Frequently asked questions

VPS1 offers three plans. The Starter plan is B$300 per month with a B$1,500 one-time setup fee, covering up to 8 business applications on dedicated VPS infrastructure. The Business plan is B$800 per month with a B$4,500 setup fee, covering up to 20 applications with proactive management and a 4-hour response SLA. The Enterprise plan is custom-priced for unlimited applications, on-premises support, dedicated engineer, and a 1-hour response SLA. All plans include server provisioning, SSL certificates, security hardening, CrowdSec intrusion prevention, 24/7 monitoring and alerting, automated encrypted backups (bi-weekly on Starter, daily on Business and Enterprise) with quarterly restore testing, and helpdesk support. No hidden per-user fees. No surprise charges. The price you see is the price you pay.

The monthly fee covers everything needed to keep your applications running: server provisioning and maintenance, application deployment and configuration, SSL certificate management with automatic renewal, CrowdSec intrusion prevention, automated encrypted backups (bi-weekly on Starter, daily on Business and Enterprise) with quarterly restore testing, 24/7 monitoring and alerting, security patch management, Docker container updates, helpdesk support during Brunei business hours, and a quarterly infrastructure review with recommendations. What is not included: third-party software licences if you choose a paid enterprise tier of an open-source application, and hardware if you choose to host on-premises.

Yes. Enterprise plans include a 1-hour response time and a dedicated engineer. Business plans include priority support with a 4-hour response target. Starter plans include priority email support with an 8-hour response target. All plans include proactive monitoring, which means we often detect and fix issues before you notice them.

Managed self-hosting gives you the benefits of running your own software (complete data ownership, no vendor lock-in, no per-user fees, data in your jurisdiction) without the technical burden. VPS1 handles the server setup, application deployment, security hardening, monitoring, automated backups, and ongoing maintenance. You use the applications the same way you would use SaaS, but the data lives on infrastructure you control, not on servers owned by Google, Microsoft, or any other third party.

We support three deployment models. Cloud VPS is the most common: we provision and manage a VPS at a Singapore or Malaysia data centre for low latency to Brunei. On-premises means we deploy on hardware in your office or a data centre you lease, and we manage it remotely. Bring-your-own-hardware means we configure and manage a server you already own. We also support hybrid setups where some applications run on cloud VPS and others on your on-premises hardware. We will recommend the best model for your budget, performance requirements, and data sovereignty needs.

Yes. Data migration is one of our core services. We handle extracting data from legacy systems and SaaS platforms (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Mailchimp, and most others), transforming it to match the schema of your new open-source applications, and executing the migration with minimal downtime. For email migration, we use imapsync to preserve folder structure, read status, and attachments. For files, we use the destination platform's sync tools. We also set up forwarding during the transition so nothing is lost during the cutover.

Most deployments take two to three weeks from initial consultation to full production. Week one covers architecture planning: we assess your requirements, select the right applications, and provision the server. Weeks two and three cover deployment and configuration: installing applications, configuring SSL and single sign-on, migrating data (if applicable), hardening security, and testing. Larger or more complex deployments with heavy data migration may take longer. We provide a timeline upfront so you know exactly when your new stack will be ready.

You can reach us directly through email, WhatsApp, or phone. There is no ticket portal to navigate. You message us, and we respond. For urgent issues (your website is down, email is not sending), we respond immediately within your plan's SLA. For non-urgent requests (a configuration change, a new user setup), we handle them during the next business day. Every VPS1 client also gets a dedicated Mattermost channel for ongoing communication with our engineering team.

Yes, we support both on-premises hardware management and cloud VPS management. If you have existing hardware or prefer to own your servers, we can configure and manage them remotely. We recommend cloud VPS for most businesses because it eliminates hardware maintenance, power, cooling, and connectivity concerns, but we are hardware-agnostic and will work with whatever infrastructure you prefer.

Yes -- when properly managed, self-hosting can be more secure than using public cloud services because you control the entire security stack. Every VPS1-managed server includes SSH hardening with key-only authentication, CrowdSec intrusion prevention that blocks attackers based on community threat intelligence, a properly configured firewall, automatic security patching, two-factor authentication enforcement through Authelia SSO, and encrypted backups. You control who has access, and every access event is logged. Unlike SaaS platforms where you trust a vendor's security claims, you can independently verify your security posture because the infrastructure is yours.

Yes. Every VPS1-managed server includes automated encrypted backups (bi-weekly on Starter, daily on Business, and continuous on Enterprise) of all application files and databases. Backups are encrypted and stored offsite. We retain backups for 30 days. Every quarter, we run a full restoration drill: we restore your latest backup to a temporary environment and verify that every application starts, every database is consistent, and every file is intact. We provide you with a report confirming the results. A backup that has never been tested is not a backup. We test yours quarterly.

Your data is yours, always. Every application we deploy runs on infrastructure you control. If you decide to leave, we provide a complete data export in standard, portable formats: SQL database dumps, file system archives, and application-specific exports. We also provide documentation of your server configuration so your next provider or in-house team can continue without interruption. There is no lock-in, no data extraction fee, and no minimum contract term beyond the initial 3-month setup period. You can cancel with 30 days notice. We keep clients because our service is good, not because our contracts are hard to leave.

We manage 187+ open-source applications across nine categories: file storage and collaboration, ERP and CRM, project management and productivity, communication, security and IT management, marketing and analytics, helpdesk and customer support, web content and marketing funnels, and AI and workflow automation. This includes Nextcloud, Mattermost, EspoCRM, Vaultwarden, n8n, FreeScout, and many more. Visit our Software page to browse the full catalogue.

Yes. While VPS1 is based in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, we manage servers and cloud instances worldwide. Remote support includes all the same services: architecture planning, deployment, security management, monitoring, and ongoing maintenance. The only difference is that we work with the hosting provider closest to your location for optimal latency. Our team communicates in English and operates during Brunei business hours (UTC+8), with SLA-based after-hours support for critical issues.

Three reasons. First, cost: Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 charge per user per month. A 15-person business on Google Workspace Business Standard pays roughly B$2,160 per year, and that price increases annually. VPS1 charges a fixed monthly fee regardless of how many users you add. Second, data sovereignty: your data stays on infrastructure you control, in a jurisdiction you choose. It is not stored on US servers subject to the US CLOUD Act or scanned for advertising profiles. Third, ownership: you own your data, your files, and your email. When you stop paying Google or Microsoft, your data is still on their servers. With VPS1, you can export it at any time in standard, portable formats, and it has been on your infrastructure the entire time.