> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/sovereign-workplace/nextcloud-workspace/overview/concepts.md).

# Concepts

Core concepts for Nextcloud Workspace. Covers integrated applications, user management, file access methods, security features, and the integration ecosystem.

Nextcloud Workspace is a unified productivity suite comprising several native applications designed to work together.

## Applications

* **Nextcloud Files:** High-performance cloud storage that provides 1 TB of shared storage per user. It includes features such as file versioning, large file support, and File Drop for secure, password-protected uploads from external clients.
* **Nextcloud Office (Collabora):** A full-featured online office suite embedded directly in the browser. It enables real-time collaborative editing of text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
* **Nextcloud Talk:** A professional unified communication tool offering team chat, video conferencing, and broadcast-only webinars.
* **Nextcloud Email:** A built-in webmail client that connects to an existing mail provider over IMAP and SMTP.
* **Calendar and Contacts:** Integrated scheduling and address book applications that integrate with Nextcloud Talk and Nextcloud Mail, allowing for centralised organization and meeting management.
* **Nextcloud Assistant:** A privacy-first AI tool powered by the [<mark style="color:blue;">IONOS CLOUD AI Model Hub</mark>](/cloud/ai/ai-model-hub.md). It allows users to generate text, summarize, and translate content. Because it runs on <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code> infrastructure, corporate data is never exposed to third parties. Use of the Assistant is included in the per-seat price.

## User management

User and access management in Nextcloud Workspace operates across two levels: workspace provisioning in the DCD, and user administration within the Nextcloud application.

* **Permissions:** Only the contract-owner and contract admins in the <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code> Data Center Designer (DCD) can provision new workspaces and define the initial administrative email address.
* **Seat scaling:** Licences (seats) are managed centrally in the DCD. Administrators can increase the total number of paid seats to match organizational needs.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** Currently, seat reductions are not supported through the DCD.
{% endhint %}

* **Enterprise identity integration:** Within the Nextcloud environment, administrators can connect existing corporate directories using enterprise standards such as LDAP, Active Directory, SAML, and OpenID Connect (OIDC).

## File access

Files can be accessed through the following methods:

* Web browser
* Desktop sync clients (Windows, macOS, Linux)
* Mobile apps (iOS, Android)
* WebDAV protocol for direct integration with operating system file explorers
* External storage mounts (mapped from third-party repositories)

## Security

Nextcloud Workspace is designed around the principles of European data sovereignty.

* **Data sovereignty:** All data is hosted exclusively within <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code>-owned data centers. This guarantees strict GDPR compliance and ensures that corporate data is legally and physically protected from extraterritorial access requests (such as the [<mark style="color:blue;">US CLOUD Act</mark>](https://docs.ionos.com/cloud/support/general-information/glossary-of-terms#us-clarifying-lawful-overseas-use-of-data-cloud-act)).
* **Authentication and access control:** Each user can secure their workspace account with two-factor authentication.
* **Network protection:** The platform includes DDoS protection.

## Integration ecosystem

Nextcloud Workspace integrates with your existing IT landscape:

* **Bring Your Own Mail (BYOM):** Connect an existing mail provider over IMAP and SMTP. For example, IONOS Mail or a third-party mail server.
* **Gmail and Microsoft mailboxes:** Google and Microsoft require OAuth 2.0 for IMAP access. An administrator registers an application with Google or with Microsoft Entra ID, and enters the resulting **Client ID** and **Client secret** in the workspace settings.

## Shared responsibility model

Nextcloud Workspace operates under a shared responsibility model — a common standard for managed cloud services. This collaborative approach guarantees that you retain absolute control and ownership over your data and workspace environment, while <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code> takes care of the underlying infrastructure, security, and platform maintenance.

| **Responsibility Area**                                  | **IONOS CLOUD** | **Customer** |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | :-------------: | :----------: |
| **Physical infrastructure and data center security**     |        ✅        |              |
| **Platform availability and uptime**                     |        ✅        |              |
| **Application security patching and version upgrades**   |        ✅        |              |
| **Infrastructure compliance**                            |        ✅        |              |
| **User creation, management, and offboarding**           |                 |       ✅      |
| **Password and access policies within the workspace**    |                 |       ✅      |
| **SSO / LDAP / AD configurations**                       |                 |       ✅      |
| **Data stored within the workspace and data governance** |                 |       ✅      |
| **Backup of workspace content**                          |                 |       ✅      |
| **Sharing permissions and folder structures**            |                 |       ✅      |
| **Third-party integrations (Example: IMAP and SMTP)**    |                 |       ✅      |

For more information on the day-to-day usage and feature configuration of your workspace, please visit the [<mark style="color:blue;">official Nextcloud documentation</mark>](https://nextcloud.com/support/).


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