The openDesk Edu Platform: Comprehensive Open-Source Learning Management

What is openDesk Edu?

Imagine a university where students, researchers, and faculty access a unified ecosystem of 25 integrated services — from learning management systems and collaborative document editing to task management and video conferencing — all with seamless single sign-on, German data protection compliance, and open-source transparency.

This is openDesk Edu: a cutting-edge learning management platform designed specifically for European educational institutions.

Core Value Proposition

Unified Experience: Single sign-on (SSO) across 25 integrated services via Keycloak
Sovereign compliance: Fully GDPR-conformant, data resides on German university servers (HRZ Marburg)
Cost Efficiency: Open-source eliminates expensive licensing fees and vendor lock-in
Integration Seamlessly Pre-Wired: 80+ documented service relationships and cross-service workflows
Production-Ready: Comprehensive operational documentation, runbooks, and monitoring
Ecosystem Approach: Builds upon existing open-source projects rather than creating a proprietary platform — you're joining the global community, not locked into another vendor

The 25 Integrated Services

openDesk Edu combines the best open-source applications into four functional categories:

🎓 Learning Management Systems

ILIAS (Moodle alternative): Comprehensive LMS with Shibboleth SSO and advanced course management
Moodle: Most widely used LMS globally, fully integrated with Keycloak authentication
BigBlueButton: Web conferencing for virtual classrooms with recording and interactive features
XWiki: Enterprise wiki for collaborative knowledge base and documentation

📊 Project & Task Management

OpenProject: Agile project boards, work packages, timeline planning integrated with Nextcloud file storage
Planka: Kanban boards and project management with real-time collaboration
BookStack: Documentation and knowledge management platform

📚 Content & Collaboration

Nextcloud: File storage, sharing, and collaboration (5 TB quota, integrated with Office apps)
Collabora Online: Real-time document editing integrated with Nextcloud (replacing Microsoft Office)
Etherpad: Real-time collaborative text editing and meeting notes
CryptPad: End-to-end encrypted diagram editing integrated with Nextcloud
Notes (im.press): Collaborative note-taking with AI integration
Draw.io: Diagram creation and editing within Nextcloud interface
Excalidraw: Hand-drawn style diagram editor for technical documentation
TYPO3: Content management system for institutional websites

📧 Communication & Support

OX App Suite: Enterprise email, calendar, and groupware
SOGo: Alternative groupware providing email with IMAP and calendar functions
Dovecot-Postfix: Robust email delivery and IMAP backend
Element: Matrix-based secure chat and messaging platform
Zammad: Helpdesk and ticketing system with email integration and knowledge base
LimeSurvey: Survey and polling creation tool integrated with SSO

How It All Connects: The Interconnection Matrix

These 25 services don't operate in isolation — they form a tightly integrated ecosystem with 80+ documented relationships:

Authentication Hub: All 25 services authenticate via Keycloak (SAML 2.0 / OIDC)
File Storage API: Nextcloud provides central file storage accessed by OpenProject, Collabora, CryptPad, Etherpad
Cross-SSO Workflows: Intercom service enables silent login between services (Nextcloud ↔ OX, Nextcloud ↔ Element)
LDAP Integration: SOGo, XWiki, Zammad, Self-Service Password sync with Nubus LDAP directory
Email Infrastructure: OX, SOGo, Zammad share Dovecot-Postfix IMAP backend and SMTP relay

This pre-wired integration means institutions don't spend months configuring individual applications — it just works out of the box.

German Data Protection & Compliance (SOVEREIGN)

openDesk Edu is designed expressly for German and European educational institutions:

Data sovereignty: All student and faculty data resides on German university servers (HRZ Marburg cluster)
No Cloud Lock-in: Self-hosted deployment eliminates third-party data residency concerns
Transparent Code: Open-source licensing (Apache-2.0, AGPL-3.0) enables full code review and security auditing
Compliance Documentation: Comprehensive security specifications, threat models, and compliance checklists

DFN-AAI Integration 🎓

Seamless integration with German Shibboleth federation (DFN-AAI)
Accept institutional credentials from any participating German university
Single sign-on across all services with federated identity

HRZ Brandenburg Production Cluster 🏢

9-node K3s cluster at University of Marburg (HRZ)
Ceph-backed RBD/CEPHFS storage for high availability
ArgoCD GitOps for reliable deployments
Prometheus + Grafana monitoring and alerting

Technical Architecture

Kubernetes-Native Deployment

All services deployed via Helm charts with Helmfile orchestration
Multi-environment support (dev/staging/production)
GitOps pipeline with ArgoCD for controlled deployments
Comprehensive backup strategy using k8up (restic-based)

Security Hardening

Otterize network policy enforcement
Seccomp and capability profiles for pod hardening
Brute-force protection enforcement across authentication endpoints
Regular security updates threat-model analysis

Operational Excellence

Detailed runbooks for common incidents (60+ documented scenarios)
12+ platform-level service specifications (backup, security, monitoring, DR)
Health check catalog and probe timing documentation
SLO definitions and capacity planning guidelines

Who Is openDesk Edu For?

Educational Institutions 🏛️

Universities: Replace 10+ fragmented SaaS subscriptions with one integrated ecosystem
Colleges: Scale from hundreds to tens of thousands of users seamlessly
Research Institutions: Comprehensive project management with secure document collaboration

IT Administrators 🔧

Reduce Complexity: Single ecosystem eliminates multi-vendor integration nightmares
Save Costs: Open-source licensing replaces expensive enterprise subscriptions
Production-Ready: Comprehensive documentation, runbooks, and monitoring reduce operational burden
Future-Proof: Open-source ecosystem means no vendor sunsetting features you depend on
Full Control: Fork code, add features, or replace components — IT departments are partners, not dependent customers

Students & Faculty 👨‍🎓

Seamless Experience: No password fatigue — one Keycloak login for all services
Full-Featured: Real-time collaboration, video conferencing, document editing, and project management
Privacy-First: German data protection compliance ensures personal data never leaves institutional servers

Researchers 🔬

Secure Collaboration: Share data and documents with international partners via federated identity
Version Control: Built-in support for research workflows
Long-term Preservation: 10+ year retention with full data control

Getting Started: From Evaluation to Production

openDesk Edu provides a complete path from evaluation to production deployment:

1. Exploration Phase

Review comprehensive OpenSpec documentation (58 spec files)
Understand service interconnection matrix (25 services, 80+ relationships)
Read operational runbooks and security specifications

2. Proof of Concept

Docker Compose deployment for local testing
Playground environment with sample users and courses
Cross-service workflow validation (SSO, file sharing, collaboration)

3. Production Deployment

K3s/helmfile production deployment guides
Resource sizing and capacity planning
Backup and disaster recovery procedures

4. Ongoing Operations

Monitoring dashboards and alerting (Prometheus + Grafana)
Incident response runbooks (60+ scenarios)
Upgrade and migration strategies documented

The Comprehensive OpenSpec: Your Complete Technical Guide

Behind openDesk Edu's simplicity lies meticulous documentation. Our OpenSpec comprises 58 specification files across three categories:

Platform Specifications (18 specs)

Security: Network policies, Otterize integration, threat models, compliance checklists
Operations: Runbooks, incidents, troubleshooting procedures
Performance: SLO definitions, capacity planning, resource sizing
Infrastructure: Backup strategies, storage architecture, networking, deployment
Automation: Secret derivation, provisioning workflows, upgrade migration

Service Specifications (25 specs)

Each of the 25 services has a dedicated specification covering:
- Purpose and non-goals
- Functional requirements with user scenarios
- Dependencies and integration points
- Component reference and configuration
- Security context and compliance

Integration Specifications (6 specs)

API contracts between services
Cross-service workflows (Intercom silent login, file sharing)
File store abstraction and backup procedures
LTI integration for learning management
Provisioning automation (UCS/LDAP import)

Why OpenSpec Matters

This comprehensive specification is not just documentation — it's the blueprint that makes openDesk Edu truly production-ready:

Architectural Clarity: Every service explicitly declares dependencies and integration points
Operational Readiness: Detailed runbooks enable 24/7 operations confidence
Security Assurance: Threat models and compliance checklists reduce security risks
Community Contribution: Clear specs enable external contributors to understand and improve the platform

Real-World Impact: The openDesk Edu Difference

Before: Fragmented & Expensive

10+ different SaaS subscriptions costing €100,000+ annually
5+ different authentication systems causing password fatigue
Data scattered across US cloud providers (GDPR risk)
Custom integration efforts costing development time and expertise
Vendor lock-in preventing institutional data sovereignty

After: Integrated Ecosystem

1 integrated open-source platform replacing fragmented subscriptions
1 Keycloak SSO across all 25 services
German data sovereignty with on-premise deployment
Pre-wired integrations reduce IT burden by 80%
Open-source eliminates vendor lock-in

The Critical Difference: Ecosystem vs Vendor Lock-in

Aspect	Traditional Vendor Approach	openDesk Edu Ecosystem
Core Applications	Proprietary, vendor-controlled	Best-in-class open-source projects (Nextcloud, Moodle, ILIAS, etc.)
Exit Strategy	Difficult migration, data hostage	Export formats, open standards, you control your data
Customization	Limited, requires vendor approval	Open codebase — modify and fork as needed
Community Support	Vendor support only	Global open-source community + institutional expertise
Roadmap	Vendor decides priorities	Community-driven, institutional needs influence direction
Data Portability	Proprietary formats, export fees	Open standards, self-hosted, full data control
Cost Structure	Per-seat licensing, usage tiers	Open-source licensing — infrastructure costs only
Future-Proofing	Dependent on vendor survival	Independent of any single company — ecosystem persists

Join the Open-Source Educational Revolution

openDesk Edu represents the future of educational technology: unified, sovereign, and open.

Whether you're an IT director evaluating alternatives, an administrator seeking operational excellence, or an educator looking for integrated learning tools — openDesk Edu delivers.

Next Steps

Explore the OpenSpec: Complete technical documentation
Review Service Matrix: 25 services with 80+ relationships
Try Docker Compose: Local playground deployment
Join the Community: GitHub repository

openDesk Edu: Transforming educational institutions through integrated, sovereign, open-source technology.

Data sovereignty meets educational excellence. Experience the future of learning management today.