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LIBREOFFICE MIGRATION PROTOCOL
Introduction
The protocol represents a reference for migrations, based on the best practices from some of
the most successful projects. We estimate that over the last eight years several million users inorganizations of every size have migrated from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice.
LibreOffice
LibreOffice is the leading Free Software personal productivity suite for MS Windows, MacOS X
and GNU/Linux, offering six feature-rich applications for all document production and dataprocessing needs: Writer for text, Calc for spreadsheets, Impress for presentations, Draw fordrawings, Base for databases, and Math for mathematical annotations. LibreOffice source codeis dual licensed under LGPLv3/MPL+ copyleft licenses.
LibreOffice adopts the ISO standard Open Document Format (ODF), recognized by many
governments and organizations worldwide – including NATO – and based on true open
standards, as the default format for all office documents. ODF files can easily be recognized by
the filename extension: .odt for texts, .ods for spreadsheets, .odp for presentations, .odg fordrawings, .odb for databases and .odf for mathematical formulas.
LibreOffice reads and writes several Microsoft proprietary file formats, from the legacy DOC,
XLS and PPT to the new OOXML (Office Open XML) ISO Standard [pseudo]. Since its inception,OOXML has been released in several flavors – Office 2007 (ECMA), Office 2010 (Transitional),
Office 2013 (Transitional and Strict), Office 2016 (Transitional and Strict) and Office 2019 (alsoTransitional and Strict) - with significantly different behaviors.
In addition, LibreOffice allows to save documents in the Hybrid PDF format, a standard PDF
file which embeds a fully editable ODF document. These documents can be opened by
LibreOffice with File > Open as any other ODF document, and by all other applications as plain
PDF files with a double click on the icon.

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LibreOffice also provides shortcuts to send documents as e-mail attachments in all available
formats: ODF, PDF (including hybrid) and MS Office formats, including legacy.
Eventually, LibreOffice installs only free fonts, which are designed to be compatible with every
operating system and therefore able to further increase interoperability by helping to maintainthe same layout even if the document is accessed on a different OS from the one used to create
the original one.
Because of these characteristics, LibreOffice is very well suited for organizations of all sizes –both public administrations and private enterprises – planning to migrate from proprietary to
FOSS to reduce infrastructure and interoperability costs, and to get rid of vendor lock-in.
Migrating to LibreOffice
The office suite is an integral component of any workflow, either personal or organizational,and as such is essential for the productivity of most personal computer users. LibreOffice is a
viable replacement for Microsoft Office, and can significantly reduce the Total Cost ofOwnership of enterprise PCs because it replaces the license cost with a substantially lower
migration cost.
The migration to LibreOffice is a complex endeavor from several points of view. There are
psychological obstacles to overcome such as the resistance to change of end users – inherent ingroup dynamics – and technical problems to solve at different stages of the process: theinteroperability with proprietary document formats, the conversion of document templates
and macros, the compatibility of VBA macros, the integration with third party applications,and the fixing of bugs and regressions. In addition, the deployment of LibreOffice at enterpriselevel should be based on a long term supported version provided by one of the companies
sitting in TDF Advisory Board, with the availability of incremental updates to be installed overthe network.
On the other hand, the migration to LibreOffice represents an excellent opportunity to rethink
the organization's processes. For example, before migrating any existing Visual Basic macros,
it is better to determine if the macros are still needed, in order to discard those that are noReference Document

longer used, and re-engineer the remaining ones. The same applies to document templates,
and to proprietary plugins which connect the office suite to proprietary enterpriseapplications.
On that note, LibreOffice 4.0 significantly reduced the necessity of these plugins thanks toCMIS (Content Management Interoperability Services) support, an open standard that allows
several content management systems such as MS SharePoint, IBM FileNet, Alfresco and Nuxeo
to interoperate over the Internet with compatible client applications, which can browse, readand modify contents.
Looking at the entire migration process, while the resistance to change can be tackled by asustained communications campaign, under the responsibility of the project manager with thehelp of a communication expert, technical problems should be approached with the support ofdevelopment, migrations or training professionals certified by The Document Foundation.
Lessons learned from successful migrations
LibreOffice's feature set is more than adequate for the everyday needs of the majority – i.e.
more than 90% – of users inside organizations of any size. In general, the few technicalobstacles are related to spreadsheets using advanced features or to MS Office macros, which
are often difficult to migrate for a number of reasons.
Users should be able to produce documents using LibreOffice right after the training:
therefore, it is crucial to complete the setup and the test of the workstations before training
begins, as any delay in the installation of LibreOffice will diminish the effect of the training
itself. It is also extremely important to offer a reference point for any problem connected to themigration, starting from "technology leaders" up to trained support personnel.
In fact, the production of the first few documents will create a lasting perception about thequality of LibreOffice in the mind of the users: a smooth process will motivate them tocontinue and try new more advanced features, while stumbling into a problem – even a trivial
one – will discourage them and leave a negative feeling.
The biggest problem, then, is the resistance to change, which is a side effect of the introductionReference Documentof a new technology in any large organization. This it often seen as a burden in addition toeveryday work, and has to be tackled with a carefully crafted communication strategy. Users
have to be persuaded that the new tools, after some training, can provide a better and more
rewarding user experience.
Typical reasons for resistance to change are:
•The fear of the unknown, which triggers the fear of not being good enough to deal with thenew technology;•The perception that the change is being imposed by the top management, which is notusing the new tool to the same extent of middle managers and employees;•A poor communication strategy: when it comes to a change management process there's nosuch thing as too much communication;•A change of the routine, which translated into a change - or perceived reduction - of theuser's comfort zone;•A low trust in the organization's, management's or personal capability to competently
manage the change;•A misunderstanding about the need for a change, especially from those who strongly
believe that the current way of doing things works well... and has done for twenty years!

•A change in the status quo, which triggers the perception that at the end of the process one'ssituation will be worse than before (because the change favours another group, such as
younger people in the case of old loyal employees).

Of course, the "brute force" method – which consists in installing LibreOffice and eradicating
MS Office without any previous warning – is the worst of all choices, as it creates a rejection
effect which kills any hope of success.

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Migration, Step by Step

Communicating the change
In order to reduce the impact of resistance to change, it is important to start the migration
project with a communication activity targeted at the entire organization (and not only tofuture users of LibreOffice). In fact, migrating to LibreOffice is a strategic move for theorganization, and should be communicated with the same emphasis as any other strategicdecision.
When the migration process starts, all managers and employees should be familiar with therationale behind the decision to migrate to LibreOffice (lower TCO and independence fromvendor lock-in), and with LibreOffice (history of the project, software features, potential
interoperability issues, and so on). It should be clear for everyone that LibreOffice is a viablereplacement for Microsoft Office, which has already been implemented on million of desktops
worldwide.
Analysing the Situation
The aim of a migration project to LibreOffice is to replace Microsoft Office with the free officesuite whenever it makes sense. It is therefore very important to assess the potential impact ofthe migration on every user, by analysing the characteristics of the documents with theirtemplates, the VBA macros and the other automation tools, and the integration with third partyReference Document

applications.
In addition, the migration represents an opportunity to rethink all internal document related
process, in term of templates, versioning, storage, and other characteristics such as theworkflow process.
Certified professionals can provide the necessary assessment skills, not only to analyse
documents, VBA macros and interoperability issues, but also to suggest solutions (whichinclude costs and timings).
Starting the migration process
Once the analysis of the existing situation has been completed, it is possible to start the processby implementing an impact test, which is supposed to help find all of the problems that could
affect the migration, and ensure that the document workflow works as intended. Although
LibreOffice is, to a large extent, fully compatible with MS Office, it is a different application
with specific strengths and drawbacks, and might trigger specific workflow issues. The impact
test will also allow to estimate the costs of the migration process.
The Impact Test is carried out by installing LibreOffice on a small number of PCs, which
represent the average user. In general, they are the tech savvy users, who will also be involvedin the project in other ways. They will be, for instance, trained to train their colleagues to use
LibreOffice.
The impact test has a couple of key objectives:• Identifying critical documents, templates and macros: a good deal of existing documents,
templates and macros might not be in use, or will have outlived their usefulness after yourmove to LibreOffice. Documents and templates that are still in use should be converted tothe ODF format, while macros should be re-created using the appropriate technology.
•Creating an inventory of tools and MS Office dependent applications, which are quite
frequent in CRM and ERP environments. These applications need to be identified andchecked for compatibility with LibreOffice, as the new features might offer an alternativeReference Documentsolution (such as CMIS connectivity). Questionnaires given to team leads or groupmanagers can be used to get a better insight into how the business solutions interact withMS Office.
To minimize support calls and maximize productivity from the start, it is highly advisable toprepare a "welcome" package for users, with supplementary information about LibreOffice,highlighting the basic functionality of the software and the few specific functional differenceswith MS Office.
Switching to open document standards
It is also important to switch immediately to the standard ODF format for all documents, andresort to legacy or current MS Office document formats only to exchange files with users of theproprietary office suite. File sharing is a crucial issue, because it is essential to be able todevelop and exchange information effectively. Using ODF as the default document format
helps organizations to establish a repository for all information assets, guaranteed against
obsolescence and vendor lock-in.
In addition, MS Office is able to read and write ODF format since version 2007, although withseveral important exceptions, especially in the case of spreadsheets, up to version 2013 (whichsupports the reference implementation of ODF 1.2). Also, if the other party does not have
LibreOffice and only needs to read or print the document, this can be exchanged in PDF format(in this case, using the Hybrid PDF format gives LibreOffice an edge over any other office suite,
as the document retains the formatting).
Of course, choosing the interoperability format for each document might result in an overload
and be considered an unnecessary nuisance for the average user, but is a key factor for
liberating both the user him/herself and the organization from the constraints of proprietary
formats developed by software vendors to perpetuate lock-in. Users and organizations should
always remember that closed document formats are limiting not only their freedom but also
the ownership of their information assets.

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Identifying "tecnology leaders" within the organization
Once the impact test and the migration to ODF are in place, it is the right time to identify"technology leaders" within the organization: they are the individuals who are recognized bytheir peers for their tech competence. For instance, they are the ones who are asked about thelatest and greatest smartphone or PC to buy, and about the sexiest applications to use.
"Technology leaders" will have a key role in the migration process, as they will become theLibreOffice evangelists and act as the first contact point for providing simple support to users.
The role and efforts of the "technology leaders" should be recognized, supported andencouraged through appropriate incentives by the organization's management.
Once the "technology leaders" have been identified, it will be necessary to organize a small
number of LibreOffice briefing sessions targeted mainly at senior and middle management, theIT Support team and the "technology leaders". The briefings are intended to achieve therequired buy-in of LibreOffice and motivate the decision makers and the opinion leaders about
the migration process.
Once the key stakeholders are convinced, they will be able to inform their staff about themigration process and to encourage them to adopt LibreOffice as early as possible aftertraining and installation.
The first group of "technology leaders" should include – if possible – a mix of middle managers
and employees in order to penetrate into the different layers of the organization. The groupwill meet regularly during all the stages of the migration process, to share the different
experiences and identify solutions to common issues.
Training users
A comprehensive training on LibreOffice – characteristics, advantages, features, peculiarities,
and main differences with MS Office – is a fundamental step for any migration project.
Training, at different levels, should be provided to IT personnel, trainers, "technology leaders",
middle and upper management, and all end users.

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Another objective of the training process is to make users aware of the rationale and objectivesof the migration project, so that it is not perceived as a mere solution to budget-related issues.
In fact, migrating to LibreOffice offers the opportunity of adopting a truly open and standard
format, intended to protect the freedom of each individual's creative work and contribute to
the growth of a Free Software project which is beneficial to the user community at large(beyond any kind of border).
Users, including middle and upper managers, should be segmented for technical skills,
training needs and organizational units. These groups form the basis for planning theimplementation phase of the migration, so that the transition takes place in homogeneous
steps (to avoid fragmentation).
Trainings will also be instrumental for the development of a technical support team, which isanother crucial element for the success of the migration project. In fact, when the "technology
leaders" – who provide first-hand support to colleagues – are not able to provide an answer toissues arising within their department, the problem should always be escalated to first levelsupport and if necessary to second level support (which might be internal or external,according to needs).
Deploying LibreOffice
The deployment of LibreOffice on every personal computer, including those of users who havebeen authorized – for specific technical reasons – to keep on using MS Office, needs to beplanned in advance and should be coordinated with the training schedule, in order to ensurethat users will be able to use the software as soon as possible (ideally, after the first trainingsession).
The community version of LibreOffice is not optimized for deployments in large organizations,
as it is a rather large binary blob which has not been designed to be installed over a network(although the task can be executed, it is slow and tedious).
In contrast, LTS versions of LibreOffice are the enterprise-ready build of the free office suite, ascompanies add deployment and administration utilities on top of the community version,Reference Document

together with contracted support services to allow LibreOffice to be used in business criticalenvironments. These versions have a release cycle similar to the community version, but aresupported for three years - with security, maintenance and bug fixes - from the date of release.
Also, they provide MSP patch files to allow incremental updates for Windows installations, andto makes it easier to deploy and maintain LibreOffice in large enterprise networks by reducing
the required effort from weeks to days and from days to hours, according to the number ofdesktops.
Deploying LibreOffice, though, does not mean eradicating MS Office from each and every PC.
The goal is to maximize the number of PCs using LibreOffice, and to foster the interoperability
with MS Office by identifying areas where the latter – for obvious reasons – tries to perpetuate
lock-in. For instance, it will be necessary to educate MS Office users – who, at the end of themigration, should not exceed 20% of all users (as this is the highest potential percentage ofpeople using MS Office-specific features in corporate environments) – to replace proprietary
fonts with free fonts (such as those backed by the SIL Open Font License).
User support
Support is a critical factor for the success of a migration project, as with it the users do not feelabandoned in front of the new productivity tool. In fact, although the features are identical orextremely similar to Microsoft Office, they are often organized in a different way (and this is
usually more than enough to get a negative reaction from users).
Enterprise support of LibreOffice is usually organized internally, with a mix of IT people andtech savvy users who can provide Level 1 and Level 2 support to end users. Level 3 support, onthe contrary, is based on development related skills and should therefore be managed by an
external structure with certified developers capable of solving bugs.
In fact, bugs are intrinsic of any software development (even the most expensive proprietarysoftware). So, the availability of contracted support to address potential software code issues isvital for the deployment of LibreOffice in a corporate environment, also because all relevant
patches are usually merged upstream with the community version of LibreOffice.

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In order to assist enterprise users, the entire support team will also work at a list of Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ) as a quick reference for future needs. This FAQ, together will all thedocuments used during the migration process – especially presentations and manuals – shouldbe published online onto the organization website, for easy access and retrieval by users.
LibreOffice MaintenanceOnce LibreOffice has been deployed on every user desktop the migration project is over, andthe organization switches to maintenance mode. Needs evolve from the simple interoperability
level to the development of new features or the integration with third party applications.
Companies providing enterprise versions of LibreOffice can provide code level consultancy
and development work for any implementation of the software, which could include (but is not
limited to): specific application features, read & write support for an unusual file format,
document format conversion, specific computational needs that only become possible with
better performance, integration and interfacing with a back-office system, and interoperability
solution with third party software packages.