FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about openDesk
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you want to know about openDesk.
📋 General
Q1: What is openDesk?
openDesk Community Edition (CE) is a sovereign office and collaboration suite, developed by the Center for Digital Sovereignty (ZenDiS). It offers a complete alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace with 12 integrated applications: Email, Calendar, Contacts, Chat, Video, Files, Documents, Projects, Wiki, Notes, Tasks, and Identity Management.
Q2: Who is openDesk suitable for?
- Primary: Public administration (federal, state, municipal)
- Secondary: Companies with high compliance requirements
- Ideal for: Law firms, tax advisors, financial service providers, healthcare, engineering firms
openDesk is particularly suitable for organizations that:
- Process sensitive data
- Must ensure GDPR compliance
- Desire independence from US corporations
- Need long-term calculable IT costs
Q3: Who is behind openDesk?
openDesk is developed by ZenDiS (Center for Digital Sovereignty of Public Administration GmbH) - a company of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The components come from established open-source companies:
- Open-Xchange (Email)
- Nextcloud (Files)
- Element (Chat)
- Collabora (Documents)
- OpenProject (Projects)
- XWiki (Wiki)
💰 Costs & Licensing
Q4: What does openDesk cost?
Community Edition:
- Free (Open Source)
- No license costs
- Community support
Enterprise Edition Details
- Individual offers
- Depending on: user count, operating model, support level
- Contact: opendesk@zendis.de
Our Services
- Assessment: from EUR 3,500
- On-Premises deployment: EUR 15,000-35,000
- SaaS: EUR 15-25/user/month
- Migration: EUR 50-100/user
Q5: Are there hidden costs?
Community Edition:
- No license costs
- But: Own infrastructure + personnel required
Enterprise/SaaS Details
- Transparent, contractually fixed prices
- No price increases without notice
Q6: How do costs compare with Microsoft 365?
Typically 20-40% cheaper over 3 years - depending on:
- User count
- Storage requirements
- Support requirements
- Existing infrastructure
Use our TCO Calculator for an individual estimate.
🔄 Migration
Q7: How long does a migration take?
| Size | Duration |
|---|---|
| Small (10-50 users) | 2-4 weeks |
| Medium (50-250 users) | 4-8 weeks |
| Large (250+ users) | 8-16 weeks |
Influencing Factors
- Data volume
- Complexity of existing IT
- Number of systems to migrate
- Training effort
Q8: Can I migrate my existing data?
Yes, completely:
- Emails (IMAP sync)
- Files (OneDrive/SharePoint → Nextcloud)
- Calendars and contacts
- Documents (format conversion possible)
Partially Migratable
- Teams chats (manually)
- SharePoint workflows (redevelopment)
- Outlook rules (manually)
Q9: Are Microsoft Office documents supported?
Yes:
- DOCX, XLSX, PPTX are fully supported
- Collabora can open and edit these formats
- Recommended: Migration to ODF (Open Document Format)
Limitations
- Complex macros may need adjustment
- Some Excel functions differ
⚙️ Technology & Operation
Q10: Do I need my own servers?
On-Premises: Yes
- Kubernetes cluster required
- Minimum 3 nodes for high availability
- Alternative: Managed Kubernetes (e.g., SCS)
SaaS Option
- Fully managed offering
- Hosting in German data centers
Q11: What technical requirements exist?
On-Premises (Minimum):
- 3 servers (or VMs)
- 32 GB RAM, 8 vCPUs per node
- 2 TB+ storage
- Kubernetes (K8s, K3s, OpenShift)
Network Requirements
- Internet connection (for updates)
- DNS configurable
- SSL certificates
Q12: How is openDesk updated?
Community Edition:
- Manual updates via Helmfile
- Community support for problems
Enterprise Edition
- Tested update paths
- Rollback possibility
- Support for problems
SaaS
- Automatic updates
- Planned maintenance windows
- No intervention required
Q13: Is openDesk secure?
Yes, through:
- Open Source (code auditable)
- No backdoors
- End-to-end encryption (chat, email)
- Regular security updates
- BSI reference architecture
Additional Enterprise Security
- Security patches prioritized
- Penetration testing results
🔒 GDPR & Compliance
Q14: Is openDesk GDPR compliant?
Yes:
- Developed for German authorities
- Data protection by design
- Data processing agreement not required (for On-Premises)
GDPR Features
- Export functions (right to data portability)
- Deletion functions (right to be forgotten)
- Audit logs
- Record of processing activities support
Q15: Where are the data stored?
On-Premises:
- On your own servers
- Complete control
SaaS Hosting
- STACKIT data centers (Germany)
- BSI C5 certified
- No data transfer outside the EU
Q16: What about the US Cloud Act?
With openDesk:
- No US companies involved
- No access by US authorities possible
- German/European legal basis
🛠️ Functions & Usage
Q17: Which applications are included?
- Email (Open-Xchange)
- Calendar (OX Calendar)
- Contacts (OX Contacts)
- Chat (Element)
- Video (Jitsi)
- Files (Nextcloud)
- Documents (Collabora)
- Projects (OpenProject)
- Wiki (XWiki)
- Notes (Notes)
- Tasks (Tasks)
- IAM (Keycloak)
Q18: How does openDesk differ from Nextcloud?
Nextcloud:
- Focus on file management
- Additional apps as extensions
openDesk Advantages
- Complete suite (including email)
- Pre-integrated components
- Unified IAM
- Enterprise support for all components
Q19: Can I use openDesk on mobile?
Yes:
- Web interface (responsive)
- Nextcloud app (iOS, Android)
- Element app (iOS, Android)
- Email via IMAP (any client)
- Calendar via CalDAV
📞 Support
Q20: What support is available?
Community Edition:
- GitLab (openCode platform)
- Community forum
- Documentation
Enterprise Edition
- SLA-covered support
- Various support levels
- Direct contact to ZenDiS
Our Services
- Basic (24h response time)
- Standard (8h response time)
- Premium (4h, 24/7)
Q21: How do I get a demo?
Contact us for:
- Personal demo
- Test access
- Technical conversation