Six German states adopt Nextcloud-based collaboration platform for schools via IONOS

Schools in Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Rhineland-Palatinate now have access to a sovereign, open-source collaboration platform through a four-year agreement between govdigital eG and IONOS. The KoDaS initiative provides IONOS Nextcloud Workspace, which includes file storage, online document editing, and communication tools, with infrastructure hosted in German data centers.

Participation is voluntary for individual schools and authorities. The arrangement establishes a procurement framework rather than mandating migration, allowing institutions to adopt the service based on their specific requirements. Other German states may join the framework later, and the agreement builds on the broader Nextcloud-IONOS partnership that launched Nextcloud Workspace in June 2025.

Platform structure and procurement model

• Open-source foundation: The platform is built on Nextcloud's open-source collaboration technology, with Nextcloud supplying the software while IONOS handles service delivery and operations.
• German data residency: All cloud infrastructure is hosted in German data centers, addressing data sovereignty requirements for public educational institutions.
• Voluntary adoption framework: The agreement creates a procurement mechanism rather than a mandate, letting individual schools and educational authorities evaluate and opt in based on their needs.
• Functional scope: IONOS Nextcloud Workspace provides file storage and sharing, online document editing, and communication tools aimed at teachers, students, and administrators.
• Expansion pathway: The framework is open to additional German states beyond the initial six, with govdigital eG managing the public procurement process.

Why it matters

This agreement represents a concrete deployment of open-source cloud infrastructure at scale within European public education, demonstrating a viable procurement path for institutions seeking alternatives to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. For the Nextcloud ecosystem, the framework validates its go-to-market strategy through regional hosting partners and could influence similar sovereign-cloud arrangements in other EU member states.