Nextcloud allows you to manage your data on your own cloud server without having to hand over data sov­er­eign­ty to companies such as Google or Apple. With Nextcloud, companies without an IT de­part­ment, as well as private in­di­vid­u­als, benefit from the ad­van­tages of a location- and device-in­de­pen­dent cloud on their own private or hosted servers.

What is Nextcloud?

Nextcloud is a high-per­for­mance, non-com­mer­cial cloud software used for self-hosting and cloud computing, which is suitable for both private and business purposes. The software is a fork, i.e., a parallel de­vel­op­ment branch of the OwnCloud project. OwnCloud and Nextcloud serve as open-source al­ter­na­tives to com­mer­cial cloud storage, such as Amazon AWS, Google Drive or iCloud. The same de­vel­op­ment team around founder and developer Frank Kar­l­itschek is behind both cloud solutions. Just like OwnCloud, Nextcloud is available in a free, com­pre­hen­sive version as well as a paid en­ter­prise solution.

Which platforms support Nextcloud?

To enable access for as many users as possible, Nextcloud offers cross-platform support. It can be used with the following operating systems for desktop PCs and mobile devices:

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Android
  • Linux
  • iOS

Nextcloud also offers simple in­te­gra­tion with services such as Amazon S3, Google Drive, Microsoft Azure and Dropbox.

What ad­van­tages does Nextcloud offer?

As non-com­mer­cial cloud software for self-hosting, Nextcloud offers many ad­van­tages for both private and business use. These include:

  • Com­plete­ly free open-source solution
  • Free choice between cloud computing with private servers on site or with host servers at locations with high data pro­tec­tion reg­u­la­tions
  • Secure, GDPR-compliant cloud storage with a high level of data pro­tec­tion
  • Anonymous file upload
  • Two-factor au­then­ti­ca­tion
  • Encrypted data on servers and SSL/TLS en­cryp­tion for data trans­mis­sion
  • Data sov­er­eign­ty remains with private in­di­vid­u­als and companies that implement Nextcloud
  • Cen­tral­ized cloud computing in­de­pen­dent of location or end device
  • Includes Nextcloud Clients, such as Nextcloud Android app for cross-device syn­chro­niza­tion of local di­rec­to­ries
  • Active community prevents security vul­ner­a­bil­i­ties in Nextcloud’s open-source code
  • Open-source approach prevents “back doors” for data access by third-party companies
  • En­ter­prise variants offer spe­cial­ized support and on-demand storage and computing power

What functions does Nextcloud offer?

From flexible data exchange and central cloud storage to practical teamwork tools, Nextcloud includes a wide range of cloud and team functions. The most important ones include:

  • Uploads/Downloads: Nextcloud works similarly to Google Drive or other cloud al­ter­na­tives and allows you to upload and download single and multiple files and folders. Accessing and editing is also in­de­pen­dent of device and location.
  • Nextcloud Files: With Nextcloud, you not only use self-defined access rights for files, but also public sharing URLs. This allows you to work on a document as a team as required and benefit from features such as the comment function, real-time col­lab­o­ra­tion and app in­te­gra­tion for Microsoft Office documents.
  • Nextcloud Office: The cloud solution provides you with your own online office suite, including col­lab­o­ra­tive tools and support for all important file formats.
  • Nextcloud Hub: This is the central user interface via which you integrate, control and manage the four most important Nextcloud functions — Files, Talk, Office and Groupware.
  • Nextcloud Talk: This feature offers your work­groups and teams practical tools for video calls, con­fer­ences, screen sharing or tra­di­tion­al text chat.
  • Nextcloud Groupware: As a helpful calendar and ad­min­is­tra­tion tool, Groupware serves as an address book, ap­point­ment planner, contact list and more.
  • Nextcloud Assistant: The Nextcloud Assistant is firmly in­te­grat­ed into the Nextcloud user interface. Among other things, the AI assistant sum­ma­rizes email dis­cus­sions, offers sug­ges­tions when writing a document and trans­lates chat messages.

What Nextcloud apps and plugins are there?

The per­for­mance and ver­sa­til­i­ty of your own Nextcloud solution can be cus­tomized and extended using various Nextcloud apps and plugins. This allows you to optimize your cloud functions according to your needs or workgroup. Here’s a selection of practical apps and plugins for Nextcloud:

  • On­ly­Of­fice: Office app is com­pat­i­ble with Microsoft Word, including support for all important document types (text, tables, pre­sen­ta­tions, forms), chat function, shared document editing and versions for mobile or desktop.
  • Reader: E-reading app for e-books and file formats such as Epub, PDF, CBR or CBZ, with flexible page view, night mode and con­fig­urable fonts and text colors.
  • Nextcloud Deck: Or­ga­ni­za­tion app with clear display for managing ap­point­ments, tasks, deadlines or in­ter­me­di­ate project statuses.
  • Passwords: App for managing and editing passwords of one or more people.
  • Nextcloud Talk: The app is one of Nextcloud’s key products for video and audio calls, live chats, con­fer­ences and screen sharing.
  • Cookbook: Practical cooking app for saving, col­lect­ing and managing recipes.
  • Nextcloud Calendar (Android / iOS): Practical organizer for syn­chro­niz­ing ap­point­ments, tasks and deadlines across devices — including reminder and in­vi­ta­tion function.
  • News: Concise app for news feeds with reference to all Nextcloud news.
  • Nextcloud Notes: Effective app for taking notes in the style of Microsoft’s OneNote.

How much does Nextcloud cost?

Nextcloud is available in both a high-per­for­mance free version and a paid en­ter­prise version. The paid versions include:

  • Basic: From 100 users for 37.49 euros (around $40) per year/user
  • Standard: From 100 users for 67.89 euros (around $75) per year/user
  • Premium: From 100 users for 99.99 euros (around $100) per year/user
  • Ultimate: From 100 users for 195 euros (around $210) per year/user

Is Nextcloud suitable for companies?

Although Nextcloud is also in­ter­est­ing for private users, the in­stal­la­tion proves to be somewhat complex for in­ex­pe­ri­enced users. Nextcloud is therefore par­tic­u­lar­ly relevant for companies that invest time in Nextcloud in­te­gra­tion and receive their own cloud with a high level of data control and cloud security in return. The following aspects in par­tic­u­lar make Nextcloud in­ter­est­ing for companies:

  • Teamwork and Office features in­te­grat­ed or ex­pand­able via apps and plugins
  • Location- and device-in­de­pen­dent cloud use with desktop PCs and mobile devices
  • Central storage and cross-device syn­chro­niza­tion of files
  • High, GDPR-compliant data security and data sov­er­eign­ty
  • In­di­vid­ual access rights and password as­sign­ment
  • In­te­grat­ed en­cryp­tion for uploads and downloads, as well as for data stored on the server side
  • Flexible en­ter­prise sub­scrip­tions depending on company size, storage re­quire­ments, support and in­te­grat­ed Nextcloud functions

How does Managed Nextcloud work?

If you’re looking for a secure, high-per­for­mance cloud without the hassle of setup and con­fig­u­ra­tion, Managed Nextcloud is an ideal solution. With managed cloud hosting, a pro­fes­sion­al host takes care of im­ple­men­ta­tion and main­te­nance, allowing you to focus entirely on the benefits of a central cloud solution.

These benefits include col­lab­o­ra­tive teamwork and office functions, cus­tomiz­able access rights and per­mis­sions, and the seamless storage, editing, and sharing of files and documents via your own private cloud. Plus, 24/7 support is typically available should you need as­sis­tance.

Ad­van­tages of Managed Nextcloud

In terms of the time and main­te­nance effort involved in self-hosting with your own private cloud, a con­ve­nient Managed Nextcloud solution offers the following ad­van­tages:

  • No hassle with in­stal­la­tion, main­te­nance and updates
  • Secure server in­fra­struc­ture for hosts with American server locations such as IONOS
  • All Nextcloud features are available via desktop PC or mobile
  • Basic functions can be expanded with apps and plugins
  • Complete data sov­er­eign­ty and high data pro­tec­tion standards
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