Dutch tax authorities scrap Microsoft 365 cloud rollout for open source
Dutch tax authorities cancel Microsoft 365 cloud rollout and turn to open source
The Netherlands' Tax and Customs Administration has abandoned its Microsoft 365 public-cloud rollout after about 5,000 employees had already migrated. An ICT assessment flagged information security, data confidentiality, and vendor lock-in concerns. The government will keep existing Microsoft software for now, but plans on-premises email and calendar in 2027, followed by European open-source solutions for storage and collaboration in 2027–2028. The move reflects a broader European push for digital sovereignty, with 94% of EU organizations calling it important.
In 2027, the provision for mail and calendar will be realized on-premises. Later in 2027 and 2028, European open-source solutions for personal storage and collaboration will follow. This allows us to work toward a sustainable and more autonomous solution for these functionalities.
- kazinator
People are tired of 25 years of European stories about this and that government branch or municipality switching away from Microsoft lock in to some open source solutions, and then coming back again, etc.
Stick with it for five (5) years consistently, then report on it.
- nxobject
I suspect the fact that the Netherlands hosts the ICC might have made this a little more salient, too.
- thomasjeff1
Grew a pair