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Productivity

Workspace & Productivity

Your files, documents, passwords, and email — on infrastructure your business owns, not rented month to month from a vendor.

The per-seat cost that compounds every time you hire

Most businesses reach a point where their productivity tool costs have quietly become a significant line item. Google Workspace Business Standard is $12 per user per month. Dropbox Business is $20 per user per month. A password manager like 1Password adds another $8 per user. At 30 people, that stack costs over $12,000 per year for tools you do not own, running on servers you cannot inspect, priced to increase as your team grows.

The tools themselves are not the problem. The problem is the ownership model. Every file your team creates, every document your clients collaborate on, every password your engineering team stores. All of it lives in databases controlled by companies whose interests are not yours. When pricing changes, your data is the leverage.

What we deploy

We deploy a complete self-hosted productivity environment tailored to your team's size and workflows. File storage and sharing via Nextcloud, with desktop sync clients, mobile access, and direct sharing links that work exactly like Google Drive or Dropbox. Document and spreadsheet collaboration via OnlyOffice, integrated directly into Nextcloud so your team edits files together in real time without leaving the platform.

For password and secrets management, we deploy Vaultwarden, a self-hosted implementation of the Bitwarden protocol compatible with all Bitwarden desktop and mobile clients. Your team's passwords, SSH keys, API credentials, and secure notes live on your server, accessible only to the people you authorise.

For teams that produce technical or academic documents, we deploy Overleaf Community Edition, a self-hosted collaborative LaTeX editor. For business email, we deploy Mailcow or iRedMail with full SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration, so your email delivers reliably from day one.

Every component integrates with the others. Single sign-on across all tools means your team logs in once and accesses everything.

Migration from Google Workspace

We handle the full migration before you cancel anything. Google Drive files, shared drives, calendars, contacts, and email history move to the new environment in the background while your team continues working normally. We run old and new systems in parallel. Your team tests the new environment with their actual data before any cutover happens.

When the team confirms they're comfortable, we cut over. Your Google Workspace subscription cancels. The new environment is the only one. For a 20 to 50 person team this process typically takes two to three weeks from start to cutover.

Team training and ongoing support

We run a live onboarding session with your team covering the tasks they do every day and how they work in the new environment. The session is recorded for new hires. We write a short reference guide for the ten most common actions.

After migration, we apply security updates, verify backups, renew certificates, and monitor the environment under our monthly support retainer. Your team uses the tools. We keep them running.

What you can expect

Outcomes of this engagement

  • No per-seat costs for files, documents, email, or passwords
  • Full data migration before any existing subscription is cancelled
  • Real-time document collaboration via OnlyOffice
  • Self-hosted password management compatible with Bitwarden clients
  • Business email with full deliverability configuration
  • Team onboarding session and written documentation included

Estimated savings

What teams typically save

Based on current public pricing for the tools workspace & productivity replaces. Server costs shown are estimates — actual costs depend on your hosting provider.

20 people
Currently paying$580/mo
After migration~$25/mo
Monthly saving$555/mo
Annual saving$6,660/yr

Setup cost recovered in ~2 months of savings.

Google WorkspaceDropbox1Password
50 people
Currently paying$1,450/mo
After migration~$40/mo
Monthly saving$1,410/mo
Annual saving$16,920/yr

Setup cost recovered in under 1 month of savings.

Google WorkspaceDropbox1Password
100 people
Currently paying$2,900/mo
After migration~$60/mo
Monthly saving$2,840/mo
Annual saving$34,080/yr

Setup cost recovered in under 1 month of savings.

Google WorkspaceDropbox1Password

* Current costs based on public pricing as of 2026. Your actual costs may vary. Server costs are billed directly by your hosting provider — not by TrySelfHost.

TrySelfHost

Discuss Workspace

A strategy call covers whether this engagement makes sense for your current infrastructure and business stage. No sales pitch — a direct assessment of fit.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

How different is Nextcloud from Google Drive day to day?

For most teams, the adjustment is minor. File syncing, sharing, folder organisation, and mobile access all work the same way. The main difference visitors notice is that the interface is slightly less polished than Google Drive. Teams are typically comfortable within a few days. The document editing experience in OnlyOffice is closer to Microsoft Word than Google Docs, which is an advantage for teams that share files with clients.

Does Vaultwarden work with existing Bitwarden apps?

Yes. Vaultwarden is fully compatible with all official Bitwarden clients: the browser extension, desktop app, iOS app, and Android app all connect to your self-hosted server without modification. Your team installs the standard Bitwarden client and points it at your server URL.

What happens to our Google Drive files during migration?

We migrate them before any DNS or account changes. Your files, shared drives, and folder structure are copied into Nextcloud while Google Drive is still active. Your team accesses both during the parallel testing period. Nothing is deleted from Google until you confirm the migration is complete and the subscription is cancelled.

Can we add users without changing our costs?

Yes. There is no per-user licensing on any component of this stack. Adding a new hire costs nothing in licensing. The only cost that grows with your team is the marginal storage and compute they use on the server, which is negligible at most team sizes.

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