Daily Post Mar 17 2025
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A tech story
Here is a story that was experienced about a month ago when I was doing a seminar about FOSS at a local event, as a business owner if you can relate to this you should seriously think about exploring FOSS or other alternatives. For the sake of privacy I will do a broad stroke explanation , this story is in Japan
The Setup
Picture a thriving small construction company with about 50 employees. They've been doing well financially and decided to establish an online presence a few years ago. To achieve this, they contracted a web development company to build and deploy a WordPress website for them.
The website consisted of a few static pages and one dynamic page that they wanted to update regularly with new information. The initial costs were as follows:
- ¥400,000 for initial setup and design
- ¥9,000 for ongoing monthly maintenance
However, the contract came with some significant restrictions:
- Only the web development company had admin privileges
- The client was limited to 4 user accounts
- Updates were restricted to once per month
The Turning Point
As the construction company grew, the owner recognized the need for website analytics to better understand their online presence and make data-driven decisions. Thinking about this potential for growth, they reached out to the web development company to request this feature.
The web development company's response was less than ideal:
- ¥50,000 one-time deployment charge for the analytics feature
- An additional ¥1,000 added to the monthly maintenance fee
If you are a tech person and you use WordPress, I feel your pain in reading this.
The new direction
This construction company initially attended the seminar out of sheer curiosity. However, as we explored various FOSS solutions during the session, they were stunned to discover that WordPress is open-source software.
They were even more shocked to realize that the hefty fees they had been paying to the web development company were for something they could have managed themselves—with significantly lower costs.
All it would take was a bit of training for their team to understand the available options and how to deploy and maintain these solutions effectively. This eye-opening moment marked the beginning of a new direction for their business, one that empowered them to take control of their tools and reduce unnecessary expenses.
What did they do?
Inspired by their newfound knowledge, the construction company took decisive action to change their strategy:
1. Investing in Education
The company prioritized training their team to better understand FOSS and the available technologies. Our team was proud to be part of this educational process, empowering their staff with valuable skills and knowledge.
2. Taking Control of Their Digital Presence
They invested in training their team to deploy and secure their own WordPress site. This strategic move gave them complete access to their site and all associated data, allowing them to add features as needed without relying on external parties.
3. Optimizing Hosting Solutions
The company chose to use Akamai and Linode for their VPS hosting, resulting in a significant cost reduction:
- Current hosting costs: Around ¥1500 per month
4. Embracing FOSS Advocacy
Today, they consult with FOSS advocate companies like mintarc and other local FOSS experts here in Japan. These partnerships help guide them in making informed, strategic decisions about their technology stack.As well as build their growing interest in FOSS and giving back.
Long-Term Benefits
When they decided to take this proactive approach, the company has achieved several advantages:
- Significantly lowered their long-term technology expenses.
- Took on more control of their digital assets in a positive, strategic manner.
- Freed themselves from restrictive subscription contracts.
When implemented with careful thought and strategic planning, FOSS can be a positive success among small companies.