There may be challenges in phasing out Microsoft in the ministry.

It is reported that the Digitalization Ministry is making the first experiences with phasing out the use of programs from American tech giants.

This comes from Jan Damsgaard, professor and head of the Digitalization Institute at Copenhagen Business School (CBS).

The announcement comes after digitalization minister Caroline Stage (M) made an announcement in an interview with Politiken that they will reduce the use of Microsoft's programs in the Digitalization Ministry.

The plan is for the ministry to use the office program LibreOffice instead of the Office package from Microsoft, which includes programs such as Word and Excel.

"I think it's great that the Digitalization Ministry is testing out these open source systems," says Jan Damsgaard.

LibreOffice is a so-called open source system. The term covers a system with an open software that is available to all users.

The system is developed by the organization The Document Foundation, which has its headquarters in Berlin, Germany.

Jan Damsgaard describes it as if one collectively develops solutions in the system, and everyone can be a part of it.

However, there are also several challenges in switching to an open source system like LibreOffice.

"If one does not have an employee who can develop the system, one cannot implement it," he says.

"The best way to ensure that one benefits from LibreOffice is to be a part of the community oneself. Otherwise, one does not understand what is happening," says the professor.

According to him, it requires "very large and deep IT competencies" to switch to LibreOffice and enjoy it.

"So one should think carefully before also starting to roll it out in other parts of the public sector," says Jan Damsgaard.

The move by Caroline Stage comes in connection with the minister's desire to make Denmark free of tech giants.

In a new digitalization strategy, which has been agreed upon between the state, regions, and municipalities, "digital sovereignty" will be a priority.

However, it is not easy to free oneself from the American tech giants, thinks Jan Damsgaard.

"Denmark is as the most digitized country in the world completely dependent on the American tech companies, and it is clear that it gives an unsustainable situation," he says.

The current world situation and especially the relationship with the USA has recently pushed a debate about data protection and the use of digital infrastructure, which has its headquarters in the USA.

/ritzau/

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