An alternative to Copilot that runs in Ede.
A chat environment for your staff or an integration with your own software, with no American company in the chain.
Microsoft Copilot sits inside your mail, Teams and SharePoint and is genuinely strong there. But your data is processed by an American company, even when it stays in Europe, and Microsoft's European data boundary does not cover web search. We set up an AI environment that always runs in Ede, with the arrangements in your contract.
Copilot stays in Europe. With two exceptions.
Microsoft does this properly: there is no training on your prompts, answers and business data, interactions are stored in your own Microsoft tenant, and Copilot falls under the EU Data Boundary, the commitment that processing stays in Europe. On two points that does not apply. Web searches through Bing fall outside that boundary and outside the data processing terms; for those, Microsoft itself is responsible for your data. And the Anthropic models an administrator can enable run outside the EU Data Boundary.
On top of that, Microsoft is an American company. In June 2025, Microsoft France could not guarantee under oath in the French Senate that French data would not end up with US authorities. That is not an accusation; it is US law. For much of your work it is fine. For files you do not want with an American party under any circumstances, a chain without an American company is the simpler solution.
Microsoft Copilot next to an AI environment in Ede.
Copilot is strong where it sits in the middle of your Microsoft environment. We are strong where you want to be certain that processing stays in Ede. Both sides below.
Does your organisation mostly work in Outlook, Teams and SharePoint and do you want AI right in the middle of that? Then Copilot is hard to beat, and since May 2026 SLM Rijk and SURF consider it responsible to use. If it is about files you do not want processed by an American company, Ede is the better fit.
Microsoft and Copilot are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Xyphen IT is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft. Comparison based on public information as of 6 October 2026; check the current terms with the vendor.
AI next to your Microsoft environment, not inside it.
We do not replace Microsoft 365. We put an AI environment next to it for the work you do not want Copilot to do.
No Bing, no agents, no Anthropic models to switch on. That is a limitation, and at the same time the reason there are no exceptions.
This fits if you:
- Keep Microsoft 365, but want certain work (case files, HR matters, health data) kept away from an American company
- Are a municipality, healthcare or education institution and want to act on the preference for European and open-source solutions in the Dutch government position of April 2025
- Do not want an administrator setting, such as web search or an external model, to decide whether your data stays within Europe
- Mostly do text work and can do without AI inside Outlook or Teams itself
From intake to environment.
- IntakeWhich tasks, which data, who will use it. If you can do it just as well with Copilot, we say so.
- ContractData processing agreement and addendum on training and storage. Only then real data.
- SetupChat environment, integration or servers alongside, depending on what you chose at the intake. We test with you, on test data and not yet on real files.
- In useYour staff or your software work with it. Changes to the model go by agreement, in a maintenance window you hear about in advance.
You do not have to choose: Copilot for mail and calendar, the files in Ede.
Frequently asked questions about an alternative to Copilot
So is Copilot not safe?
That is not what we say. Microsoft does not train on your data, stores interactions in your own tenant and keeps processing within Europe. Since May 2026, SLM Rijk and SURF conclude that responsible use is possible. The difference lies in the exceptions (web search and external models) and in whether you want an American company in the chain.
What exactly is the EU Data Boundary?
Microsoft's commitment to store and process data of European customers within the EU. It applies to Copilot, except for web search through Bing and for the Anthropic models. Web search is on by default; an administrator can switch it off. The Anthropic models are off by default in Europe; an administrator can switch them on.
Which risks did the Dutch government see in Copilot?
In December 2024, SLM Rijk and SURF found four high risks. At the reassessment on 27 May 2026 these had been mitigated or reduced, and responsible use became possible. Two medium risks remain: the accuracy of the answers and the 18-month retention of diagnostic data. Accuracy is an issue with every AI model, ours included.
Can your AI also work with my mail and Teams?
No, not the way Copilot does. Our environment sits next to Microsoft 365, not inside it. You can put documents into it, and with your own developer you connect the model to your own software. If you want AI inside Outlook itself, Copilot is the better choice.
What happens to my questions and answers?
We do not store them and do not train on them; that is in the addendum to your contract and in the data processing agreement. Processing takes place in the BIT data centre in Ede and nowhere else. There is no external model provider taking over part of the work.
How quickly can we start?
Not today. There is no licence to switch on; we start with an intake and set up the environment per organisation. How long that takes depends on what you want to connect. We tell you up front.
Files that do not belong in Copilot?
Tell us which work you want to keep outside your Microsoft environment. After an intake you receive a proposal with the form, the model and the arrangements on your data.