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Open source software: added flexibility to gradually break free from vendor lock-in
11.04.2025 Open source solutions and open standards help companies curb vendor lock-in, implement technological sovereignty and retain control over their data.
Key points at a glance
- Open source software can reduce dependency on a single supplier.
- BFH has identified open source alternatives to Microsoft products.
- Administrations are taking first steps towards open source solutions.
- BFH is preparing experts for this change.
The Open Source Study Switzerland 2024 shows how to curb vendor lock-in, drawing on a wide range of specialist articles and real-life cases. The study focuses in particular on the growing importance of open source software (OSS) in the public sector, which is, among other things, a consequence of the Federal Act on the Use of Electronic Means for the Performance of Official Duties (EMBAG), in force since the beginning of 2024. With a few exceptions, the law requires the Federal Administration to publish the source code of all software that it develops or has developed for the performance of its tasks.
The Open Source Study Switzerland is published every three years. In addition, the ‘OSS-Benchmark’ platform at ossbenchmark.com provides a daily updated interactive list of the top Swiss ‘hidden champions’ in terms of open source software releases. Finally, the ‘OSS Directory’ lists companies that offer competent services in the field of open source software. The Open Source Program Office (OSPO) at CERN is another success story. It deals with the technical, organisational and legal issues related to OSS.
Free alternatives to proprietary software
Back to the Federal Administration: its Cloud Enabling Office Automation project is designed to make the cloud-based version of Microsoft’s services the new standard. In order to find a way out of the proprietary path, the BFH Institute for Public Sector Transformation was commissioned by the Federal Chancellery’s Digital Transformation and ICT Steering Sector (DTI) to identify open source alternatives to Microsoft products.
As a result, established open source solutions were identified and documented as alternatives for almost the entire software portfolio, covering more than fifty services.
Our recommendations for organisations
- Gain an overview of the software in use and its cost: organisations should maintain an inventory of the software libraries and solutions they use and establish complete transparency regarding recurring licensing costs.
- Explicitly examine open source software as an alternative solution: procurement concepts should be structured in such a way that open source software can be considered as a proper alternative.
- Build up and bundle competencies: organisations should define internal responsibilities for dealing with open source and set up their own lightweight ‘Open Source Program Office’ (OSPO).
The fact that the existence of valid alternatives makes a decisive difference was made clear by the Federal Supreme Court’s ruling BGE 150 II 105 of 6 November 2023: in a single tender procedure, the Canton of Vaud had awarded the contract for an IT application for its Driver and Vehicle Licensing Office to a specific provider, whereupon a competitor lodged an objection. The Federal Supreme Court ruled that it would have been up to the contracting authority to find equivalent alternatives – and not, as previously, the task of the complainant.
This reversal of the burden of proof is an important step away from past practice, which all too often took the path of least resistance by extending contracts with the previous supplier.
Solutions for everyday use
A lot more is happening in the Federal Administration: the Federal Office of Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT) will soon launch a pilot project with openDesk, an open source office suite for public administrations developed in Germany as an alternative to Microsoft 365. Furthermore, the DTI Sector published a comprehensive set of tools for the release of OSS by federal bodies in autumn 2024, with a view to implementing the aforementioned EMBAG.
This initiative builds on the open source activities launched by the Canton of Bern in 2018, with its extensive checklists, guidelines and templates. This practical expertise will be essential as federal bodies increasingly adopt open-licensing practices in alignment with Article 9 EMBAG.
More info on ‘open source’
Open source at BFH (in German): this page serves as the central hub and starting point for BFH’s Open Source Community of Practice. For example, BFH uses Nextcloud for data sharing and LimeSurvey for surveys.
CH Open: the association for the promotion of open source software and open standards in Switzerland is based at BFH and carries out numerous activities. These include the Open Source AI Workshops and the Open Education Day (in collaboration with PHBern), which all take place in May 2025. The international OSS Directory is also developed by BFH.
One of the canton’s flagship projects is the inosca Community, an inter-cantonal software development community (‘inosca’ stands for ‘Innovation Open Source Canton’). This cantonal open source solution for the electronic processing of planning applications shows that that releasing open source software and collaborating in communities can bring practical benefits in everyday work. Various BFH courses, such as the CAS continuing education courses and the Micro Courses, look at the open source solutions available for everyday use and the factors to consider when using them.