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Take Back Control From Big Tech

Google is creepy. They read your emails, log your searches, track your location, scan your photos, and sell your data to the highest bidder.

They can also be unreliable - their products and prices change regularly and they have no problem forcing you to change your procedures at short notice.

I try and reduce the amount that Google and other "Big Tech" companies are involved in my life - and I can help you do this too.

Why bother de-Googling?

When you start using alternatives to Big Tech, you'll notice that you see less adverts and distractions. The tools you use every day become more stable and reliable. You will have more insights into your data. The internet will become a more calm, peaceful place, with algorithms that work in your interests instead of manipulating you.

To take real examples from my own life, a normal day includes:

  • Catching up on multiple news sources through a clear, consistent interface with no advertisements (Miniflux RSS reader)
  • Browsing the internet with no adverts on any device thanks to NextDNS's ad-blocking DNS servers
  • Automatically syncing my documents through Nextcloud on a private Hetzner server, accessible on all of my devices with tonnes of storage space (more details below)
  • Watching my favourite online video channels through a consistent interface with no adverts (Jellyfin)
  • Writing code with open source tools on my Linux laptop with no adverts or forced updates and excellent performance

I can help you get these examples or many others set up on your own devices or business infrastructure. I use these tools all day every day myself so am very familiar with the ecosystems around them.

Nextcloud Document Management

Nextcloud is an online document storage and management system, like Google Docs or Dropbox. It lets you sync your files between devices, browse your media, share your files with others, edit some document types, store music, and other file management type jobs.

But unlike Google's version, Nextcloud is open source and can be hosted on a server you can control yourself and sync your devices to, which makes it:

  • Private: You can store your files on a server and country with strong privacy safeguards.
  • Flexible: Nextcloud has tonnes of plugins you can enable to bolt on new functionality (finances, media, chat, polls, etc)
  • Affordable: You can create a server with exactly as much or as little resources as you need and expand when needed.

Note: Nextcloud doesn't do EVERYTHING that Google Docs does - it doesn't have as nice of a text editor and there's no spreadsheet tool, for example.

I've used Nextcloud / Owncloud for nearly 15 years and am happy to advise you about switching over. I can help you get set up with your own Nextcloud installation with Hetzner StorageShare or a host of your choice.

You'll get full administrative access so you can create as many users as you like and manage plugins ("apps").

I'll go through the settings with you and show you around your new document management system, and you can reference the Nextcloud documentation too.

Open Source App Hosting

The idea of hosting your own servers might sound really daunting, but there are ways to make it much easier. I love Pikapods (pikapods.com), a really easy way to spin up lots of open source apps at low cost. I can either host the pod in my own Pikapods account, or you can manage it entirely yourself.

I can also help you get set up with a home server or your own VPS. I have ran my own Yunohost server-in-a-box for many years, which can be a great way to ease yourself into self-hosting.

Or if you're up for the challenge I can even help you build your own server from scratch. We can use Ubuntu, or NixOS, or some other distribution of your choice.

Basically - whatever your level of comfort with nerdy stuff, there's an open source hosting solution to suit, and I'm here to help you overcome any hurdles.

Pricing

I bill by the hour, and setting up a Nextcloud installation, using Hetzner servers, and connecting to a custom domain takes about two hours. You'll set up a monthly recurring charge to the web host, which can be as cheap as £2 per month for a small server. Or I can manage the whole process - we'll have to discuss prices but I'll be 100% transparent.

If you want to switch away from Google and Big Tech for storing your documents, organising your media, talking to your friends, browsing the internet, or anything else, contact me to get the ball rolling!