A successful business has a complete understanding and control of the tools that make the core of their operations function, and this philosophy has caused many companies to increasingly reject software solutions they have increasingly been funnelled into.
On the largest scale, France has rejected the biggest and most popular operating system available on the market in favour of alternatives that can be better managed, updated and tailored to the needs of the French public sector.
This in itself was an evolution of a much earlier adoption of Linux by the National Gendarmerie, the French police force, and highlights the potential scalability of dispensing with existing software in favour of something new and often highly adaptable
If you want to take the same approach, getting in touch with local IT services will provide insight into the potential benefits and complications of going against the grain, but it is important to know why companies are doing it in the first place and whether they are taking the right approach.
Why Do Companies Feel Trapped By Their Current IT Systems?
A vast universe of options is available when it comes to the operating system, office application suite, email tools and every element of your business, and this has been the case for as long as modern IT has existed. Why then, do companies feel there is only Windows and Office?
Whilst familiarity and market penetration are common reasons, a report by the Mozilla Foundation suggests the use of so-called “dark patterns” which encourage users (in this case, computer users and decision makers) to act in certain ways.
Whilst the report specifically focuses on the use of the Edge web browser, the six behaviours it details translate to Office and Windows to a degree as well:
Trick Wording
When options are worded or depicted in a way designed to confuse customers, such as having an “X” button act as a confirmation or consent to upgrade in a way that was not requested or desired.
Obstruction
This is where a piece of software makes an undesirable action far more complex, arduous or involved than a desirable one.
This can be seen with data collection consent, the incorporation of AI features, deactivation of accounts or the cancellation of subscriptions.
Visual Interference
This is where information that should be presented in a predictable way is disguised, hidden or obscured.
This is most commonly associated with cookie consent toolbars on websites, but can be found in nested menu options or non-specific icon designs which make it hard to know on sight what a button does, such as Copilot.
Preselection
This is where an option desired by the developer or publisher is the default for the user, which is often selected in the absence of reasons to avoid it.
An example of this is the incorporation of OneDrive into Windows 10 and 11, which sometimes will automatically upload a user’s files to the cloud without them necessarily wanting this.
Nagging
A common complaint of Windows 11, nagging is persistent notifications, requests, icons requesting one’s imminent attention and pop-ups try to lead a user to do what the system wants, largely to shut it up.
Forced Action
Sometimes, a system is designed where it is impossible to avoid an undesirable choice, such as resetting the default browser, advertising and search choices following an update.
Avoiding these types of dark patterns is often a major reason to switch IT software, but is not the only one.
Why Are Companies Rejecting SaaS?
Over the last decade, Software as a Service (SaaS) has become a major distribution model for business software, with companies paying monthly or annual subscriptions to retain access to tools they need to keep their businesses going.
Whilst previously used for specific applications that require regular maintenance, basically applications such as Microsoft Office (now Microsoft Copilot 365) and Adobe Photoshop require regular subscriptions.
The problem is that this usually leads to higher costs overall, especially if you need one subscription per device.
Alternatives which are either free and open source or are offered for a single payment have become more popular to avoid unexpected additional overheads.
Have Some Companies Been Forced To Change Software?
Predictability is important when it comes to the foundations of your business, but in recent years the focus on features rather than stability has led to situations where businesses have been forced to radically change which software they use.
This was the case in France; Windows’ growing focus on “Agentic AI” and the data protection issues caused as a result led to the need for change in the name of “digital sovereignty”.
Other companies that handle personal information have been forced to change, given the opaque nature of how tools such as Copilot and Recall handle sensitive data, and whether this risks legal liability.