New release of the platform , providing a self-sufficient solution for organizing collaboration among employees and teams developing various projects. At the same time underlying Nextcloud Hub is the cloud platform Nextcloud 19, which allows you to deploy cloud storage with support for synchronization and data sharing, enabling access to view and edit data from any device anywhere on the network (via a web interface or WebDAV). The Nextcloud server can be deployed on any hosting that supports executing PHP scripts and provides access to SQLite, MariaDB/MySQL, or PostgreSQL. The source code of Nextcloud is licensed under AGPL.
In terms of functionality, Nextcloud Hub resembles Google Docs and Microsoft 365 but allows you to deploy a fully controlled collaboration infrastructure that operates on your own servers and is not tied to external cloud services. Nextcloud Hub combines several addon applications over the Nextcloud cloud platform, enabling collaboration on office documents, files, and information for task and event planning. The platform also includes add-ons for accessing email, messaging, organizing video conferences, and chats.
User authentication can both via the local database and through integration with LDAP / Active Directory, Kerberos, IMAP, and Shibboleth / SAML 2.0, including the use of two-factor authentication, SSO (Single Sign-On), and linking new systems to accounts via QR codes. Version control of changes allows for tracking modifications to files, comments, sharing rules, and tags.
The main components of the Nextcloud Hub platform:
- — organization of storage, synchronization, collaboration, and file sharing. Access can be achieved both through the Web and using client software for desktop and mobile systems. Advanced features include full-text search, file attachment in comments, selective access control, and the creation of password-protected links for downloads. with external storage (FTP, CIFS/SMB, SharePoint, NFS, Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.).
- — optimizes business processes through automation of routine tasks, such as converting documents to PDF, sending messages in chats when new files are uploaded to specific directories, and automatically assigning tags. Custom handlers can be created to execute actions tied to specific events.
- for collaborative editing of documents, spreadsheets, and presentations based on the , supporting Microsoft Office formats. Full integration of ONLYOFFICE with the other components of the platform is ensured, so multiple users can edit a single document simultaneously while discussing changes in a video chat and leaving notes.
- Photos — an image gallery that simplifies searching, sharing, and navigating through a collaborative collection of photos and images.
Supports ranking of photos by time, location, tags, and viewing frequency. - — a scheduling calendar that allows you to coordinate meetings, plan chats, and video conferences. Integration is provided with group work tools based on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Outlook, and Thunderbird. Events can be imported from external resources that support the WebCal protocol.
- — a shared address book and web interface for managing email. Multiple accounts can be linked to a single inbox. Email encryption and digital signatures based on OpenPGP are supported. Address book synchronization is possible via CalDAV.
- — a messaging system and web conference tool (chat, audio, and video). It supports groups, allows screen sharing, and supports SIP gateways for integration with traditional telephony.
In preparing the new release, the focus was on functionality that simplifies remote work for employees at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key innovations in Nextcloud Hub 19:
- Support for passwordless authentication using hardware tokens that support U2F/FIDO2 or biometric authentication, such as fingerprint recognition (implemented via API ).
- Administrators are given the ability to set additional user account restrictions, including limiting password reuse, automatic logout after inactivity, automatic locking after a certain number of unsuccessful login attempts, and setting a password expiration time.
- In the messaging and audio/video conferencing system Talk collaborative document editing capabilities, allowing changes to be made to a document, spreadsheet, or presentation during a video conference or chat. To start collaborative editing, just drag the document into the chat or conference window. Editing and uploading documents are also available to participants with guest accounts. Collaborative editing is based on the package .
- A new participant grid view mode has been proposed, where all participants are allocated equal portions of the screen (in the standard mode, most of the screen is dedicated to the active participant, with others displayed in a lower row of thumbnails).
- A new type of chats has been added for informal communication during breaks, positioned as a kind of virtual smoking area where you can relax during breaks, joke, and chat with colleagues on topics unrelated to work.
- Automatic adjustment of the video call quality level is implemented in response to changes in internet connection bandwidth. A new high-performance for Talk has been introduced, suitable for hosting video conferences with 10-50 participants on standard equipment.
- a new version of the Talk mobile app for iOS and Android, featuring a revamped interface, the ability to send invitations, and support for sending messages while offline.
- Changes have been made to simplify information search and group existing data. For example, users can attach tags and comments to files, add descriptions to directories, and even create lists with plans. The interface allows tracking of recently opened or edited files.
- Significant performance optimizations have been made. The reading speed from external SFTP storage has increased by up to 5 times,
file scanning speed has been accelerated by 2.5 times, and thumbnail generation is now 25-50% faster. The ability to apply the "fseek" call to files in Amazon S3 and OpenStack Swift storage has been added (for example, you can start video playback without preloading the file). The block size in NFS has been increased. For SMB shares, ACL support has been improved, and automatic hiding of directories without user access rights has been ensured.
Integration with the project management scheduling app has been provided in the calendar-scheduler and address book. - Deck The ability to create guest accounts has been added, and management of these accounts can be delegated to group administrators by linking the group to the guest account during its creation.
- A new release of the platform has emerged,
Source: opennet.ru
