We can hardly believe it ourselves, but in October 2020 we announced the founding of ViOffice, which grew out of an idea we had one evening in our student flat share back then. For half a decade now, we have been supporting companies, associations, and private individuals on their journey toward a modern and secure way of working. We have reason to celebrate not only because of the valuable experience we have gained over the past few years, but also because of what lies ahead. We have some exciting news to share!
The Past 5 Years – Thank You!
The idea for ViOffice was born during the first coronavirus lockdown in April 2020 as a small project based entirely on open source software. ViOffice was intended to be the antithesis of the big tech giants and their handling of sensitive data, privacy, and monopolistic positions, which we had been critically discussing long before our company was founded. Our vision was to provide a secure alternative based on the fundamental principles of transparency, data protection, privacy, and social equality. We are proud that we have adhered to these principles to this day and will continue to do so in the future.
Various projects, direct contact with our customers and partners, local press inquiries, exchanges within the global free software community, and personal conversations with friends: all of these are valuable experiences for us, which we look back on with great joy. We would like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt “thank you.” Thank you for your interest, support, trust, and constructive criticism!
Here you will find the articles on anniversaries and updates from our now nearly 80 blog articles:
- A New Start
- 1 Year of ViOffice!
- Faster, Higher, Further, Smarter: ViOffice Cloud Update
- 2 Years of ViOffice!
Here’s What’s Next!
1. Social Media in Younger Hands
First and foremost, we would like to officially announce that our intern has been supporting us in our work for several weeks now. Ibrahim will be mainly responsible for our social media marketing over the next few months, bringing with him a wealth of energy and fresh ideas. A public “thank you” to you too, Ibrahim, for your great work and enthusiasm so far.
2. Our New Website
ViOffice shines in new splendor – more modern, more intuitive, better. The new website has been revamped not only visually, but also in terms of content. The first few years were partly experimental. Although we mainly used our cloud system from the outset, we tested other digital services in the context of free, open source software. Today, we have a clearer focus: ViOffice offers comprehensive cloud solutions based on Nextcloud Hub and the Collabora Office suite, either together in a package or individually. In this sense, we have also returned to our roots. We now highlight this even more clearly on our website.
3. Further Development of the Cloud
Our cloud has undergone numerous developments in recent years, both technically and visually and functionally. In the early days, we experimented with various solutions for chat and video conferencing, such as Rocket.Chat, XMPP, and Jitsi. Today, we rely entirely on Nextcloud Talk in combination with the high-performance backend running on our own infrastructure, which enables seamless integration and stable video conferencing with over 25 participants.
Collaborative document editing has also been continuously improved: While we initially worked with LibreOffice Online, our partnership with Collabora Online now allows us to offer a much smoother and more intuitive experience.
In addition, the design of our cloud has visibly evolved. In the past, we had to dig deep into the Nextcloud core to make adjustments—today, the platform offers more options out of the box. Our users can now customize their dashboard and user interface to suit their own needs.
Final Words
We don't want to bore you with long-winded speeches. Once again, a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone. You will continue to hear from us, and we look forward to hearing from you!