Six of the open source vendors behind #openDesk, including Element, have formed Open Productivity: a joint venture bringing the sovereign digital workplace to businesses and critical infrastructure operators.

We provide openDesk's secure, real-time comms, built on #Matrix. Each organisation can run its own server and keep control of its data, while still talking securely to suppliers, regulators and partners.

https://element.io/blog/vendors-behind-opendesk-join-forces-as-open-productivity/

#OpenSource #DigitalSovereignty

Germany's sovereign office suite, openDesk from ZenDiS, now deploys Element Server Suite (ESS) under its own branding.

What that means for openDesk operators:

🔒 Hardened images
🧭 Upstream ESS, so faster features and fixes
🔑 Next-generation auth, with openDesk's Nubus-based IdP

We're with ZenDiS on the openDesk stand at Smart Country Convention in Berlin this week (13-15 October). Come and say hello!

https://element.io/blog/opendesk-now-runs-element-server-suite-direct-from-upstream/

Our integration team has been hard at work making composite sovereign suites feel like one workplace.

So far they've delivered:

📂 Nextcloud file integration
🔒 Authenticated previews of private documents
👀 PDF and Markdown previews next to the chat timeline

Next up: https://element.io/blog/smoother-collaboration-with-integrations/

Putting services online is not difficult. The real challenge is to keep them healthy, up to date, and resilient, and this is more than just a tech problem. We thought about the best way we can offer support, and that goes through streamlined deployments.

The good news is that tech foundations already existed. We only had to package our experience in a helm chart.

Putting it online is the easy bit, and we’re here to support the rest.

https://element.io/blog/putting-it-online-is-the-easy-bit/

A wonderfully detailed write-up of French local authorities' push to replace WhatsApp with Matrix from Bill Goodwin at ComputerWeekly.com, who spoke directly with @adullact 's @matthieufaure about the current status of the project and what the future holds.

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366651220/French-local-authorities-to-replace-WhatsApp-with-sovereign-encrypted-messaging

@arawa, @adullact, and Element partner to provide interoperable, sovereign and secure communications for local govt in France, with talks underway to connect to Tchap.

Thanks to Matrix, they can work independently and know they can easily federate when they are ready.

https://element.io/blog/element-partners-with-arawa-to-bring-sovereign-open-standard-federated-communications-to-french-local-authorities/

We're thrilled to be the anchor sponsor this year again at The Matrix Conference and to sponsor the public sector track.

There is an amazing line-up once more, including:

🇪🇺 European Commission
🌐 UNICC, the United Nations International Computing Centre
🇫🇷 DINUM
🇸🇪 Sweden's Social Insurance Agency
🇸🇪 Sweden's government agencies collaboration programme
🇩🇪 FITKO, Germany’s central Federal IT Cooperation agency
🇱🇺 Luxchat, Luxembourg's national Matrix deployment

https://element.io/blog/making-sovereignty-standard-for-european-governments/

EU Cyber Resilience Act: Article 14 takes effect on 11 Sept. Manufacturers of products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities and severe incidents to CSIRTs and ENISA within set timeframes.

Here’s what it means for Element and our users.

https://element.io/blog/cyber-resilience-act-what-changes-this-week-and-how-element-is-preparing/

Les collectivités maîtrisent-elles vraiment leurs outils de messagerie ?

Pour répondre aux enjeux de sécurité, de confidentialité et de souveraineté numérique, l'ADULLACT, Déclic et Element portent le projet Matrix : une messagerie instantanée fédérée, sécurisée et opérée par les territoires.

Découvrez le projet 👇
https://adullact.org/breves/82-actualite/l-info-des-collectivites/1384-matrix-pour-les-collectivites-vers-une-messagerie-instantanee-souveraine-et-federee

#Matrix #LogicielLibre #SouverainetéNumérique #collectivites

Sections just landed in Element 🎉

Under the hood they’re Matrix tags as defined in the spec, but with a shiny drag-and-drop UI. It’s what Favourites and Low Priority already used.

Now you can group rooms: create a section, add rooms into it, collapse what you don't need, and get unread indicators per section.

https://element.io/blog/organise-your-chats-your-way-with-sections/

We're interoperable, so you can be sovereign.

Digitally sovereign communications require open standards and interoperability: the freedom to pick and mix backend components, and the ability for separate deployments to federate and communicate on your terms.

That's why we build on Matrix - the decentralised open standard no single vendor can own, control or shut down.

https://element.io/blog/were-interoperable-so-you-can-be-sovereign/

🇩🇪 The federal government and all 16 Länder have confirmed that ZaPuK - led by @FITKOfoederal and built on @matrix - will be a cornerstone of Germany's Deutschland-Stack.

By adopting Matrix, Germany’s federal government and 16 states will operate from an open standard that supports a competitive ecosystem of providers to drive innovation and efficiency based on interoperable open source software.

https://element.io/blog/matrix-based-zapuk-confirmed-as-a-core-component-within-germanys-deutschland-stack/

Proud to be recognised as a Digital Public Good by the UN-endorsed @dpgalliance

Element - and by extension @matrix the decentralised open standard it's built on - has been designated as a DPG because we deliver genuine digital sovereignty and no vendor lock-in.

Our foundational Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) components, and our Element Server Suite Community distribution provides a complete open source stack as a free, unencumbered public tool.

https://element.io/blog/element-recognised-as-a-digital-public-good/

We're pleased that Element (and @matrix by extension, the open standard it's built on) has been recognised as a true digital public good by @dpgalliance. A huge thanks for the validation and certification 🙏

The DPG Standard verifies that open source projects respect privacy, do no harm, and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We hope this encourages more governments to support and invest in the technology they depend on.

https://www.digitalpublicgoods.net/r/element

The City of Zurich, together with Bern University of Applied Sciences, has published an independent evaluation of openDesk as an alternative to Microsoft 365.

Element is the real time messaging component within openDesk. The report concluded that it 'meet the expectations for chat solutions in modern organisations… offering a great deal of flexibility and security options.'

Read the report: https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/de/aktuell/medienmitteilungen/2026/05/digitale-souveraenitaet-alternative-microsoft-365.html

"The trend is increasingly towards open standards that allow switching between different providers. Unlike proprietary platforms, communication capability is not tied to a single manufacturer."

"Different providers can communicate with each other as long as they support the same standard. Federation thus occurs not via central platforms but through a network of independent systems," writes @Mimykri in @heiseonline.

https://www.heise.de/en/news/Matrix-Messenger-Rocket-Chat-Swedish-authorities-communicate-interoperably-11316951.html

Our map shows how European governments are already making the switch to Matrix-based communications: https://element.io/blog/digital-sovereignty-is-built-on-an-open-standard-that-enables-federation/

The European Technological Sovereignty Package is a major milestone 🇪🇺

The EU Open Source Strategy is a key part of ensuring sovereignty, and highlights the need for improved public procurement of open source solutions.

Great to see the @matrix open standard highlighted for vendor-agnostic, sovereign communications and its use by the @EUCommission. Open standards deliver sovereignty by protecting against vendor lock-in.

https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/eu-tech-sovereignty

Sweden's public sector just went live with Matrix-based federation!

Försäkringskassan (using Element branded as SAFOS Chatt) and Trafikverket (Rocket.Chat) are now communicating in real time - two separate agencies, two different vendors, one seamless conversation.

Led by eSamverkansprogrammet (eSam) across 40+ member agencies, with plans to expand and formally recommend @matrix as the common standard for secure, interoperable communication across Sweden's authorities.

https://element.io/blog/sweden-goes-live-with-matrix-based-federation/

Sweden’s Försäkringskassan and Trafikverket use the @matrix open standard to federate with each other, even though they use products from different vendors. 😍

Vendor-agnostic federation FTW!

https://www.esamverka.se/aktuellt/nyheter/nyheter/2026-05-22-federation-i-praktiken---nu-kopplas-myndigheters-chattar-ihop.html