Collabora Online 26.04 Brings AI to the Open Source Office Suite
Collabora Online 26.04 Brings AI to the Open Source Office Suite
Collabora has announced the launch of Collabora Online 26.04, an open source office suite designed for business needs. This is a special edition as it celebrates the tenth anniversary of the solution's launch and sees the introduction of optional artificial intelligence features.
Celebrating Ten Years with AI
Collabora Online is the enterprise version of Collabora Office, which in turn is a derivative of LibreOffice, one of the most famous and widely used open source software in the world. Collabora offers Collabora Office for free both in desktop version, installable like any other application, and in web version, accessible from any browser. Collabora Online combines both modes and offers dedicated support with SLA and technical assistance.
The 26.04 version makes its debut bringing several new features, including the ability to use an integrated AI assistant: companies can choose to use an AI model to assist users in writing documents, correcting formulas in spreadsheets, and preparing presentations. Collabora states that there is total control over which features to enable, to the point that AI is disabled by default, and it is possible to use commercial LLMs as well as models hosted on one's own infrastructure.
As part of the new features in this version, there is significantly improved compatibility with Microsoft OOXML file formats (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx), enhancements in document review and comparison workflows, as well as the ability to import and export documents using Markdown format. There have also been advancements in software accessibility: Writer passed a BITV 2.0 audit, which verifies compliance with the German federal government's accessibility guidelines.
Lastly, administrators have the option to set documents to open in read-only mode by default, thus reducing the chances of accidental modifications.
"Across Europe and worldwide, Collabora Online is the trusted, robust, and open source office suite for businesses and organizations seeking digital sovereignty for their document collaboration. We provide a beautiful, secure document editor that complies with standards through our partners to our common customers, along with enterprise support from our global team of experienced engineers," stated Michael Meeks, CEO of Collabora.
"Collabora Online 26.04’s highly customizable and tightly controlled AI assistant enables users to securely accelerate their document-related tasks. Similarly, the new editing and review features, improved accessibility, and greater document interoperability will make the daily experience smoother for all users, making it more intuitive and flexible."