Is your company locked into the clouds of Google, Microsoft or other American giants?
Your data is worth its weight in gold. Emails, internal documents, customer databases, web content... It's at the heart of your business. But do you really know where they are? Who can access them? And most importantly, who controls them? And how much does it cost you?
If your answer is "I don't know" - you're not alone. Yet this ignorance could be costly. Because behind the simplicity of cloud services lies a massive dependency on the digital giants: the GAFAMs.
The results are in for April 2025, and the reality is stark: every year, Europe spends 264 billion euros entrusting its data to the Americans.
Serious confidentiality problems and rising costs: many European companies are literally under the thumb of the American giants. Worse still, some are unaware of it, others fail to see the problems posed. The films Idiocracy and Don't Look Up have never seemed so real.
What if you had a choice? I'm telling you: these products are dispensable and replaceable. Total dependence on American giants is not inevitable.
In this article, find out in two simple steps how to regain the sovereignty of your data by hosting your websites and emails in Europe and using the free, open-source and private collaborative suite :Nextcloud.
Here's how to never again blindly entrust the keys to your digital assets.
Contents
Why digital sovereignty is crucial in 2025
The comfort of GAFAM... until the trap
Using Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 may seem reassuring at first. Neat interfaces, fluid integrations, strong brand image: everything is designed to seduce. And it works. Some companies don't hesitate to spend astronomical sums every month on these services - with the feeling of accessing the best of the best.
But this trust is largely the result of a formidable marketing strategy. After all, who wants to voluntarily entrust their strategic data (emails, documents, customer databases) to American multinationals subject to the Cloud Act? Who wants to commit to a closed ecosystem, difficult to leave without losing productivity, or incurring significant costs? And above all: who wants to ignore where their data is stored, who accesses it, and what happens to it?
An addiction with invisible but very real effects
Even without mentioning the very real issues of mass surveillance, this dependence poses a problem. As an individual, you are profiled, influenced and targeted. As a company, you are vulnerable: temporary loss of access, soaring costs, data leakage, or simply not knowing where your servers are located can have critical consequences.
What's most worrying? Many feel they have no choice.
You have a choice - and it's time to take it back
The good news is that today there are mature, high-performance, European alternatives. These solutions enable you to retain total control over your data, while meeting the same needs (email, storage, collaboration...).
Digital sovereignty is not a luxury or a technical ideal reserved for experts. It's a strategic act, accessible and indispensable for anyone wishing to guarantee the security, independence and sustainability of their business.
Controlling your emails and your website: the two pillars of your digital sovereignty
Never underestimate your mailbox
Email is one of the oldest digital services... but also one of the most essential. It centralizes your exchanges, your notifications, your access validations, your key documents. Yet many still entrust this strategic brick to opaque or over-integrated services like Gmail or Outlook 365.
But a mailbox doesn't need to be linked to an entire suite, nor dependent on a closed ecosystem. On the contrary: it must remain simple, standard, interoperable.
What does a good email provider have to offer?
- Independence: A good email service doesn't lock you in. It leaves you free to use the client of your choice (Thunderbird, Outlook, or your mobile app) thanks to standard protocols: POP, IMAP and SMTP.
- Simplicity: A webmail like Roundcube, free and proven, is more than enough to manage your emails without frills. This is what LRob offers, by default.
- Technical safety Respecting sending and receiving standards is essential to prevent your messages from going to spam or being rejected:
- rDNS / HELO
- SPF / DKIM / DMARC
- Anti-spam active
There's no need to configure all this yourself: everything ready to use on the LRob web hosting (Europe: France & Germany) including unlimited email addresses.
What if you need to migrate your emails? Well, that's easy.
Switching email providers may seem complex... but in reality, a well-executed IMAP migration is smooth and seamless. Simply copy emails from one server to another, then switch your DNS (MX) records at the right time.
Even if you're coming from a solution like Microsoft 365, the transition is possible - and accompanied if you go through LRob. In some cases, migration can even be offered.
Don't stop at email: host your website too
A website is the other fundamental pillar of your online presence. It too deserves to be hosted on a sovereign infrastructure, independent of the GAFAMs.
LRob offers complete web hosting, with :
- servers in Europe (France & Germany),
- maximum performance,
- energy 100% green,
- 1-year backup,
- increased security,
- 24/7 monitoring,
- web space, database, PHP, DNS, FTP,
- available support,
- WordPress specialty
- and of course, emails are included.
A free and sovereign collaborative suite: Nextcloud
Work in a team, without depending on Google or Microsoft
Today, the majority of companies use collaborative suites such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. These tools are convenient, but as with email, they lock users into an opaque, costly ecosystem with little respect for privacy.
Yet these services (document editing, shared diary, task management...) have nothing to do with a mailbox. They should be freely chosen, not imposed with a subscription.
Here's how to avoid storing your confidential files with the American giants.
Nextcloud: a free, powerful and European alternative
Nextcloud is an open-source collaborative suite that enables :
- share and store files,
- edit documents online (via Collabora Online or OnlyOffice),
- manage calendars, tasks and contacts,
- organize videoconferences,
- chat,
- and much more.
Nextcloud works on the same principle as a website: you install it, configure it, and it becomes your digital office, hosted wherever you decide. Not in the United States. Not in some giant's cloud. But at home, or at a trusted Nextcloud host like LRob.
Broad compatibility, total flexibility
Nextcloud works with all :
- PC (Windows, macOS, Linux),
- mobiles (Android, iOS),
- web browsers.
It uses the open standards WebDAV, CardDAV and CalDAV, allowing you, for example, to synchronize your contacts and calendars without going through Google. On Android, the DAVx⁵ app even lets you remove any dependence on Google services for synchronization.
Result: you work as a team, on your tools, under your control.
LRob: turnkey hosting for your Nextcloud
At LRob, you can host your Nextcloud instance with :
- a fast, secure infrastructure (European data centers - France, Germany),
- automatic backups,
- maintenance included,
- on-demand installation of Collabora Online or OnlyOffice.
It's the complete sovereign alternative, ideal for freelancers, SMEs, local authorities, associations or schools wishing to retain total control over their collaborative data.
Regaining control is no longer an option, it's a necessity
Digital sovereignty isn't a luxury reserved for experts or large structures: it's a strategic challenge accessible to everyone, starting today. At LRob, we've been self-hosting our emails since 2014 and have replaced Microsoft suites with Nextcloud since 2017. And this willingness to take back control is one of the foundations of our web hosting business.
In 2025, continuing to depend on GAFAM means :
- transfer data to foreign players subject to other laws,
- pay ever more for services that are difficult to audit,
- give up any form of digital independence, chaining you more and more.
Conversely, taking back control of your emails, website and collaborative suite means laying the foundations for :
- more ethical,
- more economical,
- and more resilient.
LRob supports you in this transition, offering sovereign hosting, secure, European-based, with easy-to-use services that respect standards and your freedoms. If you have 3 or more sites, don't miss our Web Agency offers to achieve economies of scale.
With LRob hosting, you have complete access to your data: You can download them, back them up, or migrate them to the hosting provider of your choice at any time. That's the power of standards.
Are you ready to take the plunge?
Contact LRob or comment on this post to discuss, ask questions or initiate migration.
Your data belongs to you: it's time to treat it as such.
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