The sovereign alternative to Microsoft Entra: Nubus from Univention for access and identity management

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Digital identities are among the most valuable assets of any organization. They determine who is allowed to log in, which systems are accessible, and which data remains protected. In today’s interconnected world, where employees, partners, and applications collaborate across national borders, effective identity management has become a critical technology for modern security and digital sovereignty, transcending the realm of IT to become a key strategic consideration.

Only those who have complete control over identity and access management (IAM) can operate with confidence. Many companies rely on major cloud platforms, such as Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), to manage user accounts, access rights, and authentication. However, this comes with risks, including dependence on proprietary cloud infrastructures, limited data control, and legal uncertainties regarding data protection and data flows outside the EU.

Univention Nubus: the sovereign alternative to Microsoft Entra

Following the integration of Nubus, Nextcloud partner Univention is offering a sovereign alternative. This data-sovereign IAM system puts IT departments back in control of storage locations, access rights, security policies, and integrations. This is particularly important in the public sector, schools, and highly regulated industries.

Technically, Nubus is on a par with solutions such as Microsoft Entra, but there is one crucial difference: Nubus gives the organization full control over identities, data, and infrastructure.

Open, modular, cloud-ready

Nubus is based on open standards, including OpenID Connect, SAML, and LDAP. This enables flexible integration into existing systems, whether they are cloud-based, on-premises, or hybrid. With features such as single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and self-service, Nubus meets all the core requirements of modern identity solutions.

Unlike Microsoft Entra, Nubus can operate entirely within sovereign cloud environments or your own data centres. It can also be containerised with Kubernetes if desired.

Independence instead of vendor lock-in

Although Microsoft Entra ID is closely integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem, Nubus is designed to be open and interoperable. Organizations can decide for themselves which cloud services to connect to and where to store their identities. This approach avoids the classic vendor lock-in associated with proprietary IAM solutions, with which many companies are familiar. Nubus, therefore, offers technological sovereignty and strategic independence.

Ideal for administration, education, and companies with high compliance requirements

For many years, Univention has partnered with numerous public institutions, educational providers, and companies that take digital sovereignty seriously. School authorities like in Fulda and Kassel already relied for years on Nextcloud and Nubus, and the state of Schleswig-Holstein has also become independent of US providers by trusting in the combination of these two open-source offerings from Germany.

IAM requires trust — and control

Microsoft Entra, Okta, and other cloud identity and access management (IAM) solutions all demonstrate how important identity management has become for modern IT security. However, true digital sovereignty requires more than just convenience and scalability; it also requires transparency, openness, and control.

Univention Nubus embodies these qualities.

If you want to securely manage identities while retaining control over your data, Nubus offers a sovereign, European alternative to Microsoft Entra ID that is open, flexible, and independent.