A Victory for Digital Sovereignty
L’École Polytechnique, a prestigious French engineering school, has announced the permanent suspension of its migration project to Microsoft 365 after several months of controversy and legal pressure. This decision highlights the growing importance of digital sovereignty and open-source solutions within French public institutions.
Protection of Sensitive Data and Legal Compliance
The initial project planned to migrate the school's IT and collaborative services to Microsoft, which was already used for some student email accounts. The plan was quickly criticized for putting strategic data at risk, particularly in the scientific, military, and quantum fields. Using Microsoft exposed this information to U.S. extraterritorial law (Cloud Act, FISA), in conflict with French and European regulations.
The National Council for Free Software (CNLL) played a key role in this mobilization, emphasizing the legal priority of free software as imposed by Article L123-4-1 of the French Education Code and the obligations to protect sensitive data.
A Strategic Lesson for Higher Education
This suspension sends a strong signal to all public institutions: reliance on foreign proprietary solutions can compromise data security and technological sovereignty. According to CNLL, solutions subject to extraterritorial laws are structurally incompatible with European law and the protection of national strategic interests.
For CEO-Vision, this decision confirms that institutions must turn to sovereign and open-source solutions that guarantee both legal compliance, data security, and full control over digital infrastructure. Solutions like GoFAST exemplify this approach by providing a sovereign alternative tailored to the needs of public institutions and strategic organizations.
A Precedent that Speaks Volumes
By suspending Microsoft 365, Polytechnique sends a clear message about the priority of sovereignty and data security in higher education. This case reminds us that technology must always align with legislation, the protection of sensitive information, and the preservation of the strategic independence of French institutions.
Source:
- Grand Debate on Digital Sovereignty
- Polytechnique Definitively Says No to Microsoft 365: Why It Matters
- L’École Polytechnique Suspends Its Migration to Microsoft 365
- Amid Criticism, Polytechnique Suspends Its Migration Project to Microsoft
- A Major Victory for Sovereignty: Polytechnique Suspends Its Contract with Microsoft