Businesses increasingly rely on the cloud. Thanks to it we can work much more efficiently and make sure we always have access to our data. And not only that, but it also greatly facilitates collaborative work and communication with other members of the working group. And, although we can find a large number of options of this type on the Internet, if we really want a safe, reliable and complete software, we must bet on the winning horse: ONLYOFFICE Workspace .
It is true that we can find a large number of collaborative work platforms on the web. One of the most used, especially in companies, is Google Workspace. However, when we turn to these types of tools to work, we find a rather big problem: privacy. Specifically the lack of it.
We should not leave our confidential company data in the hands of a company that is well known to control our data. Therefore, if we need a complete collaborative platform, focused on privacy, and that ensures maximum protection of data, security and privacy, we must choose one such as ONLIOFFICE Workspace.
Main features of this alternative to Google Workspace
ONLYOFFICE Workspace seeks to offer users the most comprehensive suite of collaborative tools possible. Therefore, it offers us a series of solutions on which we can carry out all our work.
First of all, we will meet Docs . This solution is, broadly speaking, an alternative to Google Suite or Office Online from which to carry out all kinds of office work. We will have an online word processor, software to make spreadsheets and a tool to create our own presentations.
ONLYOFFICE Docs will allow us to create all kinds of documents, both personal and professional, without problems. This office suite in the cloud is compatible with all types of formats, both typical of Office (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX) to open formats (ODT, ODS, ODP) as well as classic Office formats (DOC, XLS, PPT , etc). In addition, the compatibility it offers with OOXML formats is total.
In addition to creating our own documents, we will also be able to use Docs to edit any document that we have previously created, even if we have originally created it with a different program. We will also be able to edit, as co-authors, any document that you share with us, especially from the cloud.
We will also meet Groups . This is the tool par excellence to manage all the documentation, the projects that are underway or proposed, the entire contact agenda and the company’s emails.
Of course, each worker, or member of the work group, must have their own email. And this is where Mail Server comes in. This solution will allow us to create corporate mailboxes for each of the members and manage them in a very simple and complete way, without problems.
Lastly, we cannot forget about XMPP Server . Every company needs a messaging platform through which all members can stay in touch and communicate with each other. Instead of resorting to external platforms, thanks to the ONLYOFFICE Workspace suite we will also have this function.
Safety: the most important for collaborative work
Of course, when we talk about platforms for business use, it is very important to ensure that we have the maximum security and privacy possible. ONLYOFFICE has thought about it, and therefore offers an armored security for all the information that is handled within the suite. Some of these security features are:
- It allows to self-host the entire suite on our own server.
- Encrypt all traffic using HTTPS, whether we have an SSL certificate or not.
- Offers security tools and services to protect all data.
- It has AES-256 type Encrypt-then-MAC data encryption functions with symmetric CipherMode.CBC algorithm.
- It offers a complete access control system to choose who can enter and to which parties thanks to JSON Web Token.
- Supports external authentication services.
- Access rights to protect us from unauthorized access or data leaks through permission management.
It also complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (RGDP), as well as the Law on Transfer and Liability of Health Insurance (HIPAA).
Private rooms: the safest workplaces
One of the things that we are most concerned about when dealing with confidential documentation is privacy. It is necessary to avoid that nothing leaves the own network of the company to avoid that there is the smaller leak. For this reason, ONLYOFFICE offers us a feature designed mainly for these chaos: private rooms.
These rooms are fully protected workspaces in which every letter we enter is encrypted with AES-256, even while we edit documents at the same time with other colleagues. It is impossible for the slightest bug to leak out there.
This feature has a real end-to-end encryption, where all data is encrypted on the machine and sent already encrypted to the server. Even when we exchange data with other members of the workgroup, and edit documents in real time, everything is always encrypted and safe.
In addition, we are facing a totally open source suite. Anyone can review the source code to make sure there are no back doors or vulnerabilities.
Download and install ONLYOFFICE Workspace
Each company has its infrastructure set up in one way. Therefore, each one may have certain special needs. For this reason, ONLYOFFICE offers us a wide variety of options to install this suite: in the cloud, on-site, on Amazon servers, in Docker containers, etc. Installation in both Windows Server and Ubuntu Server is done through scripts, so starting ONLYOFFICE Workspace is a very simple and fast task. We can also download the Community Edition version to install it locally on our computer, both with Windows and Linux, and be able to use this tool.
The requirements that we will need to be able to use this suite are:
- Dual Core 2 GHz processor.
- 6 GB of RAM.
- 40 GB of hard disk space.
Obviously, these requirements will increase depending on the needs we have. For example, we will need additional space to save the data, and more processor or RAM the more users use this suite at the same time.
If we want to use this suite of corporate tools for free, we can download it from the ONLYOFFICE website. If you prefer the business version of the suite, for a fee, we can download a trial version of ONLYOFFICE Enterprise to test, before paying, if it really suits our needs.