there's another way

Blog

Thoughts on software, self-hosting, EU regulation and the straightforward path — straight talk, no buzzwords.

October 13, 2026

Windows Server 2016 End of Support: Your Options

Windows Server 2016 stops getting security updates on 12 January 2027. Upgrade, paid ESU via Azure Arc, or move roles to Linux — how to choose.

October 6, 2026

Self-Hosted LLM Hardware Requirements for SMEs

How much VRAM does a self-hosted LLM need? A sizing rule of thumb, three hardware classes and the Ollama, vLLM and Open WebUI stack for small businesses.

September 29, 2026

E-Invoicing in Germany 2027: Who Has to Send

From 1 January 2027, German businesses with over €800,000 prior-year turnover must send e-invoices. Who is affected, what's exempt, and what to test now.

September 22, 2026

Cyber Resilience Act Reporting: the 24-Hour Clock

Since 11 September 2026, makers of software and connected devices must report exploited vulnerabilities within 24 hours. What the CRA asks and how to prepare.

September 1, 2026

Outline or Docmost? Self-Hosting Your Company Wiki

Company knowledge doesn't belong in a cancellable subscription. Outline and Docmost are the two best self-hosted Notion alternatives — a practical comparison.

August 25, 2026

Flutter vs Kotlin Multiplatform: Which Fits When?

Flutter shares everything, Kotlin Multiplatform shares as much as you want. Where the difference shows in practice and which team does better with which.

August 18, 2026

RustDesk vs TeamViewer: Self-Hosted Remote Access

RustDesk is the open-source alternative to TeamViewer and AnyDesk: your own relay server, end-to-end encryption, no per-seat licence. A practical check.

August 11, 2026

Setting Up Matomo Cookieless and GDPR-Compliant

Matomo runs without a cookie banner when configured right: cookies off, IPs shortened, retention set. The exact settings — and their honest trade-offs.

August 4, 2026

High-Risk AI Under Annex III: Are You Affected?

CV screening, credit scoring, exam grading: Annex III of the AI Act turns everyday AI into high-risk AI. The eight areas, and what deployers actually owe.

July 28, 2026

App Development Cost: What Actually Drives It

Flat rates for app development are marketing. Which factors really drive the cost, where saving makes sense — and where cutting corners gets expensive.

July 21, 2026

AI Literacy Duty: What Article 4 Actually Requires

No mandatory course, no certificate: the AI Act's literacy duty is smaller than its reputation. What belongs in it — with an outline for the internal training.

July 14, 2026

AI Labelling Rules: What Applies From August 2026

On 2 August 2026 the AI Act's transparency duties kick in: chatbots must identify themselves, AI content needs marking. Who has to do what, in plain terms.

July 8, 2026

EU AI Act Delayed: Which Rules Still Apply in 2026

High-risk obligations move to late 2027, but the AI literacy duty, banned practices and GPAI rules have applied since 2025. The new AI Act timeline.

July 6, 2026

Google Analytics Alternatives: GDPR-Compliant Tracking

Running Google Analytics lawfully in the EU stays painful: consent banners, US transfers, data gaps. Cookieless alternatives from Matomo to PostHog.

July 4, 2026

Open Source Alternatives to Teams, Jira and Notion

Chat, project management, wikis: every common SaaS tool has a self-hostable open-source alternative. An overview with honest recommendations.

July 3, 2026

Am I Actually Covered by NIS2?

The honest scope test doesn't run on “how big are we”, but on sector and linked enterprises. Many are out — but for the wrong reason.

July 1, 2026

Team Passwords: Vaultwarden Instead of a US Datacenter

A shared password store belongs inside the company, not in a cloud you don't know. Why "we have MFA" isn't the finish line — and why rotation is dead.

June 28, 2026

Flutter vs React Native 2026: An Honest Comparison

Both frameworks are mature in 2026. The right choice depends on your team, the app type and maintenance — a comparison from practice, without benchmark theatre.

June 24, 2026

Receiving E-Invoices — Without a New SaaS Subscription

Since 2025 you have to be able to receive e-invoices. That doesn't take a monthly subscription: a mailbox, a free viewer and a clean archive are enough.

June 24, 2026

CLOUD Act in the EU region: not sovereignty

The CLOUD Act reaches AWS servers in Frankfurt too: US authorities can access data in any EU region. Why EU servers alone are not sovereignty.

June 17, 2026

Windows 10 Is Dead — Is This the Moment for Linux?

Windows 10 support has ended. When a Linux switch really pays off for a company — and the three cases where it goes wrong.

June 9, 2026

Local AI for your business: your models, not the cloud

Local AI instead of ChatGPT: when customer data belongs on your own models, what cloud AI may handle, and how data protection stays practical.

June 3, 2026

GDPR-Compliant AI Is a Process, Not a Place

“Runs in the EU, so it's compliant” is too short. What actually makes AI privacy-compliant — and a simple matrix for which data goes where.

May 27, 2026

EU Data Act: switching providers without lock-in

The Data Act gives you the right to switch cloud providers more easily. What's in it — and why open source sidesteps the lock-in problem in the first place.

May 20, 2026

Stop Blaming Your Employees

'Human error' doesn't explain a phishing incident, it hides broken technology. Why the system has to come first, not the person at the screen.

May 6, 2026

When Cyber Insurance Won't Pay

Whether cyber insurance pays after an incident is decided months earlier, in the application. Why that questionnaire is really your security to-do list.

April 22, 2026

Test your backup: only the restore counts

Test your backup by actually restoring from it. Why a NAS that saves every night is not a strategy and only the tested restore counts.

April 8, 2026

NIS2 Now Reaches the SME Sector Too

NIS2 extends cybersecurity obligations to many mid-sized companies. Who's affected, what to do about it — and how managed hosting covers part of it.

March 11, 2026

Nextcloud isn't your problem. Your operations are.

Nextcloud slow? Almost always it's not Nextcloud but the operations: missing Redis caching, no cron, overloaded budget hosting. What actually fixes it.

February 24, 2026

Microsoft 365 alternatives: GDPR-compliant options

Nextcloud, Mailcow, Collabora and more: European open-source alternatives to Microsoft 365 — and why German regulators doubt its GDPR-compliant use.

January 20, 2026

Digital sovereignty has arrived in SMEs in 2026

Dependency on US cloud giants is turning into a risk — legally, financially, strategically. What digital sovereignty means for SMEs and where to start.

December 20, 2025

Cloud repatriation: when moving back pays off

"Cloud repatriation" is all the rage right now. Honest answer: sometimes spot-on, often nonsense. A decision guide without the ideology.

December 8, 2025

You want open source — but not the server stress

Open source gives you control over your tools and data. Running it costs time and nerves — unless someone else takes that part over.

November 15, 2025

there's another way

Why ANDERS IT unites two paths under one roof.