How do you modernize digital collaboration in government without losing control of your data?
The Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism (BMWET) faced this challenge in 2024 and decided to take a clear and pragmatic step towards digital sovereignty. In just four months between proof of concept and implementation, the ministry deployed a secure Nextcloud environment, operated on Austria's own infrastructure and designed to meet strict transparency and compliance requirements.
Why the ministry decided to act
BMWET was faced with the challenge of modernizing its collaboration tools at a time when questions of data protection, compliance and technology dependency were becoming increasingly relevant.
A risk analysis showed that exclusive reliance on cloud services from non-European providers would introduce significant legal and security uncertainties. In particular as regards the protection of sensitive information under the GDPR and the forthcoming NIS Directive2.
„We have responsibility for a large amount of sensitive data - from employees, companies and citizens. As a public institution, we take this responsibility very seriously. That is why we consider it critical to rely on cloud solutions from corporations outside Europe to process this information,” says Florian Zinnagl, CISO of BMWET.
The Ministry decided to introduce Nextcloud into its own national infrastructure, strengthening security, data protection and independence while maintaining familiar workflows.
A hybrid setup that works in practice
At the time of the project, BMWET was already in the process of adopting Microsoft 365 and Teams. Reversing this direction was not realistic. Instead, the ministry implemented a hybrid architecture: Nextcloud handles internal collaboration and secure data management, while Teams remains available for external meetings.
In collaboration with Sendent, Nextcloud partner , integration with Outlook has ensured seamless email and calendar workflows, allowing employees to continue to work with familiar tools while ensuring that sensitive information remains within the Austrian infrastructure.
A fast and well-coordinated launch
From proof of concept to full implementation, the process took just a few months - unusually fast for a public sector ICT project. In close cooperation with Nextcloud and implementation partner Atos Austria, BMWET implemented the new platform for 1,200 employees.
„An extensive information campaign, clear communication, training sessions and a smooth transition ensured a high degree of acceptance and a smooth process,” says Martin Ollrom, IT Director of BMWET, Martin Ollrom, IT Director of BMWET. „By integrating with existing systems, we were able to significantly modernize our digital service portfolio and ultimately collaboration - without disrupting established employee workflows.”
Expertise and collaboration make the difference
Large public IT projects are complex. To ensure success, BMWET worked closely with Nextclouds experts at every stage - from initial assessment to full implementation. This partnership helped translate legal, technical and organizational requirements into a stable, compliant and easy-to-use configuration.
Because that's what we do at Nextcloud: we support public institutions in achieving long-term digital sovereignty with trust and the right expertise.
Meet organizations where they are based
The BMWET case shows that digital sovereignty is not an all-or-nothing change. Each organization starts from a different point, with its own tools, regulations and user expectations.
Nextcloud adapts to these conditions, integrating into existing infrastructures and evolving step by step. Whether hosted locally, managed by trusted partners or in hybrid form, we work with customers to find the balance of control, ease of use and compliance that meets their specific needs.
Article retrieved „Austria's Ministry of Economy takes decisive steps towards digital sovereignty” by Kim Pohlmann
