Comparison

Ollama for business: DIY vs managed

Ollama is a popular open-source tool for running AI models on your own computer, and it's a great place to start. The question for a business is who sets it up, secures it and keeps it running.

Last updated October 2026

What Ollama does well

Ollama's documentation says it runs locally and that Ollama doesn't see your prompts or data when you run models locally. It's free to download, supports many open models, and can serve them to other apps on your computer.

What a business setup still needs

  • Choosing models that fit your work and your hardware, and testing them with real examples.
  • Sharing it safely: Ollama listens only on the computer it's installed on by default, and opening it to your network is a configuration change you have to secure yourself.
  • A friendly chat interface for staff, user accounts and a way to answer questions from your documents.
  • Updates: Ollama's documentation explains updating the app and models, which someone has to do and test.
  • Deciding which optional online features to use. Ollama also offers models that run on Ollama's servers and documents how to turn those features off.

When DIY is the right call

If you or someone on your team enjoys this work and has the time, a DIY setup can be a good fit. Our guide on running AI locally walks through the steps.

When managed makes sense

If you'd rather nobody on your team becomes the AI administrator, NexoGrid designs the system around your work, installs it on hardware you own, trains your team and keeps it maintained.

At a glance

DIY with OllamaNexoGrid managed
SoftwareFree, open sourceBuilt on open tools, set up for you
Who chooses and tests modelsYouWe do, with your examples
Network setup and accessYou configure itWe set it up and show you what connects
Updates and supportYouWe keep it maintained
How we compare

We sell managed private AI, so read this with that in mind. Facts about other products come from their own documentation, linked below, as we read it in October 2026. Products change; check the current documentation before you decide.

Sources

Related

FAQ

Questions, answered plainly.

Anything else? Ask us on a call; that's what it's for.

Do I need coding to run AI locally?

Doing it yourself usually means some command-line setup and configuration. With NexoGrid you don't need any: we set it up, and your team uses a simple chat app in the browser.

Who fixes it if it breaks?

We do. Managing the system is part of what we offer: we keep software and models maintained, and if something stops working you contact us and we work with you to fix it.

Do you use Ollama?

We choose tools to fit each system and tell you exactly what we install. Open tools like Ollama are often part of it.

Can you take over a setup we started?

Often, yes. We'll look at what you have on our first call and tell you honestly whether it fits what you want to do.

Does my data leave my machine with NexoGrid?

Your prompts and documents are processed on hardware you own, not sent to a public AI service. The system uses the internet for software and model updates, and for remote management if you choose it. We'll show you what connects and why, and we don't look at your documents or chats.

Do you have compliance certifications?

We don't make compliance certifications. If you have regulatory requirements, raise them on a call and we'll tell you plainly what we can and can't help with.

Do you offer an uptime SLA?

Your system runs on hardware you own, so we don't offer an uptime SLA. Cloud hosting is available when it fits your needs.

Let's find where AI fits in your business.

Tell us what's taking your team's time. We'll tell you what AI can do about it, honestly, and what it would take to build and run it.

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