01
High Licensing Costs
Expensive licenses for email, collaboration, ERP, HR, payroll, security and more.
Case Study
Driving 50–65% IT Cost Reduction& Digital Transformation with Open Source Infrastructure
A Leading Non-Profit Microfinance Institution in the Philippines
Operating ~1,000 branches across the Philippines, the organization transformed its IT landscape with an integrated open source stack — dramatically reducing costs while improving collaboration, security and operational efficiency.
Open SourceERPNextProxmoxOn-PremiseNon-Profit
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At A Glance
A nationwide nonprofit, in numbers.
~1,000
Branches Nationwide
Thousands
Employees & Field Staff
Diverse
Geographies & Communities
One Goal
Financial Inclusion
The Challenge
A growing nonprofit pressed by costs and complexity.
02
Rising Cloud Expenses
Storage-heavy workloads, always-on compute and multiple cloud subscriptions were driving costs up.
03
Fragmented Systems
Disconnected tools for HR, payroll, projects, approvals and communication.
04
Scalability Constraints
With ~1,000 branches and a growing user base, costs were unsustainable and hard to control.
The Transformation
One stack. Built end-to-end on open source.
- 1
Adopted a unified open source ecosystem across infrastructure, security, productivity and business applications.
- 2
Migrated from multiple proprietary and cloud-based solutions to a secure, scalable and cost-efficient on-premise environment.
- 3
Enabled seamless collaboration, digital approvals and centralized operations for all branches.
- 4
Achieved significant cost savings while improving control, security and operational visibility.
- 5
On-premises infrastructure ensures data privacy, greater confidentiality and immunity towards external observation.
Our Open Source Technology Ecosystem
A layered stack that serves ~1,000 branches.
Users
~1,000 Branches • Central Office & Remote Operations across the Philippines
Collaboration & Productivity Stack
Nextcloud
File sharing & collaboration
Decisions
Digital approvals & e-signatures
Zimbra
Enterprise email & calendar
Carbonio
Advanced email & collaboration for managers
Business Applications Stack (ERPNext)
ERPNext HRM
HRM & Recruitment
Payroll
Salary, benefits, payouts
Project Mgmt.
Tasks & approvals
Reports
Reports & Analytics
Finance
Finance & Operations
Cybersecurity & Governance Stack
Wazuh
SIEM & Threat Detection
Graylog
Log Management
OpenSCAP
Vulnerability Assessment
Nessus Pro
Network Attack Surface Detection
Nextcloud
Secure Document Mgmt.
Suricata
Network Access Control
Redmine
Workflow Mgmt.
GLPI
Net & Compliance
Infrastructure Layer
Proxmox HCI
Virtualization • Compute • Storage • High Availability
Significant Cost Optimization Achieved
Measurable reductions across every layer.
50–70%
Reduction in Software Licensing Costs
Eliminated multiple SaaS subscriptions including email, collaboration, ERP, HR, payroll, security and productivity tools.
40–60%
Reduction in Cloud Expenses
Migrated storage-heavy workloads and compute from cloud to on-premise infrastructure using Proxmox.
50–65%
Total IT Cost Reduction
Overall savings achieved across software, cloud and operations over the next 3–5 years.
Millions in savings over the next 3–5 years, enabling more resources to reach and empower communities.
Before vs. After Transformation
From fragmented & expensive to unified & efficient.
Before
- Multiple proprietary tools and patch solutions
- High per-user licensing and renewal costs
- Heavy cloud dependency and data outside control
- Manual processes and paper-based approvals
- Limited visibility across branches and operations
- Higher security spend with multiple vendors
After
- Unified open source technology stack
- One-time infrastructure investment + minimal recurring cost
- Centralized on-premise environment with full data sovereignty
- Digital workflows with Decisions for fast approvals
- Real-time visibility and reporting with ERPNext
- Enterprise-grade security without enterprise cost
Business Impact at Scale
Outcomes that reach every branch.
Nationwide
Empowers collaboration and productivity across ~1,000 branches.
Inclusive
Supports diverse communities and beneficiaries with stable, accessible tools.
Secure
Strong on-premise security ensures confidentiality and regulatory readiness.
Scalable
Designed to grow with the organization’s expanding mission and reach.
Why It Matters
Open source. Real impact. Lasting value.
Building secure, scalable and cost-effective IT ecosystems for mission-driven organizations.
More Impact
Lower IT costs mean more resources for community programs and beneficiaries.
Built to Scale
Flexible architecture that grows with the organization, branches, services and people.
Sustainable
Long-term cost-effective IT operations aligned with non-profit mission.
Future-Ready
Open standards, modern technology, foundation built for innovation, expansion and digital resilience.
About Illumia Solutions — We help organizations build secure, scalable and cost-effective IT environments using open source technologies and industry-leading practices.