Introducing Assistant 2.0

With a nearly complete overhaul of the user interface AND how our AI Assistant works on the back-end, plus a ton of new, big features, we decided that this is the moment to call this the Assistant 2.0. Let’s go over what’s new, but first a short summary of where we are today!

Nextcloud has a ton of AI features, some big and elaborate, others more basic. Some train a neural network on your data, on your own server to give you a smart inbox in Mail or warnings about unexpected logins from Suspicious Login Detection. Others rely on a pre-trained network that can recognize faces and objects in photos, generate a transcript of your video call or modify text. We can also generate images, translate text and chat messages, and much more. Many of the features are accessible through our easy to use Nextcloud Assistant interface!

Many of these features can help you, save you time, or improve your productivity. And best of all: as always we focus on making all these services available of running on your own server. Given even the US Congress doesn’t trust ChatGPT or Microsoft CoPilot, there are good reasons to want control over the data send to and from an AI service! Our Ethical AI Rating system provides you transparency about the AI used to generate your text, image or classify your photos:

• Is it open source? Can I study how it works and re-train or optimize the model for my needs?
• Is the model freely available? Can I run it on my own server?
• Is the training data open and available so I can inspect it for issues and re-train or optimize the model?

Learn more in our blog post about our approach to AI.

Context Chat and Context Write

And now, let’s explore what’s new: The two biggest new features are Context Write and Context Chat. These both share a lot in common, both providing AI-assisted outputs for you, but they’re also distinctly different.

Context Chat, in short, is the ability for the Assistant to answer questions about your data. You can ask the Assistant questions about a document you have: Say, you have a PDF with the manual of your new digital watch… you’ll be able to ask the Assistant how to set it up, or how to replace the battery. And if your company has a nicely documented reimbursement process in its documentation in Collectives, you can ask the Assistant questions about this process. This is an absolutely amazing ability!

It is not just limited to your files either: we developed an API so apps like Mail, Calendar, Talk and Deck can make their data available too. You’ll then be able to ask “When do I have my next meeting with my boss?” (from the Calendar) and “What tasks did she ask me to work on as high priority this week?” (from Mail). Or “Give me a summary of the status of project X.” (Deck + chat perhaps?)

Context Write, on the other hand, lets the Assistant rewrite something in a certain requested context, or style. Say, you have a nice poem and want to write another in that same particular style. By providing the original poem, then new text of what you want to say, the Assistant will then create a masterpiece. But you can also give it a form, give it your data, and ask it to provide the text you would need to fill in the form. Impressive, and useful!

Big user interface overhaul

Over the last year and a half, we have introduced a wide range of AI features in Nextcloud. Translation, transcription of audio, text and image generation, and more. Then the Nextcloud Assistant came – and we’ve now integrated most of our AI features into the Assistant itself, all available from a unified interface. It is no longer limited to text, but can also generate images and transcribe audio.

Another improvement many of you will appreciate is that you can now see a history, a list of earlier generated images, text or audio transcripts in the Assistant interface. You can even go back and generate more based on your earlier prompts. It is now also possible to cancel a running operation, if desired.

Lastly, as possible inputs to the Assistant you can paste or type text or record audio, and now… select one or more documents as input too!

Behind the scenes

We also did significant work behind the scenes. We made it possible for administrators to make use of AI models we’ve not yet explicitly integrated into Nextcloud, giving more flexibility and versatility to your choice of models to use.

Especially for larger deployments, we have made it possible to run the LLM and other AI operations like Transcription and Context Chat on a separate server, using our new external app ecosystem for one-click, Docker-based deployments. You can also now use a GPU for text generation, transcription and context chat. This means transcribing an hour-long audio file could, on a CPU, take many minutes while taking only seconds on a GPU!

More coming soon

And, of course, this is not all. We have developed an API which can be used by apps like Deck, Calendar or Mail to support Context Chat. This will allow the Assistant to answer questions about your mail, tasks or upcoming appointments! We look forward to these and other apps implementing support for this feature.

Nextcloud Hub 8 – our next version out very soon – will also feature two more app integrations of the Assistant: First, Nextcloud Talk will be able to show you summaries of conversation in Talk rooms, and Nextcloud Mail will introduce email ‘suggested answers’! If you haven’t yet registered for our Nextcloud Hub 8 Launch Event on April 24, this is the time to do so to find out more!

How to get it

So now, you ask: When can I get it? We have good news! Nearly all these features have been backported to Nextcloud Hub 7, meaning they are available in the Nextcloud app store right now. All you need to do is update. If you have not yet tried out the assistant, perhaps this is the time to do it!

To run the AI locally, it’s easiest to use LocalAI. A community container exists for our All-in-one, so users of the AIO can simply go to this page to learn more about adding extra containers and then enable the LocalAI container. Be sure to check out our documentation and ask questions in the forums – you could just start below this post!

IONOS, OVHcloud, plusserver and others bring you…

This brings us to the final piece of the puzzle: For these AI features to work smoothly, you will need some serious hardware. This unfortunately will not be a fun experience on your Raspberry Pi. But! Luckily, a number of businesses have started to provide AI-as-a-Service, running various open source models that Nextcloud supports in a way that you can connect to remotely. While this is great, unfortunately nearly all these companies are American-based, with a few in China. If you live in the USA, that is of course perfect – the data stays in your jurisdiction, and you have a choice of local providers. But for our users in Europe, this is less than ideal. The US jurisdiction unfortunately treats the data of European users with less than ideal respect for privacy, in no small part thanks to the CLOUD act signed into law by the former US president Donald Trump.

But today, we announce that we have been working closely with several major European hosting companies including IONOS, OVHcloud and plusserver to integrate their upcoming AI-as-a-Service solutions. This will make them available to Nextcloud customers and users who wish to take advantage of the advanced AI functionalities in Nextcloud Hub but don’t wish to host AI services themselves. Several Nextcloud customers have expressed interest in these features and are preparing to or in the process of testing them. Here’s what our partners and customers have to say:

OVHcloud is thrilled to collaborate with Nextcloud in delivering state-of-the-art Digital Sovereign AI solutions to our customers. We are aligned with Nextcloud’s commitment to offering secure, privacy-conscious AI functionalities that safeguard training data and adhere strictly to GDPR regulations. We are excited to announce that this integration will become available in Q2 2024, marking a significant milestone in our journey towards responsible AI innovation.

Germain Masse, AI Product Marketing Manager at OVHCloud

We are proud to offer Nextcloud customers a solution that complies with European data protection regulations. Reliable, trustworthy, and local AI services will be key to protecting their digital sovereignty for both the public and private sectors in Europe.

IONOS

plusKI brings cutting edge, open source AI technologies in a compliant and digitally sovereign service to the German market. We are excited to work with Nextcloud to make this available to their customers as back-end to the new generation of the Nextcloud Assistant.

Christian Schmitz, Director Open Source at plusserver

We at SUNET are happy that that Nextcloud Assistant is 100% Free and Open Source, runs on-premise and provides useful features that we hope will benefit our users going forward. We enjoy the very productive collaboration with Nextcloud.

Mike Nordin, Sunet, the Swedish University Computer Network

In the future, we will make AI services available to colleagues in the state administration directly at the workplace. We want to drive the development of digitally sovereign and open solutions in addition to the use of existing AI services such as ChatGPT. Because, the administration of the future will work in an automated, algorithmized, cloudified and data-based way. To make this vision of the future a reality, we must provide the appropriate tools. This also creates value and jobs in our domestic digital economy.

Minister of Digitisation and Head of the State Chancellery Dirk Schrödter, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

US technology firms have a large head start on European companies offering large language models and other AI services to smaller firms and end customers. There is a significant number of offerings either using their own models like OpenAI, or providing one or a choice of open models like Llama, Gemma or Mistral as a service. In Europe, Mistral and Aleph Alpha are still working on offering their own models while only a few large hosting providers are looking to offer various open LLM’s in an AI-as-a-service model.

At the same time, there is a growing demand from our customers and users for European AI services. Running AI locally is expensive, and AI-as-a-Service from foreign tech firms is not a solution for most Nextcloud customers in Europe, given the privacy and sovereignty risks inherent to shipping large amounts of crucial data overseas. For this reason, we have been working with a handful of providers to offer their AI services. To speed up the process, we connected them with potential customers. As you can imagine, offering a service when it is unclear who its customers might be is not easy. But several universities are interested in the ability to outsource some heavy AI operations, so there is now movement towards AI services. This means not only our users, but the wider European ecosystem will be able to benefit from this!

Public availability of the European AI services is expected in the course of spring and summer, with some even aiming for late April/early May!

Thank you!

We are super excited about this release and we’d like to thank everybody who contributed, with testing, reviewing code but also the universities who are willing to test the AI services, and of course OVHcloud, IONOS, plusserver and our other partners who’d like to provide these services!

The post Nextcloud releases Assistant 2.0 and pushes AI-as-a-Service appeared first on Nextcloud.

OVHcloud is a returning sponsor of Nextcloud Enterprise Day – Nextcloud’s annual enterprise event for like-minded industry professionals and decision-makers to get the most out of their Content Collaboration Platform.

By supporting Nextcloud Enterprise Day, OVHcloud reinforces its position as a cloud provider that values privacy, security, and open-source standards, offering solutions that empower organizations to maintain control over their data while leveraging the benefits of cloud technology.

At last year’s Enterprise Day 2023, OVHcloud’s CEO, Michel Paulin, underlined this ambition in his virtual speech:

About OVHcloud

OVHcloud, a global cloud computing service provider, offers scalable and flexible web hosting, server, private and public cloud solutions for businesses, developers and individuals. With a commitment to data autonomy and transparency, OVHcloud enables efficient IT infrastructure management while advocating for privacy and innovation.

A powerful partnership

Grounded by a strong and solid technology partnership, Nextcloud and OVHcloud work on interesting joint cooperations. Nextcloud users can easily integrate dedicated AI services from OVHcloud in Hub 6 and 7 and OVHcloud clients have very simple access to install cloud services from Nextcloud on their OVHcloud infrastructure.

Since their founding, Nextcloud and OVHcloud share a plethora of shared values and the following aligned principles:

Open-source philosophy

Nextcloud is built on open-source software, allowing for transparency, flexibility, and community collaboration. Similarly, OVHcloud supports open-source initiatives, as seen in the five core values of their SMART cloud, and contributes to various open-source projects. This shared commitment to open-source values fosters innovation and empowers users and developers alike.

Data sovereignty pioneers

Both Nextcloud and OVHcloud are at the forefront of the data sovereignty vision, advocating for a world where the public sector, businesses and individuals alike have access to all their data with a high level of data security. While Nextcloud emphasizes self-hosting options, giving users more control over their data and enabling them to comply with regulations like GDPR, OVHcloud implements robust security measures across its infrastructure and data centers, ensuring the safety and privacy of customer data. We envision a world where users won’t have to worry about the interference of any extraterritorial laws like the U.S. Cloud Act that pose substantial risks to European’s personal data.

Further demonstrating our dedication to this vision, in 2021 Nextcloud filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission about Microsoft’s anti-competitive, bundling behavior. Later that year, together with a coalition of some 30 NGOs and other European tech companies, we publicly called on the EU to take action and we haven’t stopped there.

OVHcloud also takes a firm stance on data rights, with their CEO Michel Paulin stating, “EU policymakers should have the courage and intellectual honesty to establish a sovereign cloud as well as to regulate American cloud service providers under the EU’s antitrust Digital Markets Act regulation.”

Our powerful partnership has the potential to enact change in establishing a level playing field for cloud service providers and a data-sovereign cloud for all.

GDPR compliancy

Ensuring GDPR compliance is paramount for both Nextcloud and OVHcloud as we both prioritize data security and privacy in the EU. With a strong commitment to adhering to local laws and regulations, both of our companies go the extra mile to safeguard user data within the EU.

OVHcloud’s local data centers are a testament to their dedication to compliance with GDPR requirements.

Scalability and Flexibility

Nextcloud and OVHcloud both offer scalable solutions tailored to the needs of businesses and individuals. Nextcloud can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud, accommodating various use cases and organizational sizes. OVHcloud provides scalable cloud infrastructure with options for custom configurations, enabling users to adapt their resources as their requirements evolve.

A history of alliance

While Nextcloud and OVHcloud operate in different niches within the cloud computing landscape, our shared values of data security, privacy, openness, scalability, customer focus, and innovation unite us in our mission to provide reliable and user-centric cloud solutions.

Accordingly, we partner at major events and tech conferences together like at the leading IT security event, it-sa in Nuremberg, Germany. It-sa provided us the platform to talk about our secure and sovereign cloud collaboration in a large audience of IT leaders and participants from around the world.

The Open Trusted Cloud (OTC) initiative

The Open Trusted Cloud, or OTC, program aims to build vibrant ecosystems of software publishers – SaaS and PaaS companies around an open, reversible, secure, transparent and trusted cloud. Started by OVHcloud and joined by Nextcloud in 2022, we share common values about compliance with local data regulations and data sovereignty.

“The Open Trusted Cloud is an ecosystem of European software manufacturers and puts the European offer effectively in the spotlight – a structure with a common voice that conveys our messages clearly. To strengthen their position, software manufacturers should work with other European players together. By acting together, we can increase the impact and share costs.”

– Khaled Allab, director of the Open Trusted Cloud

We’re also both members of the CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe) association, with OVHcloud being a founding member, that aims to standardize the rules for personal data protection throughout Europe. In addition, we’re both members of the German GAIA-X project, a European initiative for developing an efficient, competitive, secure and trusted data infrastructure for the European Union.

OVHcloud representing our shared vision at Enterprise Day 2024

This year, OVHcloud’s Vincent Le Fort, Sales Director Tech DACH Market, will be giving a short talk about our common vision and commitment to our customers at Nextcloud Enterprise Day.

This is a unique opportunity to learn more about our collaboration at our upcoming event and meet the OVHcloud team.

We are looking forward to sharing this day with you and celebrate our shared values.

The post OVHcloud and Nextcloud’s commitment to customers: data that stays your data appeared first on Nextcloud.

In our final round of sponsor announcements for the Nextcloud Enterprise Day, we are delighted to highlight plusserver as one of our sponsors!

plusserver stands as a prime example of cloud innovation “Made in Germany.” In partnership with Nextcloud and HKN, they provide open-source workplace solutions that align with the strictest data protection standards, ensuring data security and autonomy.

Their most recent innovation, plusAI, is a dedicated platform for sovereign and secure AI, highlighting the importance of data sovereignty across their solutions. In cooperation with HKN, plusserver will be showcasing the advantages of their data sovereign cloud platform pluscloud open as a base for your Nextcloud installation and dive into the possibilities that future integrations and add ons will provide.

Circle April 24 in your calendar and register today to learn more about the innovation developed by plusserver and HKN at Nextcloud Enterprise Day.

About plusserver

plusserver is recognized for its commitment to data sovereignty and digital autonomy, establishing itself as a cornerstone in the German cloud services market. With a history rich in innovation and security, plusserver offers GDPR-compliant cloud solutions, offering customers complete control and security of their data. As a founding member of Gaia-X, which aims to create a secure and reliable data infrastructure for Europe, plusserver champions open-source technologies and digital sovereignty.

Their sponsorship of Nextcloud Enterprise Day reflects their dedication to fostering a secure, open, and self-reliant digital ecosystem, alongside sovereign workplace solutions.

About Nextcloud Enterprise Day

Nextcloud Enterprise Day brings together the leaders and decision makers in the enterprise IT landscape. For one day, it provides a platform to foster innovation, exchange experience, and present unique stories behind Nextcloud implementation in various industries.

The agenda encompasses exclusive talks and workshops. Topics include digital sovereignty, the future of AI in business, building a secure and resilient cloud infrastructure, and more.

The April 2024 edition comes to Munich, a city in the heart of Bavaria famous for it’s unique mix of urban ambition, modernity and historical legacy.

The post Enterprise Day 2024 sponsor announcement: plusserver appeared first on Nextcloud.

We are excited to announce SpaceNet as a new sponsor of the Nextcloud Enterprise Day!

With a track record extending over three decades, SpaceNet is now a leading provider in Germany for today’s demand for private, sovereign infrastructure solutions. As a Nextcloud Gold Partner, SpaceNet delivers a comprehensive range of Nextcloud hosting solutions. These services meet many business demands, from highly standardized cloud services ready for immediate use, to customized installations uniquely tailored to individual client requirements.

Positioned in the heart of Munich, Germany, SpaceNet’s data centers are at the forefront of managed Nextcloud offerings. This strategic location not only aligns with the stringent European data protection standards but also reinforces the commitment to providing robust security, supreme efficiency, and complete control over your data.

The event is taking place in Munich, Germany, on April 24. Register for the Nextcloud Enterprise Day today to secure your spot!

About SpaceNet

SpaceNet is a Munich-based provider of managed services and data center solutions that prioritizes security and performance while strongly aligning with GDPR standards and principles. In acknowledgment of the distinct challenges each business faces, SpaceNet offers customized solutions tailored to the unique needs of their clients. SpaceNet has earned the trust of industry leaders such as MVV, Utopia.de, and Antenne Bayern, a testament to the commitment to excellence and innovation in IT solutions.

Providing secure hosting in Germany, SpaceNet contributes to the initiative to build a digitally sovereign European IT. A Gold Partner of Nextcloud, SpaceNet expands its offering with powerful capabilities of Nextcloud. Nextcloud is also a part of Zamadama, the self-service collaboration platform by SpaceNet. Managed Nextcloud is offered both as an immediately available standardised cloud solution and as a customised installation to fit individual requirements. 

About Nextcloud Enterprise Day

Nextcloud Enterprise Day brings together the leaders and decision makers in the enterprise IT landscape. For one day, it provides a platform to foster innovation, exchange experience, and present unique stories behind Nextcloud implementation in various industries.

The agenda encompasses exclusive talks and workshops. Topics include digital sovereignty, the future of AI in business, building a secure and resilient cloud infrastructure, and more.

The April 2024 edition comes to Munich, a city in the heart of Bavaria famous for it’s unique mix of urban ambition, modernity and historical legacy.

The post Enterprise Day 2024 sponsor announcement: SpaceNet  appeared first on Nextcloud.

Building on shared values

Nextcloud builds digitally sovereign, privacy respecting collaboration software in an open, transparent way. XWiki SAS follows the same model, aiming to create software that matters and makes a difference. Both XWiki SAS and Nextcloud advocate for the empowerment of individuals and organizations to reclaim their digital sovereignty through collaborative, transparent, and fully open-source platforms.

A recent conversation between Frank and Ludovic culminated in December 2023 with a modest investment by Frank in XWiki SAS, symbolizing a deepening of our business relationship. This fits with the trend of the growing relation between XWiki SAS and Nextcloud on some customer projects, in several formal alliances, but also in the political space with both organizations pushing together for an open and free European market. A good example here is XWiki’s support for Nextcloud’s antitrust complaint about Microsoft to the European Union.

What this means for the Nextcloud community

The XWiki and Nextcloud software are both rooted in community-driven open-source development and are committed to maintaining free, independent, and organically grown communities and products. Rejecting venture capital backing, we both prioritize long-term sustainability and community-building over short-term gains.

In alliance with Nextcloud, we share a common ethos centered on privacy and data control and we plan on working even closer together in the following years. This small investment is on one hand a sign of growing trust and partnership, and on another hand marks for us a significant step towards realizing our shared vision of digitally sovereign collaborative solutions in Europe. At the same time, both companies will continue to work independently as they did until now.

— Ludovic Dubost, Founder and CEO of XWiki SAS and CryptPad_

XWiki has been maturing for many years into the robust and versatile knowledge management platform that it is today. We have been cooperating in various areas for some time now, and I am glad that I am able to formalize our ties a little further with this investment.

— Frank Karlitschek, Founder and CEO of Nextcloud_

What’s next?

We believe there is a bright future for digitally sovereign collaboration solutions in Europe and this is a step forward in bringing two leading projects in this space closer together. Join us on the road towards a more digitally sovereign future by following XWiki SAS on Mastodon, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or through their newsletter or read their blog about our collaboration. Meanwhile, you ca find Nextcloud on Mastodon, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram, or follow our newsletter.

About XWiki SAS and Nextcloud

XWiki SAS is the top sponsoring company for the XWiki and CryptPad open-source projects, and we also offer services on top of these two products.

XWiki is an open-source wiki platform that offers extensive customization features, collaborative editing, document and files management, integration capabilities, and granular rights management. It is a flexible and scalable solution, with features for creating, organizing, searching, and sharing knowledge within teams and organizations, on-premises or in cloud.

CryptPad is an open-source online collaboration suite that provides secure and privacy-focused tools for document editing, real-time collaboration, and communication. CryptPad enables users to use and share rich text, spreadsheets, polls, presentations, whiteboard functions, forms, kanban, diagrams, and code/markdown without compromising the confidentiality of their data.

Nextcloud Hub is the leading open source, on-premises content collaboration platform with a strong focus on data protection. It offers document sharing, real-time editing, video conferencing, calendaring, mail and more across mobile, web and desktop interfaces.

Frank Karlitschek is a long time open-source contributor and privacy activist. He is former board member of the KDE e.V. and has initiated several initiatives over the years to make the internet more secure and more federated like the open collaboration services and the user data manifesto. He is founder and CEO of Nextcloud.

The post Enhancing digital sovereignty: XWiki SAS and Nextcloud forge closer ties appeared first on Nextcloud.

Welcome the first sponsor of Nextcloud Enterprise Day 2024 — OVHcloud. By becoming a supporter of the Enterprise Day, OVHcloud reinforces its position as a provider that values privacy, security, and open-source standards, offering solutions that empower organizations to maintain control over their data while leveraging the benefits of cloud technology.

The 2024 edition of Enterprise Day takes place on April 24 in Munich, Germany. Register today at a limited special rate.

About OVHcloud

OVHcloud, a global cloud provider, offers scalable and flexible web hosting, server, private and public cloud solutions for businesses, developers, and individuals. With a commitment to data autonomy and transparency, OVHcloud enables efficient IT infrastructure management while advocating for privacy and innovation.

OVHcloud’s dedication to digital sovereignty reflects in their approach to data protection and privacy. They ensure that the infrastructure and services comply with local and international data regulations, which is crucial for clients concerned with data jurisdiction and sovereignty, especially in sectors like public services and healthcare.

We are honored to have OVHcloud as a returning sponsor of the Nextcloud Enterprise Day.

About Nextcloud Enterprise Day

Nextcloud Enterprise Day brings together the leaders and decision makers in the enterprise IT landscape. For one day, it provides a platform to foster innovation, exchange experience, and present unique stories behind Nextcloud implementation in various industries.

The agenda encompasses exclusive talks and workshops. Topics include digital sovereignty, the future of AI in business, building a secure and resilient cloud infrastructure, and more.

The April 2024 edition comes to Munich, a city in the heart of Bavaria famous for it’s unique mix of urban ambition, modernity and historical legacy.

The post Enterprise Day 2024 sponsor announcement: OVHcloud appeared first on Nextcloud.

About Sendent for Outlook

Sendent offers a host of powerful solutions for Outlook users, allowing them to easily integrate Nextcloud into their workflow for secure and easy sharing of any files with Nextcloud links. Thanks to the user-friendly setup, administrators and users can get started with Sendent for Outlook in just a few clicks, avoiding any learning and training. That makes the add-in a handy addition for teams leveraging multi-app environments.

Sendent for Outlook works with Microsoft Outlook 2013, 2016 and 365 for Windows, Outlook for Mac, and Outlook for the Web.

With this Outlook add-in, you can:

• Convert email attachments into Nextcloud links for easy sharing.
• Insert upload links directly into emails, enabling recipients to upload files with ease.
• Add passwords and expiration dates to links for added security, with the option of customizing password and expiration settings.
• Configure the add-in to automatically upload attachments over a certain size, streamlining the sharing process.
• Use the easy file selection dialog to insert links to files stored on their Nextcloud account.
• Save valuable storage space on email servers by reducing the need to store large amounts of attachments in multiple email boxes.

Secure email attachments with Sendent

Apply custom security measures

System administrators can customize the add-in’s rules to meet their specific needs, including triggers on a specific attachment size to automatically upload attachments, adjust email templates, and maintain compliance with retention policies. By utilizing these features, businesses can maintain complete control over their data and keep it safe from potential threats.

Keep costs in control

The add-in also helps IT departments save valuable storage space on email servers. By reducing the need to store large amounts of attachments in multiple email boxes, the add-in decreases network traffic and frees up server resources, leading to improved performance and efficiency.

How secure is Sendent for Outlook?

We are committed to keeping your data protected while allowing you to share files with ease. When it comes to data sharing, privacy-conscious organizations require privacy-centered solutions.

The Outlook add-in offers various ways to enhance the security of your data:

• Secure file sharing: You can exchange data with clients and partners without compromising your security. Create a Public Share to allow collaborators to upload files and folders to your secure server.
• Password protection for your emails: You can set Sendent to generate a unique strong password every time you share data through Microsoft Outlook. The stronger the passwords you use, the harder it is for hackers to crack them and gain access to your data.
• Expiration dates for file access: When you’re working with people outside of your organization, you might want to limit their access to your server when your projects are complete. Control access to your data by putting an expiration date on all your shared files and links.
• Withdrawing shared files: Accidentally sent a sensitive file to the wrong person? With Sendent, you can withdraw the data straight from Outlook to keep it secure.
• Activity Tracker: If you host a lot of important files on your private server, you want to know who else has their hands on your data. You can check the Activity Tracker to verify if the file has already been accessed.

Feature highlights: Secure Mail and Guest Accounts

Secure Mail for guaranteed compliance

Elevate your email security with Sendent’s Secure Mail feature specifically designed for data-sensitive industries like banking, law, and healthcare.

Secure Mail allows users to protect their email content from interception by uploading the email and its attachments to their Nextcloud instance. No sensitive content is shared via the mail server. Additionally, they can password-protect the link for added security.

Guest Accounts for private sharing

With Guest Accounts, you can create a secure and private account for anyone who needs access to your data on a frequent base. This could be a client, a vendor, or a partner who requires access to specific files or emails. The recipient will receive an email invitation with a link to your Nextcloud instance where they can access the secure guest account that contains all earlier shared correspondence.

Guest accounts can be customized to suit your specific needs. You can set permissions for each guest account, allowing you to control what files and folders they can access. This ensures that sensitive information remains confidential and that you have complete control over who can view and download your data.

Secure your mail with Sendent

Sharing and storing files via email can be a risky business, but with Sendent for Outlook, you can streamline your workflow and reduce the IT headaches caused by risky email attachments. By using Nextcloud to store and share files securely, companies can enforce data availability, retention, and safety policies to ensure that sensitive information remains protected.

Why use Sendent Outlook add-in:

• Boost productivity with a user-friendly interface
• Enjoy a fully integrated solution with key Nextcloud settings
• Benefit from centralized control for administrators
• Protect your email content and attachments with Secure Mail
• Customize email templates to your liking
• Implement easily and quickly for customers, employees, and IT departments

Make collaboration easier within your organization by implementing Sendent for Outlook. Reach out to our sales team to learn more about this Outlook integration and get the app.

Available plans

	Free	Standard	Plus
Available for Outlook for Windows (VSTO add-in)
Available for Outlook for Windows, macOS, and Web (web add-in)
Share large files and create Public Shares
Nextcloud Talk integration*
Withdraw shared files
Activate triggers to automatically activate Sendent
Activity Tracker
Default Sendent branding
Custom branding and theming
Custom email templates
Advanced UI branding*
Send passwords separately
Secure Mail
Create and connect files to Guest Accounts

*Currently available for VSTO add-in only.

Sendent for Outlook is available for business and private use. Businesses can directly contact our Nextcloud sales team to test Sendent for Outlook.

The post Sendent: An Outlook add-in to protect your data appeared first on Nextcloud.

The Nextcloud Exchange Connector offers a powerful solution that seamlessly integrates Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365 with Nextcloud, boosting cross-platform connectivity. Discover how this connector simplifies collaboration and empowers teams to work together with greater efficiency.

Why integrate Exchange with Nextcloud

How can the Exchange connector enhance collaboration?

Automated contact sync

Sync personal agendas and contacts bidirectionally with open standards like CardDav and CalDav. No need for manual copying and pasting: the connector seamlessly syncs Outlook and Nextcloud Hub, while contact files are shared directly between Nextcloud Hub and Outlook.

Convenient meeting planning

Create meetings in Outlook and see them instantly reflected in your Nextcloud calendar, and vice versa. Experience a seamless journey: sync meetings with the Exchange Connector, then join them instantly with Talk, all within Nextcloud.

A privacy-first alternative to the Office experience

When you integrate Nextcloud Hub with Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft 365, you leverage all advantages of Nextcloud while using familiar Microsoft tools and workflows:

• Integrated, all-in-one collaboration platform
• Unlimited storage and any number and type of user directories
• GDPR-certified, on-premises solution that puts you in control
• Modular, highly customizable bundle with open API
• Hundreds of ready apps for your ecosystem

Experience the Nextcloud Exchange connector

Nextcloud Exchange Connector is part of the Ultimate package of Nextcloud Enterprise. Contact Nextcloud sales team to learn more and request a free trial.

The post Streamline collaboration with the Nextcloud Exchange connector appeared first on Nextcloud.

About Sendent Outlook add-in

Leveraging Nextcloud’s powerful sharing capabilities, Sendent simplifies and enhances file sharing by sending secure Nextcloud links instead of traditional direct attachments. The Sendent Outlook add-in seamlessly integrates your Nextcloud with Outlook, facilitating the efficient sending of emails without the need to switch between applications.

Why use outlook add in?

• Simplified Collaboration: Streamline Nextcloud file sharing seamlessly within Outlook. 
• Enhanced Productivity: Save time and minimize the risk of data leaks.
• Secure Emailing: Protect your emails and attachments from unauthorized access.
• Compliance Control: Set central company policies for sharing files via email for all users.
• Cost-efficiency: Save on exchange storage costs.

New: macOS and web compatibility

The most important upgrade in the app is cross-platformity. The new version is available for Windows, Mac, and web users alike, ensuring a consistent and productive experience for everyone. It’s a small step for technology but a big change for businesses using multiple operating systems, as the add-in is not exclusive to Windows users anymore.

To achieve this, the app has been rebuilt from ground-up, with the app’s features streamlined in the new code base. More features and improvements are coming soon, including a Nextcloud talk integration.

New user interface

The update brings a completely new UI that makes sharing even easier and more user-friendly. You can edit emails inline while uploading files at the same time.

There’s also a wizard that guides you through all the steps so that even for new users, you will be able to use Sendent within a matter of minutes.

Migration and old version support

Acknowledging the diverse user base, Sendent remains committed to supporting the old Outlook add-in for users who have yet to migrate to the latest version. However, users embracing the new Outlook will find themselves seamlessly transitioning to the new web add-in, unlocking a host of new features and improvements.

Microsoft has indicated its intention to phase out COM/VSTO add-ins, with the latest version of Outlook 365 no longer supporting them. While users of Outlook 2021 and older can still utilize COM/VSTO add-ins, Sendent subscribers are required to switch to the web add-in when upgrading to the new Outlook.

For those moving to the new version, Sendent is ready to address any limitations and facilitate a smooth transition. Everyone is encouraged to provide feedback on the new app and its features via community forum.

Get the free app

The app is already available with a free plan for all users to explore all improvements and new features free of charge. Paid options will be released in the upcoming weeks, offering business-grade features for corporate clients. To try the new free add-in, sign-up for the app on the Sendent website.

Please note that in order to use the add-in, Outlook must be connected with Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com. IMAP and POP3 account support is limited by Microsoft at the moment.

Your feedback is appreciated!

You have a chance to help Sendent improve the app and request desired updates directly. Submit your feedback and suggestions on the Nextcloud Community forum to let the developer team know what they should work on next. The Sendent team will monitor your feedback regularly.

The post Major update to Nextcloud Outlook add-in is now available appeared first on Nextcloud.

In today’s digital environment, the types of tools used are often the key to effective team collaboration. Businesses rely heavily on various software to simplify workflows, streamline operations, and enhance productivity. For remote work or hybrid models, this is particularly important as teams must interact seamlessly and easily, regardless of distance.

Two of the major players in this arena are Pexip, leading provider of secure video technology, and Nextcloud, the popular, on-premises content collaboration platform. Both solutions offer on-premises and cloud services suitable for the most stringent security and compliance challenges, proven in both the private and public sector. When you combine these two, you get a collaboration tool that’s powerful, user-friendly and rich in capabilities while providing world class data protection.

Integrating Pexip with Nextcloud

The integration of Pexip with Nextcloud promises to boost the digital collaboration capabilities of organizations. Together, these technology providers offers users a unified, easy to use platform that enables secure file sharing, seamless communication, and efficient collaboration.

To integrate Pexip with Nextcloud, an application programming interface (API) is used to connect the two platforms. This means the systems can work as one, allowing users to access Pexip’s video conferencing functionality directly from their Nextcloud interface.

By integrating Pexip and Nextcloud, users can schedule, join, and manage Pexip meetings without leaving the Nextcloud platform.

What are the key benefits when Pexip and Nextcloud come together?

Simplified Workflow

The integration reduces the need for users to switch between different apps to perform different tasks. From the same interface, users can access their files, schedule meetings, and initiate video conferences. This streamlines workflow, saving time, and improving productivity.

Enhanced Communication

Teams can collaborate on a document in Nextcloud while discussing it over a Pexip video conference. This level of collaboration, where discussion and action happen simultaneously, boosts the team’s efficiency and effectiveness in executing tasks.

Improved Security

Given that both Pexip and Nextcloud prioritize data security, this integration offers robust protection for your data. Whether you’re sharing sensitive files or discussing confidential matters over video conferences, you can trust that your data is secure.

Cost-Effective

By integrating Pexip’s video conferencing with Nextcloud’s file sharing and collaboration capabilities, businesses can significantly reduce their reliance on multiple standalone applications, leading to substantial cost savings.

Pexip and Nextcloud take virtual collaboration to the next level

In our digital age, effective collaboration tools are not just a luxury, but a necessity. The integration of Pexip and Nextcloud represents a step forward in providing businesses with robust, secure, and effective collaboration tools. By uniting high-quality video conferencing and secure file sharing in one easy-to-use platform, teams can work more efficiently, saving time and resources, while enhancing productivity and collaboration.

As companies continue to adapt to new ways of working, we can expect to see more integrations like this – integrations that leverage the best of existing tools to create more effective, secure, and user-friendly collaboration environments.

About Nextcloud

Nextcloud is a self-hosted productivity platform that offers secure file sharing and collaboration services. It allows users to access and sync files, calendars, contacts, and more from any device. With Nextcloud, businesses can maintain control over their data while enabling employees to collaborate efficiently. With its modular architecture, users can also add various apps to their Nextcloud instances to extend its functionalities, like task management, note-taking, and much more. Learn more.

About Pexip

Pexip is a leading provider of secure video technology powering everything from business communication to ultra-secure government meetings, doctor’s appointments, and court proceedings. With Pexip, your data stays secure, you can connect from any device, and businesses can customize the platform to be representative of their brand. Learn more.

The post Virtual collaboration just got easier with Pexip and Nextcloud appeared first on Nextcloud.