Reducing risk and dependence on non-European cloud services (2 of 3)

The first part was about control over information. In this part, we meet an organisation that discovered something else: they lacked a plan B. The inspiration here is not just about security, but about the ability to continue working. 

More organisations are beginning to ask an unusual but important question: 

What happens if Microsoft 365, Zoom or Google Workspace are unavailable for a period of time? 

It doesn't have to be an attack. It could be legal issues, connectivity, agreements or the external environment. This often leads to an unexpected discovery: the business cannot even start without external services. The problem is not primarily about security, but about a dependency that has gradually built up on a few large technology providers.

The organisation establishes Nextcloud as a parallel digital work environment, not to replace all of its collaboration solutions immediately, but to ensure that core operations can always function. 

The organisation starts with what is needed to be able to work on a normal day: 

• documents and shared folders 
• internal collaboration in projects and teams 
• communication between employees 
• management work and decision-making support

So it's not about full functional parity from day one. It's about being able to continue to operate.

In normal circumstances, the organisation's existing tools are used as before. But in parallel, there is a workspace where: 

• staff can log in without external dependencies 
• steering documents and contact lists are always available 
• crisis management can start immediately 
• internal decisions can be made and documented 
• projects can continue to work

This means that you don't need to migrate everything, just what is necessary to be able to function. As a plan B. This creates several concrete advantages: 

• Operational continuity: Operations can continue in the event of disruptions. 
• Shorter recovery time: The organisation does not have to wait for an external supplier to solve the problem before work can continue. 
• Clearer responsibilities: The organisation knows what it controls and what dependencies exist. 
• Better decision-making in a crisis: Management and key personnel always have access to documentation, contact channels and collaboration spaces.

Our role rarely begins with installing a system. It begins with understanding the business. 

We help customers through a preliminary study where we work together to map out needs, information flows and technical requirements. Based on this, Nextcloud can be introduced gradually or broadly, depending on what the organisation actually needs. 

Redpill Linpro delivers Nextcloud as a ready-made SaaS service, operated within the GDPR framework and in an ISO 27001-certified organisation. For businesses that want to own the entire supply chain, we also implement Nextcloud on-premise in the customer's own infrastructure.

In part 3, we look at a completely different problem: when the risks do not come from the systems, but from shortcuts around them.