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What really happens when you turn your back on big tech
Digital autonomy starts with one choice: are you in charge of your data - or your cloud provider?
Cloud use feels comfortable. With just a few clicks, everything is where you want it: documents in Dropbox, mail via Outlook and online meetings via Teams or Google Docs. Everything works and seems smartly arranged. Nice and easy.
Until things go wrong.
Until, for example, your mail is suddenly blocked. Not by a hacker, but by your own provider. Because their rules are more important than yours.
Just ask Karim Khan, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court. His e-mail was blacked out without warning by Microsoft. Why? Because the U.S. put him on a sanctions list. Microsoft simply followed the U.S. line, as they are obliged to do.
What about you? You may be thinking, That won't happen to me.
But if your business operations run on American hyperscalers, you're not in charge. Then they can always access your files. And worse, they are actively looking for the keys to your encrypted data. So they can still read the data you think is unreadable to them.
We at Sciante find that unacceptable.
We promise our clients that we will protect their data, so that's what we do. Period.
That doesn't include “maybe,” “under normal use,” or "unless Azure's regulations state otherwise.
That's why we made a fundamental choice years ago:
Our data - and that of our clients - stays in Europe.
On European soil. In European data centers. Under European law.
No shared infrastructure. No tagging along tech giants. No open door for foreign jurisdiction.
This is how we secure our digital sovereignty.
This is seriously more complicated than clicking ‘accept all’ on your cloud configuration.
But it's the only thing that's truly secure.
Why we chose Nextcloud (and why, after reading this, you should minimally consider it)
Collaborating quickly and smoothly. Internally and externally. From the office, at home or on the road. That is what we need as a modern organization.
But on our terms: secure, sovereign and without vendor lock-in.
After years of working with fragmented cloud tools - a little Outlook here, a touch of Teams there, some more OneDrive or SharePoint added - we were done with it. Each system with its own management, integrations and conditions. Everything seemed connected, but nothing really worked together.
We wanted one solution.
Not ten.
That's why we chose Nextcloud.
1: Nextcloud integrates all your communication and document management in one platform:
mail, calendar, shared contacts, files, version control, online Office, chat, video calls, notes, Kanban boards, web forms, appointment pages and time tracking.
And the best part: everything is truly integrated. No duplicate versions of documents. No endless synchronizations. No links that just don't work. One document = one source = always up to date.
What was also important to us: extensibility.
2: Nextcloud works with modular extensions: from LDAP integration (e.g. with your own Active Directory) to federation with other organizations. You use only what you need. And you always retain control.
The origin? Europe.
Nextcloud is a German product and the codebase is managed under European law. No big American headquarters suddenly revoking your access. No data falling under foreign jurisdiction. No compliance hassles.
We run Nextcloud on our own cluster. We have the infrastructure, so why not use it?
But for those who prefer to outsource, there are plenty of reliable European providers who host it turnkey. WITHOUT handing over data.
Nextcloud is not a compromise.
It is the way forward if you want to combine digital autonomy with modern collaboration.
Why we said goodbye to Windows (and are increasingly seeing it happen)
Copilot was the final straw
When you take a new Windows machine out of the box, it starts right away. You have to log in with a Microsoft account. Local accounts? Those still exist, hidden somewhere deep behind technical workarounds. And as soon as you're logged in, the data vacuum starts.
Files are sent to OneDrive by default. Outlook automatically links to your Microsoft account - and thus to their servers. Even Office prefers to store in the cloud rather than locally. This is not convenience. This is forced cloud addiction. {to Hugo: forced cloud addiction bothers me ...}
When Copilot joined, we were fed up.
That AI rakes through your documents, e-mails and presentations without permission. And sends data - including sensitive data - to Microsoft servers. What happens to it? No idea. Who can access it? Unknown. But at least it's no longer yours because you lost ownership when you accepted the terms. Important detail, if you get Copilot via a feature upgrade you don't even get to read those terms and conditions.
Reclaiming autonomy: switching to Apple
If you're serious about data sovereignty, you also have to take a hard look at your workstations. That's why we decided: out Windows, in macOS. Not because Apple is holy. But because Apple does offer the choice to really protect your data.
For example, Siri:
You decide what data Siri can access. Or just turn it off completely - one check mark.
At Microsoft? No option. Only revoke permission later. Maybe. And good search.
More control, less hassle
What surprised me: the switch was simpler than expected.
MacOS is logically structured and feels stable. A switch from Windows 10 to macOS was smoother than a switch to Windows 11. The consistency in the interface is breath-taking - and even the non-Apple fans on our team think so.
Integration with our infrastructure (including Nextcloud) is hassle-free. Mail, calendars, contacts: everything works via open standards and was linked within a few clicks. No workarounds, no vendor lock-in.
More work? Yes. Worth the effort? Absolutely.
Switching platforms always takes some getting used to. But it's worth it.
We are back in control of our workplaces - and of the data processed there.
For ourselves. And for our customers.
Because sovereignty is not a function in your settings.
It's a choice.
How we made our IT four times smarter (and considerably cheaper, too)
Less administration, more control
Switching to Nextcloud, macOS and - on the server side - Linux, we did so primarily because of autonomy and security. But the financial effect was at least as impressive.
Our overall IT costs fell structurally.
The technical term? TCO: Total Cost of Ownership.
What it meant for us? Less management, less work, less cost.
Four times less management burden
The switch allowed us to reduce our management burden by a factor of four.
That's not modest optimization - that's a gamechanger.
Updates and patches? Those are now largely automatic.
Upgrades? No more nightmares.
And if manual intervention is required somewhere, we just get a neat notification about it. Without searching. Without stress.
Smaller server farm, greater efficiency
Our infrastructure now runs on significantly less hardware than before.
By choosing Linux, we can get by with a smaller, lighter server farm - without sacrificing performance or reliability.
Even better: everything runs smoother, faster and more consistently than on the traditional Windows path.
Exactly what I stand for: faster, better and cheaper, because ...
It also pays off on the workstation side.
macOS requires fewer resources and less maintenance.
No endless driver problems, no conflicting software layers, no struggles with updates that suddenly take everything down.
Smarter choices, lasting results
IT doesn't have to be expensive or complicated.
But then you have to dare to choose. For simplicity. For grip. For technology that makes your work easier - not harder.
We have made that choice.
And we see the difference. Every day. In stability. In time. And yes - in numbers, too.
Transformation without trauma: this is how we did it step by step
We did the transition quietly. We took 4 years to do it and we are almost done now. A good plan and a phased approach helped us make the transition without disruptions. Of course, sometimes something didn't work right away, but that was only in a test environment.
No big bang. Instead a smart plan.
A digital transformation does not have to be an explosion.
We deliberately didn't make it a “big bang” - and we're still happy about that every day.
Instead of changing everything at once, we opted for a phased approach. Quietly, thoughtfully, without noise.
We took four years. And now we are almost there.
Peace of mind in operation, room for testing
Changing with policy means continuing to deliver while innovating.
That you take time for testing without compromising your production.
With us, everything new first ran in a test environment. If it worked there - really worked - only then did it go live.
Of course, sometimes something got stuck.
That's part of the job.
But if you have a secure test environment, those aren't disasters. They are learning moments. Mistakes that do no harm.
Each step solidifies the next
A phased approach forces you to make choices over and over again:
What really works for us - and what doesn't?
What can we leave behind - and what goes with it?
What has to go first - and what can wait?
The result?
Peace and quiet.
No big shocks. No ‘just getting through the pain’.
But a series of manageable steps that together provide a solid, future-proof IT foundation.
Change does not have to be 'at light speed'
As long as you get it right.
This transition was no sprint.
It was a strategic walk with a clear map and plenty of rest stops along the way.
And that gave us something you never get with almost never:
control, trust AND support - from tech to team.
Also on the path to true digital autonomy?
Are you curious about what such a transition might look like for you?
Which steps make sense - and which are better left to wait?
Let's talk about that. Not a sales pitch, but an honest conversation.
About digital autonomy, grip on your IT and especially: how you can do that best.