While Microsoft continues to speed up forced migration to its Microsoft 365 cloud offer, more and more voices are wondering about the consequences of such dependence. Microsoft wants to attract its customers to the subscription services to Microsoft 365. This option facilitates assistance and reduces the cost of products for Microsoft, and also creates many business opportunities.
But this rationalization, beneficial for the publisher, translates for organizations with a gradual loss of control over their infrastructure, their data management policy, and their costs. For European companies, the question of digital sovereignty is forcefully invited in the debate.
Operational alternatives exist
Faced with this situation, several European actors offer sovereign collaborative follow -up, capable of meeting the essential needs of organizations: messaging, documents co -publishing, videoconferencing meetings, project spaces, corporate social networks. Among these solutions:
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- Exo Platform : Digital Workplace Open-Source integrating the co-edition of documents via Onlyoffice, available in cloud or on-premise.
- Talkspirit : collaborative platform Made in France, with telephony, instant messaging, Visio and Drive.
- Jalios : historical player in collaborative intranets, with strong functional personalization.
- Jamepot, Netframe, Whaler, Wimi, Xwiki : other specialized alternatives according to uses (projects, documents, communities).
All these solutions have three key characteristics: accommodation in Europe, respect for the GDPR, and interoperability with open-source or standard bricks.
A strategic choice, not only technical
Opt for an alternative solution to Microsoft 365 supposes an in -depth analysis of its real needs. For many organizations, a majority of m365 functions are underused. Rationalizing its uses around targeted tools often reduce complexity and costs.
On the financial level, sovereign offers are generally more accessible to equivalent functionality, without the bundle effects imposed by Microsoft. In terms of governance, these solutions allow the CIO to regain control of administration, accommodation and data flows.
A public dynamic that changes the situation
Since 2023, several French administrations and local communities have started a partial or total release of Microsoft 365. The “Cloud at the Center” program promoted the use of cloud solutions compatible with sovereignty requirements.
RGS, SecnumCloud referrals or Dinum tenders have enabled certain actors such as Jamespot, Talkspirit or Exo to set up permanently in communities, higher education and certain ministerial agencies.
A cultural battle as well as technological
Going out of Microsoft 365 is not solely a technical choice, but an acculturation of teams to different, less known but just as efficient solutions. It is often the reluctance of the change or ignorance of the European offer that slow down the momentum.
In 2025, while the question of digital sovereignty was more strategic than ever, organizations have the choice. It is still necessary to have the will to objectively assess the alternatives, to decide according to their own interests-not those of the publisher.
