Executive Summary

Swiss companies and public authorities are increasingly dependent on large technology corporations such as Microsoft and Google. Expert Matthias Stürmer from the Institute for Public Sector Transformation advocates for increased use of open-source software to strengthen digital sovereignty. Swiss companies such as Infomaniak, Phoenix, and Proton already offer competitive alternatives. Stürmer emphasizes that the state must take a leading role to diversify the market and avoid vendor lock-in. The Federal Law on Electronic Means now obliges federal authorities to publish developed software as open source.

People

  • Matthias Stürmer (Head of Institute for Public Sector Transformation, Bern University of Applied Sciences)

Topics

  • Digital Sovereignty
  • Open-Source Software
  • Vendor Lock-in
  • IT Dependencies
  • Public Digitalization

Clarus Lead

Geopolitical tensions worldwide are intensifying the debate on digital independence. Switzerland has a burgeoning ecosystem of European IT solutions that are immediately applicable to public authorities and enterprises – yet structural investment gaps require coordinated state intervention. While the German state of Schleswig-Holstein saved millions by switching to open-source alternatives, the Swiss public sector invested nearly 3 billion francs over ten years in proprietary licenses. The regulatory framework has shifted: new legal obligations now make federal developments publicly accessible and catalyze a decentralized innovation ecosystem.

Detailed Summary

Dependence on proprietary software is reinforced by so-called vendor lock-in strategies, where providers deliberately design their solutions to be incompatible with other systems. This significantly increases costs or makes switching providers difficult or impossible. Open-source software, by contrast, offers source code transparency, data sovereignty, and flexibility in provider selection – core elements of digital sovereignty.

Stürmer points to practical examples: The Swiss Federal Court has relied on Linux and LibreOffice for over 20 years; it also developed OpenJustitia, its own open-source solution for court file management. These established models demonstrate feasibility at scale. However, the Swiss ecosystem lags significantly behind the USA and China in investments. The solution lies in cooperation and networking of existing Swiss actors – for example, through the Digital Sovereignty Switzerland network – to bundle specialized solutions into complete offerings.

The cost argument is often raised against open source. Stürmer disagrees: migration investments pay off in the long term. Schleswig-Holstein invested 9 million euros for the transition and has saved 15 million euros annually since then. The state must take the initiative – not through autarky, but through strategic demand that catalyzes private innovation. The new Federal Law on Electronic Means anchors this logic legally: publicly funded software becomes a resource that private IT companies can further use and commercialize. This creates positive network effects and long-term market diversification.

Key Statements

  • Digital sovereignty requires open source code, data control, and provider interchangeability
  • Swiss SMEs can today rely on competitive domestic alternatives to Microsoft/Google
  • Vendor lock-in through proprietary software costs the Swiss public sector billions permanently
  • State leadership and cooperation among actors are necessary for market diversification
  • New laws anchor open-source publishing of federal developments and enable private reuse

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence: Stürmer cites Schleswig-Holstein as a savings example (9 million EUR investment, 15 million EUR savings per annum). Are there comparable long-term data from Switzerland or other EU countries that confirm this ROI expectation?

  2. Conflicts of Interest: Stürmer leads several organizations (institutes, Digital Impact Network, CH Open). What commercial or ideological incentives might influence his assessment of open-source benefits?

  3. Causality: Does a state switch to open source demonstrably lead to market-wide diversification, or do new lock-ins emerge with other providers? What alternatives to open-source promotion (e.g., interoperability regulation) could achieve comparable effects?

  4. Feasibility: The Federal Law requires publication of federal developments. How realistic is it that private companies will actually commercialize this code when federal funds have already financed the development?

  5. Data Security: Open-source transparency can expose security vulnerabilities, but also depends on implementation quality. How does Switzerland ensure that cost-effective migrations do not result in security deficits?

  6. Market Concentration: Stürmer notes that Swiss ecosystem investment is not comparable to USA/China. Can a network strategy really close this structural gap, or will Europe remain permanently dependent?

Bibliography

Primary Source: Digital Sovereignty: "The State Must Set a Good Example in IT" – State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)

Verification Status: ✓ 2025

This text was created with the support of an AI model.
Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-checking: 2025