next.Hessenbox for a modern sync & share service
New solution for synchronising and sharing files from 15th February 2025
2024/11/07
The Hessenbox DA will be replaced by the new next.Hessenbox at the beginning of 2025. With this changeover, the Hessian universities are taking a significant step together towards a modern and expanded offering for the universities in the state.
Why a new Hessenbox?
The current Hessenbox DA fulfils basic requirements, but the technology is now outdated and has reached its limits in terms of current requirements and user expectations. In recent years, many users have expressed a desire for new, improved functions that could not be implemented on the previous platform. The new next.Hessenbox takes these wishes into account and creates a future-proof solution with extended functionalities and a modern user interface. The introduction of next.Hessenbox thus marks an important milestone in the HDPH project H^3 and is a further step towards a modern, networked IT infrastructure for Hessian universities.
What does next.Hessenbox offer?
The next.Hessenbox is based on the open source software NextCloud and comes with a range of new functions and improvements that facilitate both exchange and collaboration. These include:
- Sharing of subfolders
A frequently requested function that is now available. - Up-to-date clients for all common operating systems
Users can access constantly updated applications for different systems. - Improved integration into the file manager under MacOS
Usage is much easier and more intuitive for macOS users.
It will still be possible to create and edit documents in the web browser at the same time.
As before, all TU Darmstadt employees will have access to 100 GB and students to 30 GB of storage space.
What does this mean for you?
The next.Hessenbox will be introduced in parallel with the existing Hessenbox DA:
- From 15th February 2025, both systems will be operated alongside each other for a transitional period of five months.
- On the 30th of June 2025, the Hessenbox DA will be switched off and thus finally converted to the next.Hessenbox.
What does the migration look like?
Authorisations: Existing authorisations in the Hessenbox DA are not automatically transferred to the next.Hessenbox so that legacy authorisations can be avoided and only the currently required authorisations can be set up in the new system.
Data: A concept is currently being developed for data migration, which we will inform you about as soon as possible.
We look forward to informing you about all further developments and news about next.Hessenbox!
A federated service for Hesse
The next.Hessenbox is operated by the University of Kassel as a federated service and is available to several universities in Hesse as part of a cooperation agreement. This is a key step in the implementation of the “together first” strategy, in which universities and colleges in Hessen pool their resources and expertise to offer joint IT services.
The aim is no longer to operate the same services at several locations in parallel, but to increase efficiency and quality through joint, high-performance solutions.
Integration of the Hessian Identity Management Infrastructure (HeIDI)
The next.Hessenbox will be the first service to utilise the Hessian Identity Management Infrastructure (HeIDI), which was also developed as part of the H^3 project. This enables simplified and standardised management of user identities within the Hessian university network. With HeIDI, connected, supported IT services of the Hessian universities can be used with the ID of one's own university (at the TU Darmstadt, this is the TU-ID).
