A day when everything came together
Sometimes you visit an event that broadens your view of technology, data and society in one fell swoop. Yesterday was such a day. Nextcloud Enterprise Day 2025 In The Hague it became clear that open source is no longer a technical hobby, but a strategic and even political instrument. The level of the speakers, the frank discussions and the many unexpected encounters make this event unforgettable.
‘IT is political!’ – Frank Karlitschek
European Sovereignty in the Cloud
Frank Karlitschek, CEO of Nextcloud, kicked off with a sharp argument about digital autonomy. He reminded us how IT grew from hobby to power factor. His analysis of geopolitical dependence on US tech companies was razor-sharp: “We call data the new oil, but we give it away to Silicon Valley.”
“If we have no control over our software, we have no control over our future.”
Municipalities are already participating – often without knowing it
Ruben van der Linde I managed to surprise the audience with a striking observation: Many Dutch municipalities use Nextcloud al – through the initiative Common ground – but they are not always fully aware of it. This is a positive surprise: the foundation for digital sovereignty is already there, often without being recognised as such. It shows how open source is making its way into the public sector unnoticed, and that there is now an opportunity to use that foundation more consciously and strategically.
“Many municipalities Already working with Nextcloud – all they have to do is start to realise.’
Research as a Public Good
Hendri Hondorp and Ard Kosters The University of Twente presented a model for the sustainable unlocking of research data. Their approach underlined the importance of open standards and scalable platforms such as Nextcloud.
“Data ages, but knowledge only dies when you lock it up.”
The technology under the hood
Boris Schliesse showed how Nextcloud can be architecturally scaled for virtually unlimited growth. His technical explanation was clear, substantiated and gave confidence in the robustness of the platform.
“Scalability is not a luxury, it is a prerequisite for trust.”
Education, data and trust
From SURF shared Ron Trompert and Narges Zarrabi how educational institutions in the Netherlands store their data via Nextcloud. A textbook example of how privacy-friendly cloud solutions work at scale in practice.
“Education demands freedom, and freedom demands control over your data.”
Take care first, then technique
Jeroen Agten and Ronald Maatman of the Hospital Group Twente gave an impressive insight into five years of experience with Nextcloud in a healthcare environment. Ronald is a former colleague of mine, which made the conversation extra valuable. What stood out was their emphasis on user adoption: technology should not be ‘deployed’, but worn by doctors, nurses and support staff.
The choices of the hospital are not primarily motivated by cost or convenience, but by moral considerations: Patient data doesn't belong on Big Tech servers. Transparency, control and ownership weighed more heavily than the shortest route or the cheapest provider – even though Nextcloud turned out to be economically successful in the end.
“We don’t choose what is easiest, but what is right – and then make sure it works.” – Ronald Maatman
Functionality with vision
Fabien Germain gave an impressive overview of the functions of Nextcloud within large organizations. His story bridged the gap between IT and governance.
“Functionality is only valuable if you know why you are using it.”
The Art of Presenting
Jos Poortvliet spoke about Nextcloud Talk, Especially when it comes to how you tell a story. His presentation was one of the smoothest I've ever seen. I'm definitely going to ask him how he does that.
“Presenting is not a trick, it is connecting.”
The Curse of Big Tech
The end of the day, Reijer Passchier, left no chip quite of the naive belief in big tech. His speech on lobbyism, regulation and the abuse of money and power made a deep impression.
“As long as money rules prevail, we will remain hostages of big tech.”
Meetings that linger
In addition to the keynotes, there were the spontaneous meetings. I walked Florent Saboutin against the body – yes, that of my previous blog about the WebWinkel Vakdagen. Of course we took a selfie.
I also spoke with Sebastiaan Veld (XIXO) and Erik Kemp, councillor in Enschede. Our conversation about open source went so deep that we didn't leave the venue until 20:00 - an hour after closing. The train to Twente with Erik was long, but full of insights.
“Sometimes the best conversations are not planned, but deserved.”
Finally: The list is growing
I kept a big ToDo list on this day, a large LinkedIn network (yes, ironically via Microsoft), and especially: More motivation than ever to put open source into practice.
“The future is open – if we dare to build it.”
English (UK)