Niet-technisch
The nuanced story
Read our nuanced story below about who we are, and why.
Niet-technisch
Read our nuanced story below about who we are, and why.
* in progress
There's a lot going on worldwide. Power blocs are shifting, positions are crumbling, and the companies behind widely used digital products and services have recently been publicly cast in a different light. For decades, they presented us with an image of fighting for a fairer world, with free news gathering, freedom of speech, and standing up for minorities and oppressed fellow human beings. That narrative has disappeared, and the figureheads of the largest companies are aligning themselves financially and morally with politicians and organizations that wipe their backsides with treaties, lock up innocent people in camps where the press is not allowed, and put pressure on international relations.
The digital products and services that fuel our society have suddenly become a tool in the toolbox of authoritarian leaders. Over the years, citizens, experts, and politicians have voiced their concerns and advocated for a different direction. This, along with the efforts of the business community, has not prevented the shift to cloud services and vendor lock-in.
The public debate surrounding the role and position of big tech erupted earlier this year when the International Criminal Court in The Hague lost access to its email and systems. We believe it's important to continue this conversation.
Below we discuss the points from the matrix:
Big Tech has considerable capacity to invest in infrastructure and product development. The products and services you can purchase there function best (or only) within the ecosystem of the creator and maintainer. Moving all the files, processes, and knowledge from the systems to another environment then becomes increasingly difficult, expensive, and cumbersome. If subscription fees rise but leaving is too expensive, you know where you stand.
Our approach minimizes the risk of vendor lock-in. Using open-source software ensures that the source code remains permanently available and is maintained by an active community. Open standards allow different products and services to exchange data, making migration less complex and painful. Furthermore, these products and services can be supported by many other parties.
The most commonly used services are practically overflowing with features. Most employees, and even power users, only use a small fraction of what's available out of the box. But if something is missing that could make a significant difference for your organization, you'll need deep pockets or a long-term commitment. Requests for features or minor adjustments can sometimes remain unanswered for years, even after thousands of users have voted for the change.
Are you a customer of ProcoliX or another local company with a similar focus and want to make a specific adjustment? The source code is available, the APIs are accessible, and a developer can likely quickly help you create an application or adjustment. If it's a useful adjustment, the project community can incorporate it into the source code. Nextcloud recently took over the project from a Dutch developer because this was a highly requested feature.
Much of our data is stored in "the cloud," an umbrella term for someone else's servers. As a customer, you can specify zones, but you won't get a clear answer to the question of where your data is stored or precisely which data center your data is replicated in. We now know for certain that one or more foreign governments can access your data, even if there's no reason or notification.
We can go as far as our clients deem necessary. Full encryption, systems accessible only on-premises, systems disconnected from the internet, data storage in multiple locations, or very strict authentication requirements. We can help you, are fully subject to Dutch and European law, and know where your data is stored.
With an extensive network of local service providers and large development teams, support and maintenance are often well-organized with major vendors. However, the downside is that organizations increasingly lack knowledge of their own systems. Local service providers are also aware of this problem and attribute it to a decreasing need for training due to the shift to the cloud. After all, maintenance is increasingly outsourced, and support for it doesn't have to come from local sources.
We have a completely different approach and highly value system administrators, functional administrators, cloud administrators, and helpdesk staff with technical expertise. If this applies to your organization, we're happy to collaborate and share knowledge and experiences. We enjoy working with system and functional administrators from various government agencies, non-profits, and commercial companies. If an organization lacks these individuals or expertise, we're there for you.
For a few euros per month per employee, you can purchase services that cover most daily tasks. However, if you need more, the costs for subscriptions, licenses, and possibly additional devices can be quite high. The need for the most expensive subscription often stems from a few essential or desirable features. Rates are often per employee, so economies of scale in costs are limited, while you can add an unlimited number of employees.
Our products and services are very different and, in terms of structure and cost, cannot (yet) be compared to Big Tech's offerings. While the use of open-source software can make the initial investment financially advantageous, the costs of infrastructure or setting up an environment can be less advantageous. Because we charge for the various components separately, you can benefit financially as your organization or data volume grows. An environment for 200 people to collaborate falls into the same price range as one for 400 people.
Generally lower initial costs because there are no licensing fees. However, there can be significant costs for hardware, maintenance, and hiring skilled personnel to manage the software.
We've saved this for last. This is an underrated topic when comparing large IT vendors and local players with their own infrastructure and open-source products and services.
Big Tech is centralizing not only its power but also knowledge and capital. Many talented young IT professionals are trying their luck across the pond. With the prospect of golden opportunities, they bring their knowledge with them. Some return disillusioned, but a significant number emerge as skilled professionals who contribute to the development of groundbreaking technologies and companies that change our lives.
The Dutch government and private sector are spending tens of billions on cloud and ICT services from providers who do everything they can to minimize local taxes. With all that accumulated capital, they are buying themselves an ever-expanding position in all layers of our digital system. There's a lot between data centers and the screen on which you're reading this that has been a big tech asset for years.
A company like ProcoliX can't compete with this, but together with all other similar companies, it's forging a path away from the clutches of big tech. This path will become more pronounced as local impact, talent retention, and social responsibility become part of the motivations for purchasing products and services from local, regional, or national players.
When it comes to local impact, Big Tech doesn't hold a candle to regional businesses. These companies hire more local staff, need local/regional suppliers, train interns, rent office space, and contribute to the community through sponsorship or the provision of knowledge.