Technology & Cybersecurity | 12 November 2026
France's Ministry of National Education is expanding its use of Nextcloud, a German-developed open-source cloud platform, as part of efforts to strengthen digital sovereignty and reduce dependence on American technology providers.
The ministry's platform, known as Nuage, is designed to serve approximately 1.2 million teachers and administrative staff. Nextcloud reported 337,000 daily users in May 2026, with subsequent reporting indicating approximately 400,000 active accounts.
The service operates from two French government-owned data centres, providing employees with 100 GB of cloud storage each. It supports file synchronisation, sharing and collaborative document editing while keeping the infrastructure under French government control.
Nextcloud is an open-source alternative to services such as Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive. It allows users to store, access and synchronise files across computers and mobile devices, alongside additional features including calendars, contacts and online document editing.
Unlike conventional cloud services, however, Nextcloud supplies the software rather than the hosting infrastructure. Users need access to a server running Nextcloud, either through a cloud hosting provider or by operating their own server.
The software itself is free, and several European providers offer free hosted accounts with limited storage. Others, including Germany's IONOS, provide paid managed Nextcloud hosting, removing the need for customers to maintain their own infrastructure.
Choosing a European hosting provider can help individuals and organisations retain greater control over their information, although data protection also depends on the provider's location, security arrangements and contractual obligations.
France's deployment forms part of a wider European effort to reduce reliance on foreign technology suppliers. Open-source platforms offer governments greater control over their infrastructure and reduce dependence on individual software vendors.
Although Microsoft products remain in use elsewhere within the ministry, the expansion of Nuage demonstrates how European-developed software can support hundreds of thousands of public-sector employees while strengthening national control over digital services.
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