Making strategic software choices in public administration

Trend reversal in the software landscape: when the cloud becomes a necessity

Cloud-first is becoming cloud-only. Microsoft now saves every new Word, Excel and PowerPoint file straight to OneDrive unless the user deliberately opts out. Atlassian has pulled the plug on Server editions of Jira and Confluence. And VMware perpetual licences met their fate on the chopping block–or in cease-and-desist letters–after the Broadcom takeover. For public administration, the message is clear: the big vendors are locking the door behind them and posting the bill.

The headaches for public-sector IT teams are no longer theoretical.

• Vendor lock-in: Once perpetual licences disappear, the only runway is an expensive subscription or an unsupported product. Pricing and road-maps are set in Seattle or Silicon Valley, not Stuttgart or Stockholm.

• Digital sovereignty: The CLOUD Act and FISA 702 still sit above any EU–US “data privacy framework”. Sensitive data held by US hyperscalers remains exposed to US legal reach—an uncomfortable reality for GDPR-bound bodies.

• Complexity and loss of control: Road-maps shrink to quarterly release notes. Local authorities must react to licence rewrites instead of shaping services around resident need.

Is it time to re-evaluate your public administration software strategy, and move sovereignty and lock-in avoidance to the top of your brief?

Functional parity: can openDesk replace the proprietary standard?

The worry is always “will it actually work?” but openDesk has stable, open-source equivalents for the day-to-day staples of office life.

Identity management

Modern IAM (Univention/Nubus) replaces Active Directory. You keep the keys.

Email and calendar

Full groupware via Open-Xchange: Outlook-style mail, shared calendars, contacts—no plug-ins required.

File management and collaboration

Nextcloud-powered openDesk Files gives staff secure sync, share and collaborative workspaces all without any cloud outside the EU.

Office applications

Collabora Online opens and edits Microsoft formats right in the browser, in real time, with change tracking and co-authoring intact.

Cost, control and flexibility: where the real differences lie

Licence-free doesn't mean cost-free, but it does mean cost-transparent.

Cost model: predictable licence fees vs. customisable total costs

User-based subscription models are usually the basis for proprietary cloud suites. They create a clear cost structure in the short term, but tie expenditure to the manufacturer’s pricing policy in the long term.

openDesk is licence-free. Our calculation follows a TCO model in which expenditure is shifted from recurring licence fees to actively controllable items:

• Project and migration costs for the initial setup and transfer of existing data.

• Infrastructure costs for operation on own servers or with a European cloud provider.

• Support and maintenance contracts to ensure operational security and manufacturer support.

• Training and personnel costs for employee training and internal administrative costs.

Security architecture: trust vs. verifiable control

Large cloud providers offer security as a “managed service”. Responsibility for the infrastructure lies with the provider; customers must rely on contractual assurances. Changes to storage locations or default settings can turn compliance into an ongoing administrative task.

openDesk, on the other hand, anchors control in your own organisation. The open source code enables audits by independent third parties such as the BSI. Hosting in your own data centre or with a trusted European provider makes data security an integral part of the architecture. GDPR compliance is the standard here, not the exception.

System flexibility: standardised platform vs. customisable ecosystem

Global standard platforms are designed for internationally standardised workflows. Specific German administrative processes, such as a multi-level, hierarchical approval process or the connection to a specialised process such as the e-file, are often difficult to map in these rigid environments.

openDesk is designed as a modular ecosystem. Open interfaces (APIs) allow both customisation to authority-specific workflows and in-depth integration into existing specialist procedures. The software follows the process, not the other way round.

Dependency or sovereignty: a strategic fork in the road

Choosing a digital workplace is no longer an IT technicality; it's a governance decision. You can rent a standard service from a global vendor and live with their rules, or you can run an infrastructure you shape, audit and own.

The market direction is one-way: cloud compulsion and subscription lock-in. openDesk demands more initiative up-front, but hands you the keys to transparency, customisability and long-term sovereignty.

What are your next steps?

Get in touch for a non-binding strategic consultation on openDesk!