Nextcloud, Waffle Computer and NEC Platforms have teamed up to bring federated file exchange and collaboration to millions of new users in Japan.

The global network of hundreds of thousands of Nextcloud servers, capable of exchanging data with each other, will thus be extended by millions of new nodes over the course of several years.

Nextcloud Federation
Nextcloud, the open source file sync and collaborative service provider, offers easy-to-use web, desktop and mobile interfaces to sync files, share them with others and edit them on-the-go. The Nextcloud Federation feature enables users from one Nextcloud server to share with users on another server, creating a network of private, self-hosted clouds.

A federated cloud id, comparable to an email address, enables users to identify one another, while servers also exchange address book data when authorized to do so.

Shinji Nakayama, Chief Manager at the Access-Device Development Division at NEC Platforms, Ltd, said: “The ability to federate between routers and form a global network enables our users to collaborate with others while staying in control over their data.”

“I believe routers are a great platform to bring self-hosted clouds into the house of millions of users,” added Frank Karlitschek, founder and managing director of Nextcloud GmbH. “It can be as easy and normal to have your own data at home as it is to own a television or mobile phone.”

Nextcloud is used by companies like SIEMENS, institutes like the German Federal government, research organizations like the Max-Planck-institute, financial enterprises like Raiffeisen and many more. Its combined number of users is estimated to be over 25 million globally.