BOSS PoC

The BOSS feasibility study was launched to strengthen digital sovereignty in office automation through the use of open source software. The Federal Administration is currently conducting a proof of concept (PoC) to evaluate how to implement emergency office automation and the secure processing of sensitive information.

The aim is to test an independent, open source office automation solution that will provide reliable support for critical business processes even in crisis situations. In addition, the feasibility of the Federal Administration’s Microsoft 365 exit strategy is being reviewed.

Current project status

Strategic classification and objectives

Challenge
The increasing dependence on proprietary software solutions poses strategic challenges for organisations, particularly in public administration.

Approach
The BOSS PoC addresses this issue by examining how to use open source software as a way to strengthen digital sovereignty and ensure operational capacity.

Strategic integration
Strengthening digital sovereignty is Priority 4 of the Digital Federal Administration Strategy. Based on this overarching strategic objective, the use of open source software alternatives was defined as an area for action in the Office Automation Sub-Strategy and appropriate measures were defined. These measures are now being implemented in the BOSS PoC.

This PoC includes a practical evaluation using a test infrastructure and involving Federal Administration employees. Representatives from all departments are actively involved in gathering requirements and acting as test users, with the aim of giving the project as broad a base as possible.

Project phases and schedule

The current PoC is designed to evaluate open source solutions in practice and generate robust insights. The aim is to launch an implementation project once the PoC has been completed. The decision as to whether to go ahead with this implementation project will depend on the results of the PoC and whether funding can be secured.

Two key business cases

The project is taking a practical approach, focusing on two key business cases (Streams 1 and 2) that address different but complementary Federal Administration requirements.

Current project status – As at November 2025

Project limits and scope – What the BOSS PoC will not do

Innovation

The BOSS PoC relies on the innovative power of the open source community and uses existing expertise from public administration. Close dialogue with the German Centre for Digital Sovereignty (ZenDiS), the institution responsible for the digitally sovereign workplace openDesk, plays an important role.

The project also incorporates insights gained from parliamentary discussions and experiences within other administrations (e.g. the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany), in order to make the best possible use of strategic framework conditions and benefit from tried-and-tested solutions.

Technology and open source products

The BOSS PoC is based on openDesk, a product owned by ZenDiS, who determines its roadmap in accordance with the needs of public administration. ZenDiS is a limited liability company that is wholly owned by the public sector.

openDesk is a sovereign and comprehensive workplace solution that can be accessed via web browser. In addition, rich clients (Windows and Linux) are used to test aspects such as offline capability and more convenient operation.

The chart below shows the openDesk functions that will be tested.

Document editing (text, tables, presentations, etc.); Product: Collabora Online
E-Mail; Product: Open-Xchange
Calendar, contacts, tasks; Product: Open-Xchange
File storage; Product: Next Cloud
Project management; Product: OpenProject
Knowledge management (wiki); Product: XWiki
Audio- and videoconferencing; Product: Nordeck (Jitsi)
Chat; Product: Element
Identity and access management; Product: Univention

These technologies are being evaluated as part of the BOSS PoC for their usability, practicality, scalability and security features. This is to ensure that they meet the requirements of the Federal Administration.