The short answer
Microsoft 365 fits if your company already relies on Outlook, Teams and the Office applications and wants to run as little as possible itself. Nextcloud fits if data control, independence from a single vendor and customisability matter more and someone reliably takes over operations. A combination often makes sense too.
The key differences
- Operations and responsibility: Microsoft 365 is a cloud service. Microsoft runs the infrastructure, you manage licences, users and settings. Nextcloud is open-source software that you run yourself or at a hosting provider. Updates, backups and hardening then rest with you or your service provider.
- Data control: With Nextcloud you decide where the servers are, for example in your own data centre or at a German host. Microsoft offers options for storing Microsoft 365 data in the EU. Whether that meets your data protection or industry requirements should be checked in advance.
- Features: Microsoft 365 delivers email with Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive and the Office applications from one source. Nextcloud offers files, calendars, contacts, tasks and video calls with Nextcloud Talk. Documents can be edited together using office components such as Collabora Online or ONLYOFFICE. Nextcloud does not replace a full mail server.
- Integration: Microsoft 365 is closely tied to Entra ID, Intune and Windows. Nextcloud can be connected to Active Directory or Entra through standards such as LDAP, SAML or OpenID Connect.
- Cost: Microsoft 365 means ongoing per-user licence fees. With Nextcloud the licence fee for the free edition disappears, but you pay for servers or hosting and for operations. Paid enterprise offerings exist for support and extra features. Which is cheaper depends on the number of users and the operating effort.
Which one fits when?
- More likely Microsoft 365 if you use Exchange mail, Teams and the Office applications heavily, manage Windows devices with Intune and do not want to carry operations yourself.
- More likely Nextcloud if data location and control come first, you do not want to depend on one vendor or you have special customisation and integration needs.
- Combination: mail and Office stay with Microsoft, sensitive file storage and project spaces live on Nextcloud. This lowers dependency and risk but needs clear rules about what lives where.
How we approach it
We clarify your requirements, check data protection and the connection to your directory and, on request, set up a trial in our labs first. You then decide on a solid basis. We work vendor-neutrally.