OX App Suite by Open-Xchange
German-made tools for collaboration The German Open-Xchange AG provides a cloud-based office solution with the OX App Suite that is on par with Microsoft’s and Google’s offerings. What functions does the software have?
The Open-Xchange app suite
The OX App Suite, like the two other well-known software-as-a-service options Microsoft 365 from Microsoft and G Suite from Google, consists of different tools that streamline daily office tasks, including word processing, alternatives to Outlook, and cloud storage.
The dashboard of the OX App Suite, however, gives it an edge over the competition. Users can view a summary of the most crucial information, such as new emails, forthcoming appointments, ongoing activities, and critical files, across all individual programmes. Widgets make it simple and easy to customise this gateway. Therefore, each user may choose where to put crucial information and hide everything they don’t immediately need.
OX Mail
An email software is included in the app suite: Users may quickly and conveniently receive, send, and organise messages using the email programme. The ability to handle many user accounts through a single interface is a major benefit. Emails can be categorised into several folders or marked as important by users. When working with complex mailboxes, a comprehensive search tool provides further assistance.
Unlike Gmail, for instance, OX Mail does not come with a built-in mail server. Instead, customers or businesses can choose to integrate their current mail accounts.
Mobile access to Open-Xchange email is also accessible. Although the mobile apps are available for iOS and Android, the online interface works well even on small devices, so you may also use other programmes.
OX Contacts
An effective address book is necessary for an email programme to run. The app suite provides OX Contacts for email sending and other application scenarios. Users of the software can add, edit, and manage contacts. You may also share your connections with other people and organise your contacts by topic. The most crucial addresses are constantly accessible on any device thanks to the synchronisation mechanism. Users can immediately transfer information from appropriate sources to the address book to make adding new entries as simple as feasible.
OX Calendar
Calendars for scheduling appointments are offered by the OX Calendar suite. You can manage multiple calendars at once using the Scheduler. For instance, you can manage personal appointments through the same interface as professional appointments to which your coworkers have access. The software makes it simple to schedule meetings and send invitations to attendees.
OX Drive
OX Drive provides Open-Xchange software users with an easy-to-use cloud storage solution. Users can easily transfer files and folders to storage. From here you can move and structure the files just like on the local hard disk. You can share individual files or entire folders so you can collaborate with colleagues and business partners. Other users are able to access the data and view it, download it, and also modify it.
OX Documents
Open-Xchange provides three distinct, standalone programmes for papers that are comparable to those offered by other providers. First, OX Text makes it possible to write and format letters and other texts. Like PowerPoint, OX Presentation makes presentations that are visually appealing. A spreadsheet tool called OX Spreadsheet has all the features required to do calculations and build tables.
Users have access to a variety of formats. You may quickly open and edit files from Microsoft Office, for instance, if you receive them. OX Documents also provides the option for collaboration because the OX App Suite is a collaboration tool. You can collaborate on the material by sharing the papers with other users.
Advantages and disadvantages of the OX App Suite
The Open-Xchange package provides a nearly identical set of features as other collaborative tools. The software’s open design, which is based on the project’s open source philosophy, offers more benefits, though. The OX App Suite has been developed by a number of programmers, some of whom also worked on the original OpenOffice project.
The open design of OX Documents is perhaps what users notice the most. This software lacks a proprietary file format, unlike other vendors. Users may instead quickly open and modify documents created using Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, and LibreOffice without affecting their formatting. Nevertheless, it is feasible to collaborate on a document with others without requiring them to use OX Documents.
Data protection is another benefit that has a tangential connection to the open source community. Google and Microsoft have frequently come under fire for failing to adequately protect the data of their consumers. On the other side, the OX App Suite is made to adhere to GDPR. Users are aware that they are utilising a solution that complies with data protection laws if they access the application package from a German hosting company.
With the cloud-based method, there are several benefits. The suite is not meant to be set up on a personal computer. Always select a solution that is pre-installed on a server for users with less technical expertise. Setting up the entire local network can be highly time-consuming, even for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), therefore it’s advisable to rely on a hosting provider to do the job. Larger companies can also make OX App Suite available to their employees with their own data center.
Who is the OX Suite suitable for?
The OX App Suite, like other Microsoft Office substitutes, is intended for businesses of all kinds. Anyone can utilise the app suite, from little businesses to enormous international conglomerates. If you wish to shift corporate data to the cloud, the software package’s features are especially helpful. On the one hand, you may effortlessly collaborate with others while on the other hand, you can access files and information from any location. You may simply exchange files with other users because documents, address books, and other data are kept on the cloud.
This user group benefits from the software-as-a-service feature as well: It indicates that you won’t need to install the programme, configure each employee’s PC or laptop, or perform routine maintenance on it. Any device with an up-to-date browser and a reliable internet connection will do. You don’t need to install anything if an employee obtains a new device because all data is immediately accessible thanks to cloud storage. This reduces waste and costs.
