IONOS adds European office suite to Nextcloud Workspace

IONOS has integrated Euro-Office into Nextcloud Workspace, adding a European-built office suite to its digital workplace offering.

The integration gives businesses and public sector organisations tools to create and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations within Nextcloud Workspace. The suite is intended as an open-source alternative to proprietary office software and is built, funded and hosted in Europe.

Nextcloud Workspace combines file storage, collaborative document editing, email, calendars, chat and video conferencing in a single environment. The service runs in European data centres under a European legal framework and is designed to meet GDPR requirements.

Euro-Office was developed through an initiative led by IONOS and Nextcloud, with support from Proton, XWiki, OpenProject and other partners. The participating companies are funding the project without government subsidies.

European focus

The announcement comes as digital sovereignty rises up the agenda for many European organisations, particularly in the public sector and regulated industries. IONOS is positioning the product around concerns over where data is stored, which legal systems apply and how software is governed.

Euro-Office is licensed under AGPLv3, making its source code publicly available for inspection. IONOS says this gives customers visibility into how the software works and who is responsible for its development.

The software also supports DOCX, XLSX and PPTX file formats natively. IONOS says formatting, macros and complex layouts are preserved when files are opened and saved, targeting organisations that want to move away from established Microsoft-based workflows without changing document formats.

How it works

Euro-Office renders documents directly in the browser rather than processing them on a server and sending them as images. This lets users see edits immediately, including when several people are working on the same file at once.

The office suite sits within a broader digital workplace product that also includes an AI assistant linked to the IONOS AI Model Hub. IONOS says the feature can be used while keeping data within a sovereignty-focused framework.

For IONOS, the integration extends a broader effort to build a European software stack for workplace tools. Euro-Office is being developed and funded in Europe, with dedicated engineering teams in Berlin and Logroño, Spain, supporting the work.

Procurement angle

The emphasis on source code access and auditability reflects changing procurement priorities among some customers. Public bodies and companies in tightly regulated sectors are increasingly examining issues such as transparency, supplier dependence and the legal environment around software services when reviewing workplace systems.

That has created room in the market for providers offering collaboration and productivity tools outside the largest US software ecosystems. IONOS and its partners are seeking to meet that demand with a package that combines document editing, storage, communications and compliance features under European control.

The project's backers include several European technology companies beyond IONOS and Nextcloud. Their role in funding the initiative independently is a central part of the pitch, signalling long-term development without reliance on public funding.

The integrated suite is aimed at organisations that want collaborative office software while keeping hosting, development and legal oversight within Europe.