Schleswig-Holstein Open Source Migration: €15M Annual Savings, One Year Payback

German state saves €15M annually after a €9M open-source migration. 30,000 employees now use LibreOffice. Digital sovereignty wins in Europe.

Schleswig-Holstein just announced €15 million in annual savings by switching 30,000 employees from Microsoft to open source. The €9M investment pays back in under one year.

The Numbers That Matter

Let me start with what caught my attention.

A German state (population 2.9 million) announced on December 4, 2025 that they will save over €15 million in 2026. Previously, this money went to Microsoft for Office 365 licenses.

That is €500 per person, per year. For 30,000 government employees.

The one-time investment? €9 million. The payback period? Under one year.

I have seen plenty of migration ROI calculations. Most are optimistic fantasies. This one is conservative math.

If you have ever tried to justify an open source migration to leadership, these numbers are your new talking point.