Microsoft 365 cannot be fully replaced with European OpenDesk – study

A new study sheds light on the difficulties of replacing the Microsoft 365 productivity suite with a German open-source alternative, OpenDesk.

The study, conducted by Zurich’s Competence Center for Digitalization and the Bern University of Applied Sciences, tested whether OpenDesk can fully replace Microsoft 365 and its many integrated functionalities in the City of Zurich administration, Heise.de reports.

OpenDesk is being developed by the Center for Digital Sovereignty of Public Administration (ZenDiS) in Germany. It is seen as a potential substitute for Microsoft software, which European local and national governments are increasingly seeking to move away from.

OpenDesk is an open-source, browser-based technology that combines various software for different functions, such as Nextcloud for file management and Collabora Online for document editing.

The study concluded that OpenDesk meets most requirements for chat and essential requirements for a file manager.

Moreover, all core email functions are met, as well as the calendar, which researchers praised for its interface. Meanwhile, the presentation software makes “a good impression,” according to Heise.de.

However, the study revealed flaws in OpenDesk as an emerging alternative to Microsoft. For instance, its users rely on apps from individual components, which comes as an inconvenience for the administration that uses mobile applications heavily.

Because OpenDesk runs exclusively in the browser, it has limited functionality for notifications, data exchange, and access to sensors and security features.

The authors, however, emphasize that OpenDesk is continuously updated, and some missing functionalities can be compensated for with open-source software, such as LibreOffice and Thunderbird.

Digital sovereignty may not be so easy to achieve

The study comes as a reality check amid Europe’s push towards digital sovereignty, which has intensified under the Donald Trump presidency in the US.

More than 74% of all publicly listed European companies depend on US-based tech services, like Google and Microsoft, raising concerns about sensitive data flowing to the US and the vulnerability to a “kill switch” scenario.

Microsoft is the major target in the digital independence bid, as it is increasingly being replaced with local open-source alternatives.

France announced in April 2026 its plans to move from Microsoft’s Windows operating system to Linux across 2.5 million civil servants’ desktops.

The Austrian Armed Forces switched from Microsoft Office to the German open-source office suite LibreOffice last year, in an attempt to cut costs and strengthen the country’s digital sovereignty efforts.

Germany’s northernmost state, Schleswig-Holstein, announced in 2025 that 80% of state government workplaces had switched from Microsoft software to open-source alternatives.

The new study looked into employee reports from Schleswig-Holstein, even though they don’t use OpenDesk. The transition was shown to have no negative impact on attractiveness as an employer, but a small share of employees remained dependent on Microsoft products.

For example, many “heavy Excel users” in the tax administration are exempt from the requirement to switch, according to Heise.de.

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