Alternative to Microsoft?
November 11, 2024, 2:01 pm | Author: Tillmann Braun / Editor: Diana Künstler
The wait is over: With the roll-out of the “Office & Collaboration Suite” openDesk, the public sector now has a sovereign workplace that could represent a real alternative to Microsoft and other Office packages for authorities and offices.
The solution, led by the Center for Digital Sovereignty (ZenDiS) by European open source specialists1 was developed to help Germany become digitally independent – both from other countries and from private software companies.
While open source solutions are already being used in some federal states, in most cases Microsoft 365 is still being used – despite all the warnings about data protection and dependence on US companies. The reason given was often the lack of alternatives. This argument now no longer applies. With the “Office & Collaboration Suite” openDesk, there is now a secure and user-friendly overall solution that works in every browser and on all devices – and covers all the tools needed for daily work: from word processing to email. , contact and calendar functions to video conferences, chats, spreadsheets, cloud storage, project management and a wiki. As a cloud solution, the suite is immediately available. If necessary, openDesk can also be operated in your own data center – which will soon no longer be possible at Microsoft.
New sovereign workplace is generating great interest – and could change a lot
Frank Hoberg, Co-Founder and CSO Open-Xchange: “Investing in local software solutions like openDesk has […] also a social and socio-political relevance.”
The response to the new sovereign workplace, which is being rolled out at the Smart Country Convention (SSCON) in Berlin2 was announced. “The great interest shows that many have been waiting for a confident alternative to the office solutions they have previously used,” says Frank Hoberg from the open source manufacturer Open-Xchange. The co-founder of the German software company even sees the potential for a trend reversal in the successful launch of the solution developed in Europe. “If greater investment is now made in European software, a new, important economic sector and with it an ecosystem can emerge in the medium and long term. “This would further reduce the dependence on large corporations and the states in which they are based,” says Hoberg. If this were successful, it would also lead to new, urgently needed jobs in Germany and Europe. “Investing in local software solutions like openDesk also has socio-political relevance,” emphasizes Frank Hoberg. It is all the more important that these opportunities are not missed now.
A community solution from the heart of Europe
Dependence on the USA and China has long been a thorn in the side of more than just data protection advocates. A number of open source specialists have now teamed up with Open-Xchange and other renowned European manufacturers such as Nextcloud, Univention, Nordeck, Element, OpenProject, xWiki and Collabora Online and developed an office suite that offers completely new possibilities. What makes openDesk unique is the fact that it is managed by Bundes-GmbH ZenDiS. This ensures now and in the future that users of the software suite are not suddenly forced into the cloud – as will soon be the case with Microsoft – or experience other unpleasant surprises.
While ZenDiS ensures that only trustworthy manufacturers work on the suite, the manufacturers work together with their development and support teams to ensure that the solution works perfectly. Ultimately, this also means that there is an opportunity to respond to new challenges together with the manufacturers and to help shape further development.
The roll-out of the new sovereign workplace is a blessing for the protection of important data. Despite all efforts to comply with the strict German data protection regulations: If the US government demands that American companies such as Microsoft or Apple hand over user data, they cannot defend themselves against this due to the corresponding US laws. The same applies in other countries such as China. The fact that both the Robert Koch Institute and the Bundeswehr are actively involved in the further development of openDesk speaks volumes.
Transparency instead of blind trust
In contrast to proprietary software from corporations, the open source solution openDesk makes it possible to view the program code. So instead of having to blindly trust a private company from the USA or China, potential vulnerabilities can be identified yourself and closed together with the manufacturers before damage occurs. At the same time, you are not dependent on the sometimes arbitrary price increases that monopolists sometimes force on you.
In short: With the launch of the openDesk suite, there is no longer any objective argument for the public sector to continue to rely exclusively on Microsoft Office and similar solutions. In the coming weeks and months it will become clear how serious decision-makers in the public sector are about digital independence. Does the great interest in the new office suite actually result in orders – or does the money continue to flow to the USA; and with it potentially also data from German authorities?
Read more about the topic
This might also interest you
More articles about Microsoft
More articles about Microsoft
More articles about Microsoft Deutschland GmbH
More articles about Microsoft Deutschland GmbH
More articles about Open-Xchange
More articles on public cloud
More articles on cloud services
More articles on cloud computing
More articles on cloud providers
More articles on open source
