Dive Brief:
- Officials in Munich are debating whether or not to permit the use of Microsoft products in city department after years on an open source platform, according to a Tech Republic report.
- In a nine-year migration, which began in 2004, Munich moved approximately 15,000 staff members away from Windows to a custom version of Ubuntu desktop operating system, making it one of the biggest organizations to ever do so.
- But a new report ordered by Mayor Dieter Reiter indicates the city is considering making Windows 10 and Microsoft Office available to all departments once again, and leaving it to staff to choose whether to use Windows or open source.
Dive Insight:
If the authority ruling the city agrees with the recommendations in the report, it could be a huge reversal for a city that once bucked the system and chose open source over Windows. Some city departments have been critical of the open source software, but most problems appear to be minor.
Even though Munich has a strong affinity to independent software, many systems still rely on Microsoft, Oracle and SAP, according the report.
In many instances, using a software or function from a service provider is easier on users. With the shift toward as a Service models, companies can roll out updates at a quicker pace, allowing for constant tweaks and changes rather than bulk system upgrades.
And those updates may even become faster. Recently, Microsoft announced that it is testing new technology that would allow for faster and smaller OS updates.
