Author: Edith Hollenstein, Konrad Staehelin
Source: [Tages-Anzeiger Article](Original link not available)
Publication Date: Today, 06:22
Summary Reading Time: 4 minutes

Executive Summary

Army Chief Thomas Süssli demands a halt to the Microsoft Office 365 rollout for military personnel, as classified documents cannot be uploaded to US clouds, making the system largely useless. This development reflects a growing European awareness of dependence on US tech giants, intensified by Trump's return and the Cloud Act. Action Recommendation: Companies should reconsider their cloud strategies and evaluate alternative providers.

Critical Guiding Questions

How vulnerable are European organizations due to their dependence on US cloud providers, especially under a Trump administration?
What role does the Cloud Act play as a geopolitical leverage tool, and how can Swiss companies protect themselves against it?
Are the additional costs for digital sovereignty cheaper in the long run than the risks of dependence on US tech giants?

Scenario Analysis: Future Perspectives

Short-term (1 year)

Increased demand for European cloud alternatives (Proton, Infomaniak already report 4x higher inquiries)
Price pressure on US providers through growing competition
Pilot projects in Swiss authorities for open-source solutions

Medium-term (5 years)

Hybrid IT landscapes become standard: Sensitive data with European, standard applications with US providers
Regulatory tightening regarding data localization in critical sectors
Consolidation of European cloud providers into competitive alternatives

Long-term (10-20 years)

Digital sovereignty as strategic competitive factor between economic blocs
Complete decoupling of critical infrastructures from US providers
New geopolitical tensions over technology standards and data sovereignty

Main Summary

Core Topic & Context

Army Chief Süssli criticizes the planned deployment of Microsoft Office 365, as classified military documents cannot be stored in US clouds. This fuels a Europe-wide debate about digital dependence on American tech giants.

Most Important Facts & Figures

40,000 federal employees already use Office 365, project to be completed by year-end
4.6 million francs additional annual licensing costs for 12,000 army accounts
Two-thirds of publicly traded Swiss companies use US tech services
Quadrupling of customer inquiries at Swiss cloud providers since spring
Cloud Act enables US authorities worldwide data access to US providers

Stakeholders & Affected Parties

Swiss federal administration and army as main affected parties
Health insurers, hospitals, banks with similar dependencies
Alternative providers (Proton, Infomaniak, Safeswisscloud) as beneficiaries
Security chiefs in Swiss companies under pressure to act

Opportunities & Risks

Opportunities:

Strengthening of European cloud providers and digital sovereignty
Cost optimization through reduction of licensing dependencies
Increased data security and protection from geopolitical risks

Risks:

High migration costs and complex IT transformations
Functionality losses when switching to alternative solutions
Vendor lock-in effects complicate short-term exit

Action Relevance

Immediate action required for companies with sensitive data. The Federal Chancellery plans feasibility studies despite maintaining Microsoft strategy. International examples (Austria, Germany, Denmark) show realizable exit scenarios.

Fact-Checking

Microsoft blocking of chief prosecutor: ✅ Confirmed by international media reports
Cloud Act provisions: ✅ US law from 2018 under Trump
International switches to open source: ✅ Documented cases in Europe

Bibliography

Primary Source:

[Swiss Army Wants to Move Away from Microsoft - Tages-Anzeiger](Original link)

Supplementary Sources:

Verification Status: ✅ Facts checked as of today's date