Item: Nextcloud
Rating: 10
Author: Joseph Costa

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Nextcloud is used as a core alternative for our key services: files (internal and with clients), calendars and address book, kanban (deck) for agile development, chat and edit/comment files online.

It is used across the whole organization as a central hub which operates as a bridge between departments.

It addresses the need for:

Privacy, no activity or data are ever analysed.
Digital sovereignty, all of our data are on a server which we control 100%.
Single software/UI for several activities.
Accessible also on mobile (iOs/android).
Ease of installation/maintenance (sysadmins).
Ease of use (users).

Pros and Cons

File sharing (internal, public or federated).
One software, many activities (files, address book, calendar, chat, edit, email) ...
Groupware, sharing between users or groups is really easy and finely controlled.
Integrations and many apps.

Merge talk and file client apps on mobile devices.

Return on Investment

We do not spend money on software license (unlike Office 365).
Very simple maintenance and upgrading.
Very simple backup and restore.

Alternatives Considered

Microsoft Office 365

Even excluding the budget and privacy concerns, we selected Nextcloud for its simplicity of use and the UI is very clear.

It just does what it is supposed to do.

No license.
Much, much ease of use.
Not opening several windows.
No un-useful services.
No automatic update.
Control over data.
Open-source software.
Integrations.

I never needed support as everything always worked fine. The documentation on Nextcloud website is extensive and clear. The community is very active on the forum and should support you if you don't already find what you are looking for.

Key Insights

Do you think Nextcloud delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Nextcloud's feature set?

Yes

Did Nextcloud live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Nextcloud go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Nextcloud again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

Nextcloud is well suited in any collaboration scenario where users wants to share comments and resources as well as organize events or work together.

It is also very well suited for non-profit organizations as it is free to use and very simple even for non-tech users.

I can't imagine scenarios where it might not be appropriate as running requirements are minimal (php, mysql) so even a single user could find benefit to use it as an alternative for basic icloud or gmail use (files with desktop and mobile clients, calendar and address book).

All in one open-source groupware suite, rock solid and easy to use

Overall Satisfaction with Nextcloud