Dutch Government is the latest to ditch Microsoft US sanctions push Netherlands towards home-grown NixOS-based software

Date:
Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:05:00 +0000

Description:
The Netherlands' first migration will likely involve replacing Windows with NixOS its Foundation is located within the Netherlands.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Netherlands announces the Digital Autonomous Work Environment for Government Scheme Windows operating system could end up being replaced by NixOS Other software stacks are also being considered The Dutch government has become the latest European ruler to announce plans to invest more heavily in sovereign software in a bid to
reduce its reliance on foreign tech vendors, including Microsoft , following an earlier April 2026 pilot .

The DAWO (Digitaal Autonome Werkomgeving Overheid), which translates loosely as the Digital Autonomous Work Environment for Government scheme, covers a broad spectrum of software changes. Besides just ditching Windows in favor of an open-source alternative, the Netherlands wants to explore cloud infrastructure, productivity software and more. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: Dutch government announces plans to ditch Microsoft Though the migration is still in its early stages, small-scale trials are reportedly taking place across the country's public bodies, with eight municipalities allegedly preparing trials.

Naturally, the long-term migration is likely to take years and include multiple bids, but the country expects the first migrations to have happened by the end of next year, per Tom's Hardware . You may like Swiss Federal Government is ditching Microsoft on thousands of devices to switch to open source China is finally pulling Windows 10 from government machines and says that's ahead of schedule 75% of European businesses fear a US tech kill
switch could deal an economic 'death blow' driving a search for sovereign alternatives

The biggest migration will likely involve Microsoft's Windows operating
system . Windows currently accounts for around 63% of global desktops across all users, per Statcounter data a proportion that's dropping as macOS and other operating systems rise in popularity.

NixOS is set to be the replacement, developed by Dutch develop Eelco Dolstra with the NixOS Foundation based in the Netherlands itself. openSUSE and
Fedora were also reportedly trialled before reaching the decision to go for NixOS. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar
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The Netherlands is also said to be working with other European tech vendors, like France's La Suite and Germany's openDesk, in a broader pro-European
push.

Ultimately, what the Netherlands is doing is a move we're seeing reflected across the bloc, with government agencies and other public bodies seeking to support sovereign and homegrown tech amid complex geopolitical happenings,
set against a backdrop of concerns, namely potential US government access to American software users' data.

And the Netherlands is just one of a growing list of countries making similar moves Germany's Schleswig-Holstein state already revealed plans to migrate a long time ago, together with Estonia , the French city of Lyon and more. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/dutch-government-is-the-latest-to-ditch-microsof t-us-sanctions-push-netherlands-towards-home-grown-nixos-based-software


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