For Those a Little Behind the Scenes: Building a Self-Hosted AI Hub

May 2026

Introduction

This website, atkatana.com, is my private MVP for how not to get locked in. It is a mental exercise given some legs in a digital world where I value privacy, security, and cost control — which means balancing your efforts across multiple domains and making informed choices. I also want to express my support for the open-source community and the balance between COTS, OSS, and build-your-own initiatives that I have been a part of my entire career.

These pages are self-hosted, built as a learning exercise with a purpose. Atkatana.com represents a hands-on approach to IT Leadership and Enterprise Architecture, built entirely on my own terms. It is an evolving work in progress — please feel free to check in as often as you like.

The Tech Stack

This site is not hosted on a cloud giant's server farm. It resides on a home lab network, secured with SSL and managed by me. The magic behind these pages is powered by a local AI stack:

• OpenCode: For code generation and structural logic.
• Hermes + Ollama: For local model inference and chat interactions.
• Qwen: Running directly on my hardware to handle complex reasoning and content creation.

Why Self-Host?

The decision to build this site myself was driven by a need for data sovereignty. In IT, we often discuss security in terms of perimeter defense, but true security starts with ownership. By avoiding lock-in to LinkedIn or other single sources, I ensure that my professional identity and resources remain accessible to me regardless of third-party policies.

What to Expect

This site serves as a hub. It is currently minimal, but that is by design. I want to avoid clutter and focus on substance.

• Resources: Links to my detailed work on LinkedIn and GitHub.
• Blog: Exactly what you are reading now.
• Updates: A place to track my AI agent experiments and strategy notes.

Conclusion

I built this with AI agents to show that automation and independence can coexist. If you are an IT leader looking to leverage AI without losing control, feel free to reach out.