Throughout December, we ran a daily Advent series exploring alternatives to US Big Tech products and platforms. The goal was not to reject technology, innovation, or convenience — but to ask an increasingly important question: who controls our data, and on what terms?
Privacy concerns, opaque data flows, vendor lock-in, and the growing use of personal and organisational data for secondary purposes (including AI training) have made many organisations rethink long-standing defaults. At the same time, the idea of digital sovereignty — particularly in Europe — has moved from theory into practice.
What we found is encouraging: there are credible, mature alternatives across almost every layer of the modern digital stack — many of them open source, and many based in the EU.
Below is a recap of the Advent calendar, grouped into four themed weeks.
Week 1 — Productivity & Everyday Tools
Regain control over daily workflows without sacrificing usability.
Day
Topic
Brief description
1
Cloud storage
Nextcloud as an alternative to Google’s ecosystem, extending beyond Drive into collaboration and sync.
2
Mobile operating systems
GrapheneOS as a privacy-focused alternative to Android and iOS.
3
Office suites
LibreOffice and OnlyOffice instead of Microsoft 365 for documents and collaboration.
4
Search engines
DuckDuckGo, Qwant, Startpage, Brave Search, Mojeek, Swisscows as alternatives to Google and Bing.
5
Edge & web security
Alternatives to Cloudflare, highlighting concentration risk and provider choice.
6
Password managers
Bitwarden and Passbolt instead of proprietary password vaults.
7
Email & groupware
Proton Mail and Zimbra as privacy-respecting alternatives to Gmail and Exchange.
Week 2 — Browsers, Communication & Platforms
Public communication doesn’t have to mean total data extraction.
Day
Topic
Brief description
8
Browsers
Brave and LibreWolf as privacy-first alternatives to Chrome and Edge.
9
Messaging platforms
Mastodon, Element, Threema, Wire — decentralised and EU-friendly messaging options.
10
Social networks
Rethinking professional and public communication beyond dominant US platforms.
11
SIEM & log analysis
Wazuh, Graylog, OpenSearch, TheHive/Cortex instead of closed SIEM stacks.
12
Video conferencing
Jitsi Meet and BigBlueButton instead of Zoom or Teams.
13
Professional networks
Xing and Fediverse profiles as alternatives to LinkedIn’s data-driven model.
14
Backup & archiving
BorgBackup and Restic as practical alternatives for transparent backups and recovery.
Week 3 — Infrastructure & Security Foundations
Resilience starts with ownership and visibility.
Day
Topic
Brief description
15
Vulnerability scanning
OpenVAS as an alternative to commercial vulnerability scanners.
16
Security telemetry
Practical deployment of open logging and security telemetry tooling.
17
Endpoint visibility
OSQuery and Velociraptor for transparent endpoint visibility and investigations.
18
Desktop operating systems
Linux distributions as alternatives to Windows and macOS for certain roles and users.
19
Cloud platforms
Hetzner, OVH, Scaleway instead of AWS, Azure, and GCP, with cost and jurisdiction in mind.
20
Professional social platforms
Privacy-respecting professional presence beyond a single dominant platform.
21
Collaboration tooling
Open and self-hosted collaboration stacks for teams that value control and clarity.
Week 4 — Strategy, AI & Long-Term Independence
Digital sovereignty is a strategic choice — not a checkbox.
Day
Topic
Brief description
22
Server operating systems
AlmaLinux and Ubuntu Server instead of proprietary server platforms, with support and lifecycle planning in mind.
23
AI copilots vs local models
Hosted copilots compared with local or European model options, balancing productivity with data control.
24
Endpoint protection
Wazuh and WithSecure as alternatives to closed EDR platforms such as CrowdStrike and Defender.
Each topic is a practical project to explore during the Christmas season — and a strong starting point for more resilient choices in 2026.
How BaseFortify Helps
If you’re evaluating alternatives, it helps to understand your exposure and priorities first. BaseFortify supports that decision-making by turning vulnerability information into clear, actionable insights: identify which components matter most, understand risk in context, and translate findings into practical mitigation steps for real-world environments. Whether you’re modernising your stack, reducing dependency, or improving security posture, BaseFortify helps you stay structured and focused.
Follow and join the discussion on our channels:
