MigrationOpen SourceIT Admin

How to Migrate Off Microsoft 365 at Your Small Remote Company

ttelework

2026-01-26

10 min read

Stepwise plan to move small remote teams off Microsoft 365 to LibreOffice and open-source stacks—file compatibility, macros, collaboration, policy.

Stop overpaying and reclaim control: a practical migration plan off Microsoft 365 to LibreOffice and open-source tools for remote teams

Hook: If your small remote company is tired of rising Microsoft 365 bills, data residency worries, and Copilot-style AI features you don’t trust or need, you don’t have to choose between productivity and privacy. In 2026, a realistic, stepwise migration to LibreOffice and open-source collaboration stacks can cut costs, improve sovereignty, and keep your distributed teams productive—without long downtime or lost data.

Executive summary — the short version for leaders

Here’s a compact, actionable migration plan you can start this month. It’s designed for small remote companies (10–200 people) that want to replace Microsoft 365 with a privacy-friendly, open source stack centered on LibreOffice and modern collaboration tools.

Assess usage & risk (1–2 weeks): Inventory files, macros, workflows, and integrations.
Pilot conversion (2–4 weeks): Move one team, convert docs, validate macros and formulas.
Staged rollout (4–8 weeks per wave): Migrate teams in waves, maintain coexistence.
Optimize workflows (ongoing): Replace macros, build RAG/AI alternatives, and update policies.
Lockdown & monitor (ongoing): Backup, identity, endpoint control, and training.

Why 2026 is a practical time to migrate

Late 2025 and early 2026 brought three trends that make this migration easier and more appealing:

Open-source LLM and agent frameworks matured; private AI assistants are now practical for small teams (local hosting or small cloud instances), giving privacy-friendly Copilot alternatives.
Collaborative editors like Collabora Online and OnlyOffice have closed important gaps vs cloud suites—real-time editing, version history, and improved DOCX/XLSX fidelity.
Regulatory attention on data sovereignty and vendor lock-in increased procurement pressure, especially across Europe, encouraging companies to explore open source stacks and self-hosting.

Phase 0 — Pre-flight: Get leadership buy-in and define success

Before you touch files, align leadership and quantify goals:

Define KPIs: licensing cost saved, percentage of files converted, macro incidents resolved, user satisfaction.
Budget for migration: plan for a modest one-time budget for consultancy, training, and a few cloud instances (or small VMs for self-hosting).
Risk tolerance: decide how many edge-case files you’ll keep on legacy Microsoft (e.g., Excel workbooks with mission-critical VBA).

Phase 1 — Inventory and assessment (1–2 weeks)

Inventory is where most migrations succeed or fail. You need to know what you have: file types, sizes, macro use, templates, and integrations.

What to capture

File counts and types (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, PST, OneNote)
Large and legacy files (old DOC, XLS with macro enabled)
Active macros and who owns them
Shared drives, Teams channels, and any third-party app integrations
External dependencies (SharePoint workflows, Power Automate flows)

Tools & commands

Use scripts and lightweight agents to scan drives. For example, to detect .docx/.xlsx counts on a network share, use simple shell or PowerShell scripts. For bulk conversions later, remember that LibreOffice's headless mode is your friend:

soffice --headless --convert-to pdf --outdir /converted /path/to/files/*.docx

Phase 2 — Pilot: One team, one workflow (2–4 weeks)

Choose a low-risk team to validate assumptions. Typical pilot candidates: finance (if macros are minimal), ops, or design. Avoid migrating teams with mission-critical macros on day one.

Pilot checklist

Select 50–200 representative files and templates.
Convert originals to ODF (ODT, ODS, ODP) and keep DOCX/XLSX copies for comparison.
Test complex features in LibreOffice: tracked changes, styles, pivot tables, charts, and shapes.
Validate co-editing using Collabora Online or OnlyOffice integrated with Nextcloud.
Measure time-to-edit and user pain points; gather qualitative feedback.

File compatibility & conversion notes

File compatibility is the top technical worry. In 2026, LibreOffice handles the vast majority of text documents and basic spreadsheets well, but watch for:

Advanced Excel features: certain VBA macros, external data connections, and complex pivot caches can fail. Treat these as special projects.
PowerPoint animations and SmartArt: basic slides convert fine; intricate animations sometimes need manual fixes.
Track changes and comments: LibreOffice supports them but rendering can differ—review legal or compliance documents carefully.

Macros: mapping migration strategies

Macros are the most likely showstopper. Microsoft Office uses VBA; LibreOffice uses LibreOffice Basic (and supports Python/JavaScript macros). There is no reliable automatic VBA→LibreOffice Basic converter for complex macros. Here are pragmatic approaches:

Option A — Replace with server-side automation

Extract macro logic into Python scripts (pandas/openpyxl) or serverless functions that operate on spreadsheets centrally.
Advantages: easier to test, version, and secure. Works well for reporting, ETL, and data transformations.

Option B — Keep Excel for complex macros (coexistence)

Use Windows virtual desktops (VDI) or a central Excel server (RemoteApp) for power users who need Excel/VBA. Keep a small Excel server or VM for edge cases during migration.
This keeps operations moving while other teams move to LibreOffice.

Option C — Rebuild macros as LibreOffice macros

For small VBA macros, re-author in LibreOffice Basic or Python. This is labor-intensive but removes vendor lock-in.
Keep a red-team to validate outputs against the original.

Collaboration alternatives: replacing Exchange, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint

Switching away from Microsoft 365 isn't just documents. You must replace mail, chat, calls, file sync, and knowledge base components.

Core stack suggestions (open-source friendly)

File sync & sharing: Nextcloud or Seafile — integrate with Collabora Online/OnlyOffice for in-browser editing.
Real-time collaborative editing: Collabora Online (LibreOffice-based) or OnlyOffice Community Edition.
Chat & async comms: Matrix (Element) or Mattermost; for threaded dev-centric async, Zulip is excellent.
Video & meetings: Jitsi or BigBlueButton for open-source meeting needs; host your own or use a trusted provider.
Email & calendar: migrate to a hosted provider or self-host with Mailcow, Postfix + Dovecot, and CalDav/CardDav integration with Nextcloud.
Identity & SSO: Keycloak for central auth and SAML/OIDC integrations.

Workflow tips

Integrate Nextcloud with your chat (Matrix or Mattermost) for quick file sharing and previews.
Use Collabora Online for real-time editing of ODF files; Collabora's fidelity to LibreOffice is high and keeps files in ODF as source of truth.
For quick async walkthroughs, use OBS or simple screen recorders and store videos in Nextcloud or a private Vimeo - keep file access governed by roles.

Copilot alternatives — private, lean assistants for documents and code

If you liked AI features in Microsoft 365 but worried about telemetry, there are privacy-first options in 2026.

Two practical approaches

Self-hosted RAG assistant: Index your internal docs (Nextcloud docs, Confluence alternatives) with an open-source vector DB (PGVector or Milvus) and run a small open LLM on a private VM. Use LangChain or LlamaIndex wrappers for a document Q&A assistant. See how teams think about training data and private model work.
Local-first agents: Tools like Ollama and similar runtimes let you run compact LLMs for on-device assistance—good for desktops or small servers and Copilot alternatives that never share data externally. For design and API implications, check discussions on on-device AI and API design.

Use cases

Document summarization for long meeting notes stored in Nextcloud.
Automated templates and snippets for proposals (run on a private model).
Developer assistance with source code—combine self-hosted Sourcegraph + Cody-style functionality.

Policy changes to enable and govern the new stack

Migration is partly technical and largely policy and change management. Update your policies to reflect new tools, responsibilities, and security controls.

Essential policy updates

Acceptable formats policy: designate ODF as canonical for internal docs; allow DOCX/XLSX for external exchange where needed.
Macro & automation policy: require sign-off and code review for any macro or server-side automation before production. Prefer server-side scripts for data tasks.
Data retention & backups: set backup SLAs for Nextcloud/Seafile and maintain regular exports in canonical formats (ODT/ODS/PDF).
BYOD & endpoint policy: require disk encryption and approved sync clients; insist on SSO and MFA (Keycloak + 2FA).
AI usage policy: specify allowed models, logging, and data retention for private assistants; forbid PII exposure to third-party LLMs. Consider using prompt templates and strict content controls to reduce downstream risk.

Training and user adoption

Plan role-based training and bite-sized documentation. Remote teams respond best to recorded lessons and live Q&A sessions.

Suggested rollout tactics

Two-hour live kickoff + recorded video walkthroughs (use OBS) for each team wave.
Office hours twice a week during rollout for the first two months.
Create short cheat-sheets: “How to save as ODF,” “How to open an Excel macro-only file,” “Submitting macro conversion tickets.”
Peer champions: nominate 1–2 champions per team who get extra training and become first-line support.

Cutting costs without cutting productivity

One of the main drivers for many teams is cost saving. Replacing Microsoft 365 licenses with LibreOffice and open-source hosted services reduces recurring SaaS fees. But be realistic: there will be upfront work—migration labor, some infrastructure spend, and training. The model that balances cost and risk is a phased migration with coexistence for edge cases (Excel macros, legacy SharePoint flows).

Monitoring, backups, and rollback plans

Don’t leave yourself without an escape hatch. Every wave needs a fallback:

Snapshot or backup Microsoft 365 content before large deletions.
Keep an “Excel server” VM for 3–6 months to handle edge cases.
Monitor support tickets and conversion defect rates—if conversion exceeds your error threshold, pause and rework templates.

Example 90-day timeline (concise)

Days 1–14: Inventory & leadership sign-off.
Days 15–45: Pilot with one team, validate file compatibility, macro approach.
Days 46–90: Wave-based rollout (2–3 waves), parallel training and policy updates.
Days 91+: Optimization: migrate remaining edge cases, onboard private AI assistants, and finalize decommission plan for Microsoft 365.

Real-world example (anonymized)

We worked with a 25-person remote SaaS team in late 2025. Their priorities were cost reduction and data privacy. They:

Completed an inventory in 9 days, identifying ~1,200 docs and 60 macro-enabled spreadsheets.
Piloted with ops; converted templates to ODF and used Collabora Online for collaborative editing.
Kept 4 complex finance workbooks on a small Excel VM for 6 months while rebuilding two key macros as Python services.
Saved ~40% in annual licensing fees after decommissioning 18 Microsoft 365 licenses and retained productivity through training and office hours.

Checklist: What to do this week

Run a file inventory and identify macro-enabled files.
Install LibreOffice on a test machine and open three representative documents.
Stand up a pilot Nextcloud instance (or trial a hosted provider) and connect Collabora Online.
Draft an Acceptable Formats policy and a Macro Migration policy.

Common migration pitfalls and how to avoid them

Underestimating macros: treat them as development projects with time estimates.
Forgetting integrations: map Power Automate and SharePoint flows early.
Poor communication: keep remote teams in the loop with async recordings and written playbooks.
Zero training: even a small training program cuts support tickets dramatically.

Final recommendations — choose pragmatism over purity

Moving off Microsoft 365 is not an all-or-nothing leap. The most successful small remote companies we’ve seen in 2025–2026 adopted a hybrid, phased approach:

Use LibreOffice + Collabora/OnlyOffice + Nextcloud as the new default for internal documents.
Keep Excel available for a limited set of power-user apps until alternatives are rebuilt.
Deploy private AI assistants for productivity gains while enforcing strict AI usage policy and data controls.

“You don’t have to rip out everything at once. Migrate the 80% that’s low-friction and create a 6–12 month plan for the 20% of edge cases.”

Resources & next steps

Want the practical artifacts to get started? Build or request:

A migration inventory template (file list + macro flag)
A 90-day rollout playbook with training modules
Scripts for bulk conversion using LibreOffice headless mode
Policy templates: Acceptable Formats, Macro Governance, AI Usage

Call to action

If you’re a remote engineering or ops leader ready to reduce vendor lock-in and lower costs without harming productivity, start with a 30-minute migration audit. We’ll review your file inventory, highlight high-risk macros, and propose a pragmatic 90-day plan tailored to your team. Book the audit, download the free checklist, or join our upcoming webinar on open-source Copilot alternatives and private AI deployment for small companies.

telework

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