Sovereign collaborative suite
Nextcloud — collaboration free from American dependency.
File storage, shared calendar, video conferencing, online office suite. Open-source, hosted in France or on your own servers. A genuine alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, with no data transfers outside the EU.
- AGPL source
- OpenAGPL source
- sovereign hosting
- Francesovereign hosting
- end-to-end encryption
- E2EEend-to-end encryption
- natively compliant
- GDPRnatively compliant
What is Nextcloud?
Nextcloud Hub is an open-source collaborative platform that brings together:
- Files: file storage and synchronisation (equivalent to OneDrive/Drive)
- Talk: chat, audio and video conferencing with screen sharing (equivalent to Teams/Meet)
- Office: collaborative office suite based on LibreOffice (equivalent to Word/Excel/PowerPoint online)
- Groupware: calendar, contacts, mail and tasks (equivalent to Exchange/Calendar/Contacts)
- Assistant: self-hostable integrated AI (summarisation, translation, transcription)
- Flow: workflow automation
All within a single platform that you control.
Why choose Nextcloud?
Sovereignty
- Hosted in France with a certified sovereign hosting provider, or on-premise on your own infrastructure
- No transfers outside the EU, natively GDPR-compliant
- Not subject to the US Cloud Act
Control
- Open-source code (AGPL) that is fully auditable
- Your data stays yours: no profiling, no monetisation
- Full reversibility: standard exports, no vendor lock-in
Security
- E2EE encryption available (files and Talk conversations)
- 2FA/MFA, SSO/SAML, granular rights management
- Public security audits (BSI, ANSSI)
Our Nextcloud service
Three deployment models to suit your IT maturity and constraints.
Managed sovereign SaaS
We host Nextcloud on your behalf on sovereign French infrastructure (GDPR/HDS certified to match your requirements). You get all the benefits without managing a server. Ideal for small businesses and organisations without an IT team.
On-premise at your site
Installed on your own server (Synology/QNAP NAS or Linux server). Maximum data sovereignty — your data never leaves your premises. Ideal for firms and organisations with stringent compliance requirements.
Hybrid
Sensitive documents on-premise, everything else in sovereign SaaS. Seamless synchronisation. Ideal for SMEs with high mobility needs and regulated data.
What's included in the IMACS integration
Needs audit
Mapping of your current M365/Drive usage, identification of sensitive data, migration plan.
Deployment
Installation, security configuration (E2EE, MFA, SAML SSO), branding to your guidelines, backups.
Migration
Import from OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox. Legacy DMS migration. Integrity validation.
Training & support
User sessions, internal documentation, IMACS first-line support, managed updates.
All Nextcloud Hub modules included
Nextcloud is open-source (AGPL v3). All these features are included in the installation we deploy for you, with no additional publisher licence.
Files
Storage, versioning, internal/external sharing, optional E2EE, quotas, at-rest encryption.
Talk
Chat + audio/video (up to ~6–10 participants at no extra cost) + screen sharing, SIP conferencing, persistent rooms.
Office
Collaborative editing of .docx/.xlsx/.pptx via OnlyOffice or Collabora Online — simultaneous multi-user editing.
Calendar
Shared CalDAV calendars. Sync with Outlook, Apple Calendar, Thunderbird and mobile.
Contacts
Shared CardDAV address book. iOS/Android sync, vCard import/export.
Built-in mail client (IMAP/SMTP). Access all your mailboxes from within Nextcloud.
Tasks
To-dos shared by project/team, with due dates, priorities and sub-tasks.
Notes
Markdown note-taking, organised by category, with mobile sync.
Deck
Project Kanban board (Trello alternative), shared boards, labels and due dates.
Forms
Form builder (Google Forms / Typeform alternative). Self-hosted on your infrastructure.
2FA / Passkeys
TOTP MFA, FIDO2/WebAuthn keys, email OTP, brute-force protection.
Enterprise SSO
LDAP, AD, SAML 2.0, OIDC. Sign in via Azure AD / Google Workspace / Okta at no extra cost.
What does it really cost? The 3 lines on your invoice
No hidden costs: here is exactly what you pay with IMACS managed SaaS. We systematically compare against your current Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace spend.
Nextcloud publisher licence
**€0** — Nextcloud Community is open-source AGPL v3, freely redistributable. Included: Files, Talk (up to 10 video participants), Office (OnlyOffice/Collabora), Calendar, Mail, Tasks, Deck, MFA, SSO. No publisher cost for standard SME usage.
Infrastructure
**Included in the SaaS subscription** (or at your own cost in on-premise mode on your server). Covers: dedicated VPS with a sovereign French host, SSD + Object Storage, daily encrypted off-site backup, bandwidth, TLS Let's Encrypt.
IMACS services
**Our people's time.** Initial setup (fixed fee), 24/7 monitoring, orchestrated security updates, IMACS SERVICES support in French by telephone, user training, directory integration (Azure AD / AD), contractual responsibility for availability (SLA).
Nextcloud vs Microsoft 365 — an objective cost comparison
The total cost to compare is not the same as a M365 or Google Workspace licence alone, because those products include Microsoft/Google hosting.
What you are really comparing
| Item | Microsoft 365 | Nextcloud + IMACS |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher licence | ✅ paid (M365 Business Standard ~£10.50/user/month) | 🆓 free (AGPL) |
| Hosting | ✅ included — EU / France data residency (EU Data Boundary) | ✅ included in IMACS subscription (France) |
| Support | Publisher ticket-based support | ✅ IMACS SERVICES support, in French, by phone |
| Data sovereignty | ⚠️ US publisher subject to the Cloud Act (EU hosting available) | ✅ Publisher and hosting in France, outside the Cloud Act |
For equivalent usage (50 users with 100 GB storage), overall costs are broadly comparable — the difference lies in data sovereignty (publisher jurisdiction) and proximity of support, not in price. Microsoft 365 remains an excellent solution, which we also deploy: the right choice depends on your sovereignty requirements.
Our IMACS added value
- Day-1 installation done right (TLS, PostgreSQL tuned, Redis, OPCache, ClamAV antivirus)
- Branding + business configuration (password policies, restrictions, quotas)
- Directory integration (Azure AD, on-prem AD, Google Workspace)
- Guaranteed backup (3-2-1-1, quarterly restore testing)
- 24/7 monitoring + SLA-backed response
- IMACS SERVICES user support (French, by phone)
- Team training
- Orchestrated updates (without breaking installed apps)
- Regulatory compliance GDPR / HDS
What is it used for?
- Encrypted client document sharing (solicitors, notaries, accountants)
- Project workspace with simultaneous collaborative editing
- Client video conferencing without Zoom/Teams
- Digital safe for legal documents
- Multi-device synchronisation (office + home)
- Secure external sharing (password protection, expiry dates, watermarking)
Who is it for?
- Law firms bound by professional secrecy — E2EE encryption of client files
- Notarial practices handling sensitive estate data — absolute data sovereignty
- GDPR-sensitive SMEs (healthcare, finance, HR) — an alternative to M365 without the Cloud Act
- Public-sector bodies subject to the Cloud au centre doctrine
- Organisations looking to move away from Google Workspace or Microsoft 365
Frequently asked questions
How much does Nextcloud cost?
The cost breaks down into 3 clear lines, and the total depends on the deployment model:
IMACS Managed Sovereign SaaS — monthly per-user subscription including:
- 🆓 Nextcloud licence (€0, open-source AGPL)
- 🖥 Infrastructure: French sovereign VPS, storage, encrypted backup, bandwidth
- 👨💻 Our service: 24/7 monitoring, IMACS SERVICES support in French, orchestrated updates
On-premise at your site — on your own server:
- 🆓 Nextcloud licence (€0, same as above)
- 🖥 Infrastructure at your expense (your server, your storage, your backups — or we advise on sizing)
- 👨💻 Our service: initial fixed fee (audit, installation, training) + monthly/annual maintenance contract
Hybrid model: mixed pricing based on the cloud/on-site split.
We produce a personalised quote within 48 hours after the free pre-diagnostic, with a line-by-line comparison against your current Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace costs so the decision is evidence-based.
Are there any Nextcloud licences to pay for?
From the publisher: no. Nextcloud Community Edition is open-source (AGPL v3), with code publicly available on GitHub and freely redistributable. You get the following at no publisher cost:
- All Hub modules (Files, Talk, Office, Calendar, Mail, Tasks, Notes, Deck, Forms…)
- E2EE encryption, MFA, LDAP/SAML/OIDC SSO
- The full REST API, federation between instances
- Security updates
However — this does NOT mean 'everything is free': two cost items remain that are entirely separate from the Nextcloud licence:
- Infrastructure (sovereign VPS, storage, backups, bandwidth) — billed within the IMACS SaaS subscription, or at your own expense in on-premise mode
- Our service (installation, configuration, monitoring, support, training, contractual liability)
The Nextcloud Enterprise Subscription (paid directly to Nextcloud GmbH) is only relevant for organisations with >200 users requiring publisher 24/7 SLA support, or regular video calls with >10 participants (Talk HPB). For the vast majority of SMEs, it is not required.
How long does a migration from Microsoft 365 take?
- Small business (1–5 users): 1 to 2 weeks
- SME (10–30 users with OneDrive + SharePoint): 3 to 6 weeks
- Complex firm/organisation (50+ users, legacy DMS, business integrations): 6 to 12 weeks
We always use a parallel-running approach: Nextcloud operates alongside M365 for 1 month, then a clean cutover with no disruption.
Does Nextcloud REALLY replace Microsoft 365?
For 80% of office-productivity use cases: yes. Collaborative editing of Office documents (native .docx/.xlsx/.pptx formats), video conferencing, calendar, mail, and contacts. For specific use cases (complex Excel macros, Power BI, Power Automate, Teams telephony), a case-by-case analysis is needed. The free pre-diagnostic identifies precisely what should remain on M365 and what can be migrated.
What if I want to leave Nextcloud later?
All your documents are in standard formats (Office, PDF, image). Calendars and contacts use standard iCal/CardDAV. Reversibility is complete and guaranteed by contract. No technical lock-in — unlike M365, where certain files (.docx with embedded Power BI, Forms) can be difficult to extract.
What about classic Microsoft Office on workstations?
You continue to use it if you wish. Nextcloud synchronises natively with local Office installations (your files are accessible via Windows Explorer just like OneDrive). You keep the comfort of Office desktop and the sovereignty of Nextcloud on the server side.
Compatible with your existing ecosystem
Nextcloud does not force you to replace everything. It integrates natively with the productivity tools you already use — for a smooth transition, with no disruption.
Collaborative tools pre-assessment (free)
7 quick questions about your current setup (Microsoft 365, Drive, sharing, data sovereignty). An engineer will review your situation and get back to you within 24 working hours with practical recommendations.
Let's assess your dependency on US technology
Answer 7 questions: we identify where your sensitive data is stored, the true cost of Microsoft 365, and what Nextcloud would bring in your specific situation.