Text: Michel Heinst, CEO and owner Tech Outlet Ltd
The promise was tempting in its simplicity: no more own servers, no worries about updates or security patches, and infinite scalability available at the push of a button. Those who invested in their own 'iron' in 2015 were met with pitying looks.
However, by 2025, the atmosphere has radically changed. The honeymoon period with the hyperscalers - Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud - is definitively over. What began as a flirtation with flexibility and modernization has turned into a stifling marriage for many Dutch organizations, characterized by vendor lock-in, unpredictable cost explosions, and a fundamental lack of control over their own data.
IDC predicts that by 2026, as many as 65% of enterprises will switch to a hybrid model, where data processing and AI tasks are moved back to the edge or on-premise environments. McKinsey notes a clear trend reversal: CIOs in Europe are shifting their focus from pure cloud adoption to digital sovereignty and cost control.
This report analyzes not only the numbers but also the human and organizational stories behind this movement. Why does a successful SaaS entrepreneur choose to leave the cloud for dedicated servers? Why does the Dutch government shudder at the thought of American data seizures? And is it technically and financially feasible to regain control?
This article is part of a series. The previous part, The Risks of Leaving the Cloud, went online last Friday. The complete series can be viewed here.
The Great Cloud Exodus, Part VIII: Success Stories from Europe
We already mentioned earlier that a lot of work is being done on a proprietary infrastructure in Europe. This has already led to several successes. We present the most important ones for you. Spoiler: we are mainly moving to France.
The French Gendarmerie
What we call the Royal Military Police here, they call the Gendarmerie in France. This branch of the military started migrating to open source back in 2004 and now runs entirely on Ubuntu Linux. Tens of thousands of workstations have never run on Microsoft.
The Municipality of Lyon
The third-largest city in France is lagging behind the gendarmerie, but is already migrating to Linux, OnlyOffice, Nextcloud, and PostgreSQL. En route to complete digital sovereignty.
The State of Schleswig-Holstein
We travel to the northernmost state of Germany. Schleswig-Holstein is actively removing Microsoft Teams and Office, replacing them with LibreOffice and Open-Xchange. Dirk Schrödter, Minister of Digital Affairs in the state, has already proclaimed from the rooftops: 'We are done with Teams!'
Denmark
The Danes looked at their southern neighbors - Schleswig-Holstein borders the country - and thought: we can do that too. They appointed a Minister of Digital Affairs and Copenhagen is now transitioning to LibreOffice.
37signals
Back to the US for a moment - not everyone is happy with the power of cloud services here either. Software company 37signals recently spent $3.2 million/year on AWS. After an investment of $700,000 in Dell servers, the organization saves $2 million per year and the expected total infrastructure costs have fallen below $1 million.
Time to Switch
We have seen a lot over the past few weeks. From advantages to disadvantages, from tips to successes. Now there is just one thing left: are you switching? Are you ready? We will test that in the final part of the series: From Tenant to Owner.
This is the seventh part of the series 'The Great Cloud Exodus', in collaboration with Michel Heinst from Tech Outlet. The eighth part of the series will be published next week.
About TechOutlet.eu
TechOutlet.eu has been a specialist in enterprise IT hardware for the Benelux since 2014. They supply EOL (End-of-Life) and new servers, workstations, and laptops from brands like HP, Dell, and Lenovo to SMEs, government, and healthcare.
The focus is on:
- Digital Sovereignty: Hardware that you fully own and manage
- Flexibility: Choice between EOL (cost-effective) and new hardware (compliance)
- Sustainability: Optimal utilization of hardware lifespan
- Cost Efficiency: Enterprise quality for SME budgets
- Fast Delivery: 24-hour delivery from Dutch stock
Contact: For advice on your cloud exit strategy and the necessary hardware, please contact us via www.techoutlet.eu
