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ASE Sovereign Workplace: a European alternative to Microsoft 365
Put together your own workspace, with complete freedom and the option to cancel at any time on a monthly basis
The ASE Sovereign Workplace is a fully managed Nextcloud environment provided by a Dutch company, hosted within the European Union, with partners that have no US parent company and minimal CLOUD Act risk.
Your team works with emails, documents, meetings and notes every day. However, in most organisations, this still relies on systems provided by non-EU tech companies. Without you realising it, your company data is therefore subject to foreign legislation such as the US CLOUD Act.
This conflicts with the GDPR, with European regulations and, above all, with the principle that you should be the one to decide what happens to your data. The ASE Sovereign Workplace is the fully-fledged alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. It solves that problem. A single environment in which you can collaborate, communicate and document, without your data ever leaving the EU.
Hosted in Europe, managed from the Netherlands by MIT-certified experts and fully compliant with European laws and regulations. No dependencies, no uncertainty, no data ending up elsewhere. Simply work in an environment that is yours.
What is a sovereign workplace?
A sovereign workplace is a digital working environment for email, calendars, documents and video calls that is hosted entirely within Europe, falls under European law, and runs on an open-source foundation without vendor lock-in. Unlike Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, this allows you to decide for yourself where your data is stored and who has access to it under which legislation.
In practical terms, this means four things:
- EU hosting: your data does not leave the European Union.
- European law: no non-EU law can compel access.
- An open foundation: as the workspace runs on open standards, you take your data with you at any time, in open formats, and you are tied to no provider at all.
Want to go further? You can.
For organisations with specific requirements, we build the entire environment as code. This makes your workplace reproducible and portable: to our EU cloud, to a European cloud provider of your choice, or to your own data centre. This is a bespoke solution and falls outside the scope of the standard workplace. We’d be happy to discuss the options with you during an introductory meeting.
Why are organisations switching away from Microsoft 365?
More and more organisations are looking for an alternative to Microsoft 365, and this is rarely down to a single reason. It is usually a combination of legal concerns, rising costs and increasing compliance pressures. Below are the three reasons we hear most often.
1. The CLOUD Act and what it means for your data
The US CLOUD Act gives US authorities the power to demand data from US companies, regardless of where in the world that data is stored. This therefore also applies to data stored by Microsoft or Google in a European data centre. Even with an EU data region, the parent company remains US-based, and your data therefore remains subject to US law. For organisations handling sensitive or confidential information, this is a risk that is not always apparent, but which does exist. A sovereign workplace under European law eliminates that risk.
2. Cost control and licence dependency
As well as the legal aspects, there’s the financial side to consider. Licence fees for Microsoft 365 are rising steadily, and you’re locked into the tiers and bundles determined by the supplier. What’s more, proprietary file formats make it expensive and difficult to ever switch providers. An open workplace, on the other hand, gives you predictable costs and the freedom to make your own choices, without a price rise on the other side of the ocean dictating your budget.
3. GDPR, NIS2 and BIO: the pressure to comply is mounting
Finally, the regulatory burden is increasing. The GDPR sets out requirements regarding where and how personal data is processed, NIS2 raises the cybersecurity requirements for many organisations, and public authorities are also working under the BIO. Demonstrating that you are in control is therefore no longer a luxury but an obligation. A sovereign workplace makes this easier, as data location and applicable law are clear and verifiable.
YOUR COMPLETE COLLABORATION ENVIRONMENT WITHIN A SINGLE SECURE EUROPEAN WORKPLACE
What you get with the ASE Sovereign Workplace?
The ASE Sovereign Workplace is a fully managed Nextcloud environment, built on Nextcloud Business and supplemented with validated open-source components, ensuring your team has everything they’re used to. How the environment works technically, what each component costs and how migration and management are handled is explained on the Nextcloud hosting page.
Secure email, calendar and contacts
All your business communications in one place, organised and secure. Your inbox, calendar and contacts work together seamlessly, without separate systems or accounts. And more importantly: you know exactly where your data is stored.
Edit documents without Microsoft 365
You can create and edit files directly in your browser, collaborating with colleagues in real time. The ASE Sovereign Workplace is a fully-fledged alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for your day-to-day documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The files remain compatible with the formats you already use, but without licence arrangements or hidden dependencies.
Video conferencing: a European alternative to Teams, Zoom and Meet
Chat, make calls and hold video meetings all within the same workspace. You no longer need to open separate tools, and your conversations do not run via external infrastructure. Everything remains secure and within Europe.
Sovereign notes and knowledge sharing
You can record ideas, conversations and knowledge within your own environment. Synchronised across your devices and always available to your team, without information being scattered.
The workplace can be combined with the AI Workspace Assistant, the internal AI assistant that answers questions from your own documents and mail within the same sovereign environment. If you want to know whether your organisation is ready, the journey often starts with a GAP Assessment; for the migration from Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, our AI Consulting Services guide you step by step.
This is included as standard
- Your data is not used to train AI models. What you store remains yours. No training, no profiling, no access by third parties.
- Collaborating with external parties costs you nothing extra. Share folders and files with clients, suppliers or supply chain partners via a secure link with a password and expiry date. They do not need an account or licence.
- Works with the apps you already use. Synchronise your calendar and contacts with Outlook, Gmail, Apple Mail, Thunderbird and your phone. Your staff don’t need to change their habits.
- Shared team folders with role-based access. Departments only see what they’re authorised to see, with two-factor authentication in place.
- Everything under a single login. Email, calendar, files, chat, video and notes. No separate subscriptions that you have to manage and cancel individually.
Three guarantees for each of these components:
- 100% European data hosting, minimal CLOUD Act risk and fully GDPR-compliant.
- Managed by specialists based in the Netherlands with years of IT experience.
- Quadruple ISO-certified, WCAG 2.2 AA-compliant, BIO-compliant and NIS2-ready.
Sovereign workplace vs. Microsoft 365 vs. Google Workspace
The main differences lie in where your data is stored, which legislation it is subject to, and how easy it is to move it elsewhere.
What does the ASE Sovereign Workplace cost? From €6.67 per month (excl. VAT) for your own environment, including the first user and 50 GB; each additional user €1.82 per month. Worked example for 10 users: €23.05 per month for the base and €67.88 with all components switched on, compared with €121.30 for Microsoft 365 Business Standard and €136.00 for Google Workspace Business Standard. The price per component is on Nextcloud hosting.
| What Matters to You | ASE Sovereign Workplace | Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| Data Location | EU | EU region available, globally accessible |
| Applicable law | EU law | U.S. law applies via the CLOUD Act, even with EU hosting |
| GDPR-compliant | Yes, by design | Yes, with additional agreements and reservations |
| Open source | Yes, built on Nextcloud and Collabora | No, proprietary |
| Vendor lock-in | Open foundation, you can always leave | Dependent on licenses and formats |
| Contact for Questions | Direct access to your own expert | Via support and account management |
| Certification | Fourfold ISO, BIO, NIS2-ready, WCAG 2.2 AA | Own certifications, not always EU-specific |
| Price per user | From €6.67 per workplace/month; additional user from €1.82 | Microsoft 365 Business Standard €12.13 and Google Workspace Business Standard €13.60 |
| Notice period | Cancel Monthly | Typically a one-year contract |
How the pricing works: Your team shares a single secure base environment, for which you pay just once. As a result, each additional user costs from just €1.82 per month. You only share this base environment within your own organisation: each customer receives their own, fully isolated environment (their own tenant), with no resources shared with other customers.
Create your own personalised workspace
There’s no need to wait for a quote any longer. In the configurator, you can put together your own workspace in just a few minutes: the number of users, the storage and the components your team actually uses. You’ll see the cost straight away and can get started whenever you like.
Don’t pay for features that nobody uses
No expensive packages where you end up paying for tools your team never uses. You choose what’s included yourself.
Storage that you share with your team
You purchase storage space for the entire organisation rather than the same number of gigabytes per employee. The colleague who stores a lot of data and the colleague who only uses email do not both pay for the same package.
European and sovereign, from day one
Hosted in the EU, managed from the Netherlands, with minimal CLOUD Act risk.
Monthly cancellable
No annual contract and no small print. If you’re not happy with it, you can simply take your data with you.
Easy to scale up and down
New colleagues joining or a project coming to an end? You can adjust it yourself whenever necessary.
A European alternative to Teams, Zoom and Meet
Chatting, making calls and holding video conferences all take place within the same workspace, fully integrated into the environment. You no longer need to open separate tools, and your conversations do not go via external infrastructure. Everything remains secure and within the EU.
Schemes that you don’t need to arrange separately
You can create process diagrams, network diagrams and organisation charts in the same environment as your documents and notes. No separate tool, no additional licence required. You open existing Visio drawings (.vsdx) and edit them straight away. Your infrastructure diagrams also remain within the EU.
What costs extra with Microsoft 365, and what it costs at ASE
Microsoft sells several components separately from the bundle, per user per month and on an annual contract. At ASE they are part of the workplace, or you pay one amount per organisation. The comparison, with source and reference date:
| Component | Microsoft 365 | ASE Sovereign Workplace |
|---|---|---|
| Diagrams and flowcharts, including existing Visio drawings (.vsdx) | Visio Plan 1: €4.30 per user per month. Plan 2 with desktop app: €13.00. Only the light web version is included in the bundle. | Included, for all users |
| Chat, calls and video meetings | Sold separately in the EU: Teams Essentials €3.50 per user per month. Business Basic costs €4.67 without and €6.07 with Teams. | Nextcloud Talk included. Video back-end for large meetings: €6.67 per organisation per month, not per user. |
| Word, Excel and PowerPoint | Web versions in Business Basic (€6.07). Desktop apps via Apps for Business: €11.00 per user per month. | Collabora Office in the browser: €1.83 per user per month, only for those who use it. |
| Contract | Annual payment, renewed automatically. | Cancel monthly. |
Example: 25 employees who create diagrams pay Microsoft €107.50 per month extra for Visio Plan 1. At ASE that is €0.
Microsoft prices: Dutch list prices excluding VAT with annual payment, microsoft.com/nl-nl, reference date 22 September 2026. ASE prices excluding VAT. Product names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
Sovereign Workplace for Government
For the government, a sovereign workplace is not a luxury, but a logical step. Citizens’ data and sensitive files should not be subject to foreign legislation, and the supervisory authorities expect you to demonstrate that you have this properly in place. The ASE Sovereign Workplace therefore meets the requirements set by the public sector.
The environment is BIO-compliant and fully GDPR-compliant, and is managed as standard within the EU under European law; for organisations with specific requirements, it runs in a data centre of your choice or in your own data centre.
Furthermore, an open, sovereign workplace fits in with the ‘Common Ground’ philosophy, whereby public authorities separate data from functionality and are not tied to a single supplier. Integrations with existing services, such as a DigiD context for citizen-focused processes, also fit within this approach. This enables you, as a local authority, implementing organisation or healthcare institution, to operate in a demonstrably secure manner, without compromising on ease of use for your staff.
The environment is BIO-compliant and fully GDPR-compliant, and is managed as standard within the EU under European law; for organisations with specific requirements, it runs in a data centre of your choice or in your own data centre.
Furthermore, an open, sovereign workplace fits in with the ‘Common Ground’ philosophy, whereby public authorities separate data from functionality and are not tied to a single supplier. Integrations with existing services, such as a DigiD context for citizen-focused processes, also fit within this approach. This enables you, as a local authority, implementing organisation or healthcare institution, to operate in a demonstrably secure manner, without compromising on ease of use for your staff.
How to switch
How to switch to the ASE Sovereign Workplace
You might be thinking: my whole organisation runs on Outlook and Teams, a migration would take months, my staff will complain, and what if the switch goes wrong? We understand those concerns. That’s precisely why we take the entire switch off your hands and leave nothing to chance.
Getting to know you and assessing your needs
You might be thinking: my whole organisation runs on Outlook and Teams, a migration would take months, my staff will complain, and what if the switch goes wrong? We understand those concerns. That’s precisely why we take the entire switch off your hands and leave nothing to chance.
Getting to know you and assessing your needs
We start with a free 30-minute consultation to assess how your organisation currently operates. Which tools do you use, how many people work with them, and what data do you want to transfer? You’ll gain immediate insight into what the switch entails, with no obligations.
Set-up and migration
We migrate your email, documents, calendars and contacts in a controlled manner, and we run your old and new environments side by side for a while. This way, your team can carry on working as normal, nothing is lost, and you’ll only notice the transition once everything is running smoothly.
Training and getting used to the new system
Your staff aren’t left to their own devices. With short, practical training sessions, they’ll quickly become familiar with the new workspace, in an environment that feels just like what they’re used to. This way, the switch isn’t a hurdle, but a smooth transition.
Training and getting used to the new system
Your staff aren’t left to their own devices. With short, practical training sessions, they’ll quickly become familiar with the new workspace, in an environment that feels just like what they’re used to. This way, the switch isn’t a hurdle, but a smooth transition.
Get started and stay supported
Your team logs in and gets straight to work in a familiar environment. You’re in direct contact with your dedicated point of contact, with no middlemen. If anything comes up, we sort it out straight away. What if, against all odds, you’re not satisfied? Thanks to the open architecture, you’re not tied to anything and you can always take your data with you. So you run absolutely no risk.
DOWNLOAD OUR ONE-PAGER FOR THE ASE SOVEREIGN WORKPLACE HERE
In short
The problem: Your email, documents and meetings run on systems that fall under US law, and you pay for every licence increase with no alternative.
The result: With the ASE Sovereign Workplace you log in to one environment where everything is kept, within the EU and under European law, with a price per organisation instead of per user, cancellable monthly.
The first step: Build your workplace in the configurator, or book a free 30 minute call.
Not sure yet where your organisation stands?
Take the free Sovereign AI Readiness Assessment. In 5 to 10 minutes you see your score across six domains and your three priorities, with a management report as a PDF in your inbox. Free, no account needed.
Prefer to go straight to the route for your organisation? See what this means for municipalities and government or SMEs and corporates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I configure the workplace myself without having to speak to someone first?
Yes. With the configurator, you can build your own workplace by selecting the number of users, storage, and the components you need. You’ll see the cost immediately and can get started whenever it suits you.
Would you prefer guidance with migrating your existing mailboxes and documents? Then we can schedule a free 30-minute consultation.
What does the ASE Sovereign Workplace cost?
The workplace costs from €6.67 per month excl. VAT for your own environment, including the first user and 50 GB of storage. You share that base with your whole team and pay for it only once; each additional user costs €1.82 per month. The final price depends on the number of users, the shared storage and the components you choose; the configurator shows the amount straight away, with no quotation process. By comparison: Microsoft 365 Business Standard costs €12.13 and Google Workspace Business Standard €13.60 per user per month, Dutch list prices excl. VAT on an annual contract, as at September 2026.
Can I migrate my existing email and documents?
Yes, we’ll make sure everything is migrated. The migration is carried out in a controlled manner so that you don’t lose anything and can continue working without interruption.
Do my current file formats still work?
Yes. You can continue working with the file formats you’re used to. Your files remain editable and compatible, so you don’t have to rebuild anything.
What is the ASE Sovereign Workplace?
A fully managed, full-featured alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace: an environment for email, collaboration, meetings, and document management. Built on an open foundation, hosted in the EU, and managed from the Netherlands.
Which devices can I use to work?
You work in your browser, without heavy installations. Documents, calendars, and notes are synchronized across your devices, so you have the same overview at the office, at home, and on the go.
Can I work on a document simultaneously with my colleagues?
Yes. You can create and edit files together in real time in your browser. Everyone sees the same version, without emailing separate copies back and forth.
How about email, chat, calls, and video conferencing?
It all happens within the same workplace, as a sovereign alternative to Teams, Zoom, and Meet. Your conversations do not run through external infrastructure but remain secure and within Europe.
Can we connect the workplace to our identity provider, such as Active Directory?
We connect role-based access to your existing login, and you sign in with multi-factor authentication. For specific integrations with Active Directory or LDAP, we assess the available options during implementation.
Does my data stay within Europe, and what if I want to switch later?
Your data stays 100% within the EU and is governed by EU law, with no dependence on non-EU providers. This keeps the risk of access under the U.S. CLOUD Act as low as possible. And you’re never locked in: the environment is built on an open foundation with no vendor lock-in, you retain ownership of your data, and you can export it in common open formats whenever you want.
How long does a migration take, and can I continue working during the process?
The migration timeline depends on the size of your organization, but your team can continue working as usual. We run the old and new environments in parallel, so there’s no downtime or disruption to your work.
Do my employees have to learn everything from scratch?
No. The workplace feels familiar, and with short training sessions, your employees can get up to speed quickly. We support the transition so that no one feels like they are starting from scratch.
What if we’re not happy with the switch?
Then you move back just as easily as you came. The workplace can be cancelled monthly, effective at the end of the paid period. Your data is stored in open formats (docx, xlsx, pptx, pdf, iCal and vCard) and you retrieve everything in full at any time, including your folder structure. If you want to return to your previous environment, we help you in the same way as with the move to us. Your environment stays fully available until the end date; after that we delete the environment and your data permanently, as laid down in the data processing agreement.
Can I scale up or down later?
Yes. You can adjust the number of users and storage yourself whenever needed. If your team grows, you can scale up. When a project ends, you can scale back down.
Can we run the workplace in our own data center?
Yes, you can. Because we build the environment as code, it can be moved to our EU cloud, a European cloud provider of your choice, or your own data center. This is a custom solution and falls outside the standard workplace offering. During an initial consultation, we’ll assess what’s needed for your specific situation.
Is the ASE Sovereign Workplace a managed Nextcloud environment?
Yes. The Sovereign Workplace is a fully managed Nextcloud environment. We take care of hosting, updates, security and support. You use Nextcloud, Collabora and Talk without managing anything yourself. Our infrastructure is set up for disaster recovery; you make your own backup of your data with the export function, or ask us about the options. The technology, the price per component and the management are described on the Nextcloud hosting page.
Where is my data stored?
Your data is stored within the European Union, with a European hosting partner, and is subject to the GDPR. By default we work with European partners without a US parent company, keeping the risk of access under the U.S. CLOUD Act as low as possible.
How much does a Sovereign Workplace cost per user?
The base environment costs €6.67 per month (excl. VAT), including the first user and 50 GB of storage. You share it with your whole team, so each additional user costs only €1.82 per month. Ten users cost €23.05 per month for the base, which works out at about €2.31 per user. By comparison: Microsoft 365 Business Standard costs €12.13 and Google Workspace Business Standard €13.60 per user per month, Dutch list prices on an annual contract, as at September 2026. The price per component is on Nextcloud hosting.
Can I migrate from Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or Dropbox?
Yes, migration is an option. We can transfer your files, calendars, email, and permissions, with a clear exit agreement so you’re never locked in.
Ready to bring your workplace back to Europe?
Build your environment yourself and get started today, or let us first take a look at your migration. Either way works.
About the Authors
Alain van Zwol
Founder of ASE Cloud Services
Alain van Zwol is the founder of ASE Cloud Services and works daily on European, GDPR-compliant cloud and AI solutions. Through ASE, he guides organisations in their transition to a sovereign workplace free from dependence on US tech giants. You can read more about Alain and the team on the about-us.
Sebastiaan Hoogeveen
Co-founder of ASE Cloud Services
Sebastiaan Hoogeveen is co-founder of ASE Cloud Services and combines his background as a mechanical engineer with advanced expertise in AI engineering. His experience with C++ during his studies provides a strong technical foundation for his work as an AI engineer. Calm, precise, and composed, he likes to keep an overview. As a team player and connector, he translates complex technology into practical AI solutions. Learn more about Sebastiaan and the team on the About Us page.