Why Open Source
There’s a reason most of the internet runs on open-source software. Apache, Linux, PostgreSQL, OpenSSL — these aren’t hobbyist projects. They’re the backbone of global infrastructure. They’re maintained by engineers who publish their work for peer review, not behind a license agreement.
I build client infrastructure on open-source platforms whenever it makes sense — not because it’s free, but because it’s inspectable, portable, and nobody can pull the rug out from under you. When your firewall runs OPNsense instead of a proprietary black box, you can see every rule, export every config, and hand it to any qualified engineer if you ever need to. When your file sync runs on Nextcloud instead of a rented cloud subscription, your data stays in your building on your hardware.
Commercial Software Has Its Place
I’m not an ideologue about this. I support Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace where clients need them. Windows Server still runs plenty of line-of-business applications and I maintain those environments too. The point isn’t that commercial software is bad. The point is that you should be choosing it — not defaulting to it because your IT provider only knows one way to do things.
Most MSPs are resellers first and engineers second. They push the stack that pays them the best margin, not the stack that gives the client the most control. That’s a business model, not an engineering decision.
What Ownership Actually Looks Like
When I deploy a Proxmox virtualization cluster, the client owns the hardware and the hypervisor is free, open-source software. There’s no per-socket licensing. No annual renewal that turns your servers into paperweights if you miss a payment. The backups run on Proxmox Backup Server — same deal. Your backup infrastructure doesn’t have a subscription attached to it.
Compare that to a typical MSP setup: licensed hypervisor, licensed backup agent per VM, licensed monitoring per endpoint, licensed antivirus per seat, licensed RMM tool, licensed ticketing system — all billed to you. Most of those tools exist to serve the MSP’s workflow, not yours.
With open-source infrastructure, there’s no vendor holding your environment hostage. If you part ways with me, the next admin inherits clean documentation and standard tools. If you part ways with a typical MSP, you might not even get your own passwords back.
The Real Cost Difference
Open source doesn’t mean zero cost. There’s still hardware, still labor, still maintenance. But the money goes toward building something you keep, not renting something that disappears when you stop paying. Over a five or ten year window, the difference is significant — and you end up with infrastructure you actually own at the end of it.
More importantly, the architecture is yours to audit, yours to extend, and yours to hand off. That’s what infrastructure independence looks like.