereignty. Now we can also say: mission accomplished when it comes to email communication.”
Schrödter praised the employees who helped make the transition possible: “The past weeks and months have shown that such a transition is no small feat. We are true pioneers. There is hardly a comparable project of this magnitude worldwide. Our sincere thanks go to all employees. Without their support, this transition would not have been possible.”
The switch to open-source email followed years of planning. The state, in concert with open-source vendors such as Nextcloud, has been replacing all proprietary systems with open-source software. Last year, for example, the government began rolling out LibreOffice across departments. This move toward open standards comes amid broader tech shifts, according to analysis of future hardware developments, and aligns with growing cybersecurity concerns, as experts note a 50% rise in serious attacks over the past year.
