Community Nextcloud
Open workplace, workload by workload.
Where Nextcloud fits, and what sits beside it.
Replacing Microsoft 365 does not mean replacing every workload with one product. The objective is not to replace one dependency with another monolith.
Nextcloud is the collaboration core: files, talk, calendar, contacts, a mail client, and a place to open documents. OSOS designs the wider workplace around that core — deployed on infrastructure you control, or hosted for you.
Some capabilities are native. Others are complementary platforms. Selected existing services can remain while other workloads move. Replacements are rarely one-to-one.
| Business capability | Current platform | Nextcloud role | Complementary platform | Migration note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Files and sync | OneDrive / SharePoint libraries | Nextcloud Files | — | Direct replacement for most file sharing and sync. |
| Office documents | Word / Excel / PowerPoint | Holds the files and opens them in the browser | A supported office platform (for example Collabora, Euro-Office or Thinkfree) | Nextcloud is not the office engine. Editing is a connected workload. |
| Email client | Outlook | Nextcloud Mail | — | Client and integration only. It talks to a mail server. |
| Email server | Exchange Online | Not the mail server | A separate mail platform or service | Stood up beside Nextcloud when the case needs it. |
| Calendar and contacts | Outlook Calendar / People | Nextcloud Calendar & Contacts | — | Strong native capability; often moved with mail. |
| Team chat | Teams chat / channels | Nextcloud Talk | — | Chat next to the files it concerns. |
| Meetings and video | Teams meetings | Nextcloud Talk | — | Calls stay on the workplace you control. |
| Whiteboard | Microsoft Whiteboard | Nextcloud Whiteboard | — | Useful extra; not a reason to move by itself. |
| Forms and surveys | Microsoft Forms | Nextcloud Forms | — | Covers common internal forms. |
| Identity and SSO | Entra ID / Active Directory | Consumes identity; does not replace the directory | Existing IdP, Keycloak, or another suitable identity platform | Keep or introduce an identity layer; do not force it into Nextcloud. |
| Projects and tasks | Planner / Project | Light task lists only | OpenProject or another suitable platform | Do not treat Nextcloud as a full project suite. |
| Knowledge base | SharePoint sites | Files and simple pages | XWiki or another knowledge platform where appropriate | Site collections and wikis often sit beside Files, not inside them. |
Microsoft 365 is one migration use case, not the whole OSOS identity. The same map applies when the starting point is Google Workspace or a mix of tools.
Need a workload assessment?
OSOS evaluates the whole workplace — what Nextcloud should hold, what sits beside it, and what can stay where it is — then designs the move.
Talk about a workload assessment