Sovereign alternative to Microsoft Project

More and more organizations are looking for an alternative to Microsoft Project and Microsoft Planner for their project and resource planning — not primarily because of features, but because of digital sovereignty: where is the data stored, who operates the platform, and which legal framework does the provider fall under? Rillsoft Cloud answers this question for project, resource and capacity planning with a German server location, contractually agreed processing under the GDPR, and the freedom to choose between a hosted cloud operation and operation in your own infrastructure.

This page explains what digital sovereignty means for project data and then compares Rillsoft Cloud factually with Microsoft Project and Microsoft Planner. It also makes the limits transparent: Rillsoft Cloud is not a complete digital workplace and not a replacement for office, mail or chat.

What does digital sovereignty mean for project data?

Digital sovereignty means less one-sided technological dependency and more self-determined ability to act when using IT. For project and resource planning it comes down to four verifiable points:

• Data location — in which country and legal framework do project, resource and employee data reside?
• Operator and legal framework — who operates the platform, and which law does this provider fall under?
• Access control — who can access which data, and how cleanly is that governed by roles and permissions?
• Portability — can data be exported and operation moved into your own infrastructure if needed, without ending up in a dead end?

Rillsoft Cloud addresses these goals where they are relevant for project and resource data — not as a marketing promise, but as verifiable properties of the platform.

What role does the German server location play?

Rillsoft Cloud is the hosted operating model of the Rillsoft Integration Server, operated by Rillsoft GmbH (Leonberg, Germany). It runs with a German server location; Rillsoft concludes a data processing agreement (DPA) under Art. 28 GDPR with every customer. Project, resource and employee data therefore remain in the German legal framework — a decisive difference from platforms whose provider is additionally subject to non-EU law.

How does the customer keep data sovereignty?

The Rillsoft Integration Server is multi-tenant: project, resource and employee data are separated logically through a tenant, role and permission concept. Each user only gets access to the information needed for their work; views and write permissions are configurable per project, department or group of employees.

In addition there is portability: via the REST API and exportable project data, content can be transferred to other systems. Anyone who wants more direct control over operations can switch to running the Rillsoft Integration Server on-premises.

When is on-premises more sensible than the cloud?

Rillsoft deliberately offers both operating models:

• Rillsoft Cloud — hosted by Rillsoft, German server location, no server setup of your own, fast onboarding.
• Rillsoft Integration Server (on-premises) — operation in your own IT environment with full control over hardware, network and data.

On-premises makes more sense when internal policies require operation in your own infrastructure or when an existing data center landscape is to be used. The cloud makes more sense when no infrastructure project is desired and a fast, managed operation is the priority. In both cases the Rillsoft Project desktop client remains the planning interface.

Rillsoft Cloud compared with Microsoft Project and Planner

The comparison below is limited to factual criteria relevant to the sovereignty question. Information on Microsoft refers to the Microsoft 365 environment and may vary by plan.

The structurally different answer from Rillsoft Cloud lies in the combination of multi-project resource planning and capacity planning by qualification — demand is planned first via roles and qualifications, concrete people are assigned only afterwards — while keeping a German server location. For a broader, generic feature comparison see the project management tools comparison.

How does Rillsoft Cloud fit into a sovereign workplace?

A “sovereign workplace”, as discussed in the public sector, is a complete, standardized IT workplace on an open-source basis with office, mail, chat and collaboration. Rillsoft Cloud is explicitly not this workplace and not an open-source product. Rillsoft Cloud complements such a workplace with the professional project, resource, time and document processes and can be integrated into a sovereignty-oriented environment via the REST API.

For the public sector

For public organizations with data sovereignty requirements, Rillsoft Cloud is an alternative to Microsoft Project and Planner in project and resource planning: German server location, DPA under the GDPR, traceable access control via roles and permissions, and the option to run the same Rillsoft Integration Server in your own infrastructure if needed. Rillsoft Cloud does not replace a complete administrative workplace; it covers the professional project and resource management.

Limits of this classification

To avoid over-interpretation, here are the deliberately stated limits:

• Rillsoft Cloud is not a complete sovereign workplace (no office, mail, chat).
• Rillsoft Cloud is not an open-source product.
• Statements on server location and data processing apply within the respective valid terms, privacy and product texts.
• The comparison with Microsoft products is kept factual; Microsoft’s own information is authoritative for Microsoft features and operation.

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