Local authorities are on the front line when it comes to digital sovereignty challenges. As custodians of sensitive data about their residents, they bear a special responsibility in choosing their IT tools. Yet many municipalities and inter-municipal bodies still use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, potentially exposing citizen data to foreign jurisdictions. Alternatives exist.
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The Digital Sovereignty Challenge for Local Authorities
Local authorities handle particularly sensitive data: civil registry, land registry, social welfare, urban planning, local taxation. This information directly concerns citizens and must be protected with the utmost rigor.
Beyond personal data protection, it\'s also a matter of national sovereignty. When a municipality uses American services to manage its email or store its documents, it implicitly accepts that this data may be accessible to a foreign power.
The Regulatory Framework
Local authorities are subject to GDPR like any data controller, with heightened obligations given the volume and sensitivity of the data they handle. France\'s CNIL has increased inspections and sanctions against negligent local authorities.
At the national level, the government\'s "Cloud at the Center" doctrine encourages the use of sovereign solutions for public information systems. While this doctrine primarily targets central government, it sets a trend that is gradually affecting local authorities.
The "Cloud at the Center" Directive
The Prime Minister\'s circular of July 5, 2021, establishes the principle that sensitive government data must be hosted on SecNumCloud-certified solutions or equivalent. Local authorities, while not directly targeted, are encouraged to follow this approach.
Legal Risks of American Solutions
The U.S. Cloud Act allows American authorities to access data held by U.S. companies, regardless of where it is stored. This extraterritoriality poses a major problem for French citizens\' data.
The CJEU invalidated the Privacy Shield in 2020 (Schrems II ruling), finding that the United States did not provide an adequate level of protection for European data. The Data Privacy Framework adopted in 2023 is also being challenged and could meet the same fate.
For a local authority, using Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace therefore means taking a significant legal risk. In the event of a CNIL audit or dispute with a resident, demonstrating GDPR compliance for data transfers to the United States would be difficult.
Why Infomaniak Meets the Needs of Local Authorities
Infomaniak, an independent Swiss host, offers a credible alternative to American tech giants. Several features make this solution a relevant choice for local authorities.
Swiss Hosting: Legal Neutrality
Switzerland is not an EU member but benefits from an adequacy decision by the European Commission: data transfers to Switzerland are authorized without additional safeguards. At the same time, Switzerland is not subject to the Cloud Act or other extraterritorial American legislation.
For a local authority, this is the best of both worlds: hosting outside U.S. jurisdiction, yet compatible with European GDPR requirements.
Comprehensive and Modern Tools
kSuite, Infomaniak\'s collaborative suite, offers all the features expected by a modern administration:
- Professional email – Emails, shared calendars, contacts
- Cloud storage – kDrive for documents, with versioning and secure sharing
- Video conferencing – kMeet for remote council meetings
- Instant messaging – kChat for internal communication
- Office suite – Word processor, spreadsheet, online presentations
The interface is intuitive and modern, comparable in usability to what Google or Microsoft offer. Municipal staff accustomed to Outlook or Gmail adapt quickly.
A Concrete Ecological Commitment
For authorities committed to ecological transition, the choice of host is not trivial. Infomaniak powers its data centers with 100% renewable energy (Swiss hydroelectricity) and offsets 200% of its carbon emissions.
This is a consistency argument for municipalities that have declared a climate emergency or are implementing a Territorial Climate-Air-Energy Plan.
Use Cases in a Local Authority
How does kSuite concretely fit into the operations of a municipality or inter-municipal body?
Email for Elected Officials and Staff
Each elected official and staff member gets their own professional mailbox (firstname.lastname@example-city.gov). Emails are accessible via webmail from any browser, or through a desktop client (Outlook, Thunderbird) for those who prefer.
Shared calendars facilitate appointment scheduling with residents and coordination between departments. The Chief Administrative Officer sees the mayor\'s calendar, the urban planning department shares its office hour slots.
Administrative Document Storage
kDrive centralizes the authority\'s documents with fine-grained access control. The HR department accesses personnel files, the finance department accesses budgets, elected officials access deliberations. Everyone sees what they need to see, nothing more.
Versioning preserves the modification history for 90 days. A mistake on an important document? Restore the previous version in just a few clicks.
Remote Council Meetings
Since the health crisis, local authorities have adopted the practice of holding some meetings remotely. kMeet enables hybrid municipal council sessions, with some officials physically present and others connected via video.
The recording feature allows keeping a record of discussions, useful for drafting meeting minutes.
Internal Communication
kChat replaces informal email exchanges with structured instant messaging. Topic-based channels (HR, technical, communications) give each department its own discussion space. Conversations are archived and searchable, unlike personal WhatsApp chats that escape all oversight.
Migration Challenges for a Local Authority
Migrating a local authority to Infomaniak is a project that requires preparation. Here are the key considerations.
Change Management
Not all municipal staff are comfortable with technology. Changing tools can generate resistance if support is inadequate. Plan for training sessions, tutorials, and on-site support during the transition period.
The ergonomics of kSuite, similar to the tools staff are used to, make adoption easier. But don\'t underestimate the time needed to stabilize new habits.
Integration with Business Software
A local authority uses many specialized applications: financial management, civil registry, urban planning, human resources. These applications are generally independent of email and storage, but some integrate with Exchange or Google.
Check compatibility before launching the migration. In the vast majority of cases, business software works with any IMAP email system. Deep integration with Microsoft is rare in the local public sector.
Migrating Historical Data
Staff value their email history, sometimes spanning several years. Infomaniak\'s migration tool transfers all messages from Exchange or Gmail. Allow enough time for this operation, which can take several days for large mailboxes.
Public Procurement
Above a certain threshold, choosing an IT provider requires a public procurement process. Infomaniak can respond to your tenders. Some of its products are listed on UGAP, which simplifies procedures.
InfoSwitch Support
InfoSwitch assists local authorities in their migration to Infomaniak: audit of existing systems, planning, technical migration, staff training. We understand the specificities of the public sector and tailor our support accordingly.
Testimonial: A Municipality of 8,000 Residents
"We had been using Microsoft 365 since 2018. When our DPO alerted us to the risks associated with the Cloud Act, we looked for an alternative. Infomaniak checked all the boxes: European hosting, equivalent features, controlled costs. The migration took three months, including training for 45 staff members. Today, everyone has adapted and we\'re confident about the compliance of our data processing."
Budget Comparison
What does migrating to Infomaniak cost for a local authority?
| Size | Users | kSuite Standard | Microsoft 365 E1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small municipality | 10 staff | ~700 EUR/year | ~960 EUR/year |
| Medium municipality | 50 staff | ~3,500 EUR/year | ~4,800 EUR/year |
| Inter-municipal body | 150 staff | ~10,500 EUR/year | ~14,400 EUR/year |
For equivalent features, kSuite is generally less expensive than Microsoft 365. The savings can fund migration support and staff training.
Conclusion
Local authorities bear a special responsibility in protecting their residents\' data. The choice of digital tools is not trivial: it involves data sovereignty and regulatory compliance.
Infomaniak offers a credible and mature alternative to American tech giants. With Swiss hosting, comprehensive features, and a concrete ecological commitment, it\'s a consistent choice for authorities that care about their values.
Migration requires preparation and support, but it\'s within reach of any motivated local authority. It\'s well worth the effort: regain control of your data, set an example for citizens, and support an independent European digital economy.
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