At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations quickly adopted video conferencing tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom to keep their business operations afloat and support their work-from-home and hybrid work arrangements.
The popularity of these tools continues to grow even after companies like Microsoft announced their return-to-office (RTO) plans. By the end of next month, all Microsoft employees working within a 50-mile radius of any Microsoft office will be expected to work onsite for at least three days per week.
However, France recently announced its plan to phase out American video conferencing tools like Microsoft Teams for its own domestically developed platform called Visio. The country further indicated that the tool will be used across all government institutions and departments by 2027.
For context, Visio is part of France's suite te Numérique plan, which includes of host of productivity tools designed to replace American services like Teams and Slack. It's worth noting that these are exclusively available for civil servants. It's not yet clear when they'll be available for everyone.
The bold move by France is designed to reduce its over-reliance on foreign technology providers and further bolster its digital sovereignty. Visio has been in testing for a little over a year now with over 40,000 users.
The aim is to end the use of non-European solutions and guarantee the security and confidentiality of public electronic communications by relying on a powerful and sovereign tool.
David Amiel, Minister for the Civil Service and State Reform
Over the past few months, Europe has raised critical concerns about the massive cloud outages impacting American IT services. According to the French government, ditching tools like Microsoft Teams for Visio will cut licensing costs significantly, saving approximately €1 million per year for every 100,000 users.
“This strategy highlights France's commitment to digital sovereignty amid rising geopolitical tensions and fears of foreign surveillance or service disruptions,” Amiel added.
What do you think about France ditching US video conferencing tools for Visio? Share your thoughts in the comments and cast your vote!
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