Digital sovereignty in Europe is the result of strong international partnerships, not just national solo efforts. One example of this is our cooperation with the French Direction interministérielle du Numérique (DINUM).
Since early 2024, we've been working side by side to make open source even stronger in the public sector. One tangible result of our collaboration is the integration and further development of the French Docs application as Notes in openDesk.
In day-to-day administration, information emerges everywhere: in emails, chats, video conferences and, of course, in file storage. But where can all this knowledge be organised, collaboratively edited, and securely stored in the long term? This is precisely where the Notes app comes in, because it's more than just an editor. As an open source alternative to commercial solutions, it enables you to capture project plans, ideas, text snippets, meeting notes or even entire knowledge bases in a structured manner.
Designed to meet the public sector’s high standards for security and data protection, and featuring a clear interface, flexible text blocks, and versioned content that can be accessed offline, Notes becomes your central hub for collaborative knowledge.
The Notes application perfectly illustrates our European strategy. Instead of duplicating efforts, we're joining forces. From the outset, it was clear that we needed a shared solution for structured knowledge. With Docs, DINUM had already created a strong foundation that aligned with our vision. Rather than develop a parallel product, it made sense to focus our resources here and develop the software together for use in both of our countries. Recent improvements like the major overhaul of table features in version 1.5 are a direct outcome of this joint effort.
Notes is not an isolated tool, but an integral component that perfectly complements openDesk. It bridges the gap between fleeting communication in chats and the structured storage of documents. Imagine a typical workflow: a team develops an idea in openDesk Chat, discusses the details in a video conference, and then documents the project plan, task allocation, and final results in a shared note accessible to everyone. This combination of communication and documentation is what makes a truly productive and sovereign digital workplace.
The partnership between ZenDiS and DINUM, supported by officials such as German Federal CIO Markus Richter and his French counterpart Stéphanie Schaer, is more than a technical project. It sends a political message and serves as a model of European cooperation in action. Interest from other countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland proves that we're on the right track. With new joint goals, including single sign-on and AI-supported video conferencing tools, we continue to move forward together. We're not just building software, but laying the foundation for a digitally sovereign public sector across Europe.
The tightly integrated nature of traditional software suites often severely limits customisation. openDesk breaks away from this principle. Thanks to its modular architecture, it offers the critical flexibility and control that public sector administrations need to achieve digital sovereignty.
Best practicesWith version 1.8 of openDesk, our focus is on the continuous improvement of system stability, security, and the optimisation of existing features.
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