Mandara Systems

Your own cloud & storage

Your own cloud – set up and looked after. On your hardware.

Photos, documents, contacts and calendars in one place that belongs to you – not at Google, Microsoft or behind a Synology subscription. I build you your own cloud on TrueNAS and Nextcloud, set it up and keep it running. You keep control, without having to become a sysadmin yourself.

Free initial consultation What I do

Sound familiar?

Your data – but not in your hands

  • Google Photos and Drive keep getting more expensive – and sit on US servers.
  • Synology locks you in with its own drives and add-on subscriptions.
  • You want away from the big cloud – but not to become a full-time admin.
  • Self-hosting eats your weekends – and breaks at the worst moment.

What I do for you

Your own cloud that simply runs

Your own cloud (Nextcloud)

Files, calendars, contacts and office documents – synced across all devices, shared with family or team.

Self-hosted photos (Immich)

The Google Photos experience – automatic backup from the phone, albums, faces, search – but on your hardware.

Storage with TrueNAS + ZFS

An open foundation without a proprietary vendor OS. Checksums against data decay, snapshots against ransomware.

Set up & looked after

Backups, updates and monitoring I handle – the middle ground between an expensive subscription and DIY stress.

Why this way

It belongs to you – and stays in Switzerland

Data in Switzerland

On your hardware or Swiss servers – no US corporation, no silent reading along.

No lock-in

No proprietary OS, no forced drives, open formats – switchable at any time.

No admin stress

I set it up and look after it – you simply use it, as usual.

What "looked after" means

Your own cloud that you don't have to worry about

The biggest difference between your own cloud and a weekend tinkering project is the care. "Set up and looked after" means: I keep the system running in the background so you simply use it. Concretely, I take over the updates for the operating system and applications (Nextcloud, Immich, TrueNAS), check regularly that storage, backups and services are healthy, and step in before a small thing turns into an outage. Backups run automatically on the 3-2-1 principle – several copies, one of them off-site – and I check that these backups can actually be restored in an emergency. So control stays with you, but the work stays with me.

You can reach your files and photos from anywhere – not only on the home network. I set up remote access securely, either via a protected web address with its own certificate or via an encrypted tunnel (WireGuard) straight to your system. The phone uploads new photos automatically, the documents are there as usual on the laptop abroad, and no one else sees along. Anyone sharing with family or a team gets separate accounts and selectively shared folders instead of a single collective login.

And if you ever want to end the care? Then the system still belongs to you fully – that is the heart of sovereignty. It sits on your hardware, uses open software and stores in open formats, so nothing is tied to me. The care is a service, not a lock-in: you can pause it, continue it yourself or hand it to someone else. I hand over access and documentation so that this step is possible at any time – entirely without pressure and without your data being "held hostage".

Price

Honestly calculated

Indicative · by capacity & hardware
  • Hardware once instead of a growing monthly subscription
  • Neutral hardware recommendation, 3-2-1 backup included
  • Migration of your data from Google/Synology included
  • Optional ongoing care – a concrete quote after the consultation

Process

Four steps to your own cloud

Initial consultation

We clarify needs and data volume – no obligation.

Concept & quote

Hardware, storage, backup – clearly planned.

Setup & migration

Build and move your data.

Operation & backup

Looked after and backed up on request.

Common questions

Good to know

Synology or open? Read the comparison TrueNAS vs Synology.

What does your own cloud really cost?
Your own cloud consists of a one-off investment – hardware plus setup – and, optionally, an affordable ongoing care plan. In exchange, the growing monthly subscription disappears, the kind that gets more expensive with every extra person and every gigabyte on Google One or Synology C2. That comparison is exactly what makes the difference: a subscription runs forever, an own solution is largely paid off after purchase. Depending on data volume and number of users it often pays for itself after two to three years, and you save continuously after that. I won't quote a blanket indicative figure, because it depends heavily on storage needs and hardware – you get it after the free initial consultation, in a transparent quote with no hidden costs.
Do my data have to go to Synology or Google?
No. That is precisely the point: everything sits on your own hardware at home or in the office – or, if you prefer, on rented hardware in a Swiss data centre. In both cases the data stay in Switzerland and under your control, rather than on the servers of a US corporation. I get your existing data out of your current cloud for you: photos and files from Google, documents from OneDrive, whole volumes from a Synology NAS. I plan the migration so nothing is lost and you can access your data at any time during the move – in the end everything is in the new place, cleanly sorted and without dependence on a third-party provider.
What about backups and security?
Security is not an add-on but part of the build. The standard is a 3-2-1 backup: at least three copies of your data, on two different media, one of them off-site. That protects you even against theft, fire or a hardware failure. Storage runs on ZFS, a file system with checksums that detects and corrects silent data decay. ZFS snapshots are particularly valuable here: you bring back accidentally deleted or overwritten files with a few clicks and protect yourself effectively against ransomware, because older, immutable states are kept. Encryption is included, and I check regularly that the backups can actually be restored in an emergency – a backup that has never been tested is only a hope.
Do I have to administer it myself?
No – that is the decisive difference from a pure DIY project. On request I take over the ongoing care: updates for the operating system and applications, monitoring of storage and services, plus checking the backups. So you have control over your data, but not the work and not the risk that a forgotten update brings the system down. You simply use your cloud as usual via app and browser; whatever is needed in the background happens at my end. If you are technically inclined and want to do some things yourself, that is also possible – I document everything so that you can take over at any time or end the care later, without ending up in a dependency.
Can I reach my data while I'm out?
Yes – your cloud is not limited to the home network. I set up remote access securely and without a third-party intermediary, in two proven ways: via a protected web address with its own TLS certificate, so you access it via browser or app like any normal web service, or via an encrypted tunnel (WireGuard) straight to your system. In practice that means: the phone automatically uploads new photos while you are out, your documents are there as usual on the laptop abroad, and the traffic is encrypted end to end. Unlike a public cloud, you decide who gets access – there is no provider in between who could read along. Which option suits you better depends on your devices and your comfort preference and is set out in the concept.
Where are the servers located?
You decide. The most common option is a device at your home or office – then the data are physically in your possession and only leave the building for the off-site backup. If you would rather not run your own hardware, for example because of space or a suitable power location, the alternative is rented hardware in a Swiss data centre. In both cases the data stay in Switzerland and are subject to Swiss law, not the reach of foreign authorities. I advise you neutrally on which option fits your needs – by data volume, desired availability and budget. The key point: in no scenario do your data end up with a large US provider, and you keep full control over where they sit at all times.

Contact

Bring your data home

Free, no-obligation initial consultation. Tell me what you want to store – I'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Free initial consultation See example build