Dodging Big Tech for 30 euros per month: That's how I built my own cloud empire.

Hills and valleys: My Journey Away from Big Tech

I'll take you on my adventure om move from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives. I honestly share my experience with you: successes, setbacks and challenges. Along the way, I come across obstacles, such as hardware that doesn't work, services that cost money, and people who don't understand my choice. I share everything so that you can learn and enjoy this journey. Ga je mee?

Not advertising, but reality.

This sounds like a sales pitch, but it's not. This is not a white paper with marketing bullshit or a ‘digital transformation journey’ with stock photos of happy people. This is a report of something I've really built: A full, working, near-blue button install from Nextcloud, including all the bells and whistles you need to run a 10-man business. And yes, I am proud. Not because I put ‘something in the cloud’, but because I have proven that you can beat Big Tech with open source, a bit of perseverance and a portion of script violence.

“You don't have to be a multinational to claim digital autonomy.”

The Calculation That Hurts

The numbers don't lie. Microsoft charges $11.70 per user per month. So with 10 users you are on €117 per month.
My solution runs on a solid VPS of €30 per month. Scaling up for 10 additional users? It'll cost you an extra ten. Microsoft? Just €117 again.
It's a bit crazy because you use a lot of stuff that has already been adjusted for the first 10. And yet you pay the full pound again for those 2nd ten?
Even with e-mail via Soverin (€13 per user per year) I'm still much cheaper. And then I have control, no vendor lock-in, and no data-grabbing American superpower in my digital pocket.

“Those who cannot count will pay for themselves in blue.”

Welcome to reality

Is everything rose scent and manpages? No, no, no, no. This is not a setup for scriptkiddies or WordPress clickers. You need people who know what they're doing. Not a standard helpdesk, but engineers. People who understand how reverse proxies work. How to set up TURN securely. How to config Collabora and Janus without pulling your hair out of your head. What if you don't have it at home? Then you hire knowledge, per hour, per problem. Still cheaper than structurally paying too much.

“Open source is not a shortcut, it is a choice for maturity.”

What's going on?

I built my own ecosystem on a rented VPS in Germany, based entirely on Docker. Everything is separate, automated and persistently configured:

• Nextcloud as an alternative to OneDrive
• MariaDB as a database
• REDIS Caching for Performance
• Signaling, TURN, Janus for real-time communication (Talk = alternative to Teams)
• Collabora Online for live collaboration on documents
• Gitlab as an optional add-on for version control and CI/CD

And as if that wasn't enough: everything is controlled by scripts that set up containers, encrypt networks, control mounts, tune configurations. It works. It is reproducible. And it's almost plug & play.

‘He who builds himself shall decide.’

Let your fingers burn.

Want to see for yourself what's going on? That's fine.
Go to https://nextcloud.data-pro.nu
Log in with this information:
User: guest
Password: BeMyGuest!

Click around. Upload some. Try Talk of Collabora. Then ask yourself the question: Why do I pay a premium price every month for something that is also possible?

“You don't have to be a master to experiment – you just have to start.”

And it's not finished yet (fortunately, but)

I'd like to add a few more things.

• Your own identity provider to which all services are linked
• Import users from a spreadsheet
• Install Nextcloud Apps in bulk via scripts
• RoundCube because email is part of it
  Personally, I continue to use Soverin for mail. For €1 per month per user I don't want to bother with spam filters, SPF, DMARC, blacklists and postmen with burnout. But I want to know how it works. This is what drives this project: Want to know, want to be able.

“Anyone who stops learning signs for dependency.”

The Price of Autonomy

It is not yet the Holy Grail. But it's fucking close. What I have now can compete with Microsoft, Google and Apple. Functionally equivalent, unbeatable in terms of costs. It requires an investment in knowledge, not subscriptions. And that's exactly what Big Tech would rather not see happen.

“Digital independence starts where you stop paying for convenience.”