By Stefan Krempl
Publication Date: 2025-12-07 13:04:00
The state administration of Schleswig-Holstein is making a remarkable U-turn in its IT strategy and consistently relying on open source. After the migration from proprietary Microsoft software to free solutions was initially accompanied by problems and criticism, Digitalization Minister Dirk Schrödter (CDU) can now report a significant success: According to his ministry, the state will save over 15 million euros in license costs for Windows, Microsoft Office & Co. next year alone. It is expected to be similar in the following years.
In contrast, there would be one-time investments of nine million euros in 2026, explained the Ministry of Digitalization to the Kieler Nachrichten. These would have to be made for the conversion of workplaces and the further development of solutions with free software in the next 12 months. Given the annual savings, this sum will pay for itself in less than a year. In the past, the state transferred millions to the US…