From professors to the University Council to the Dutch House of Representatives: everyone wants universities to shake off big tech. How is UT keeping pace?
‘When we talk about digital sovereignty, that’s a topic universities have been discussing for maybe ten years already. This year, driven by various geopolitical developments, the debate really accelerated: is it wise to be so dependent on external parties? We fully support this movement and are actively working on it. But it’s important to note: as a university, you can’t reinvent the wheel on your own. This is an issue we need to tackle nationally – if not at the European level.’
National ICT organisation SURF will soon launch a pilot with the NextCloud platform. What’s the plan?
‘We’re taking part. The details aren’t final yet, but it looks like the pilot will start early next year. UT staff don’t need to do anything for now; we’ll inform them later. We already see interest in using NextCloud software, even from entire research groups.’
What makes NextCloud an interesting alternative?
‘It’s a small European company offering a layered package in an integrated environment. NextCloud includes data storage, an Office-like suite, and meeting software similar to Teams. Still – from what I’ve seen – NextCloud may be a step back in terms of functionality and performance compared to Microsoft. The pilot will show how well such an alternative works here. And NextCloud is just one of the options we’re exploring. There may be other interesting providers.’
Meanwhile, we still rely heavily on Microsoft software…
‘Exactly. And we have good experiences with Microsoft – we shouldn’t forget that. Plus, Microsoft doesn’t want Europe to switch en masse to alternatives, because 40 percent of its market is here. The company has every reason to keep that market and serve it well. On the other hand, the reality is that Microsoft, as an American company, must comply with US law. That recently affected the International Criminal Court, which switched to an alternative (the chief prosecutor suddenly couldn’t access his email due to US sanctions, ed.). If you store files on OneDrive at UT, there’s a chance the US government could access them under the Patriot Act. That’s the reality we face.’
How do we reduce that dependency?
‘Through initiatives like the NextCloud pilot. Our strategy at LISA is risk-based: where is dependency greatest, and how do we ensure at least a temporary solution – should we face a situation like the International Criminal Court? We need to guarantee UT’s continuity.’
A year from now, where will we be?
‘It’s going to be an interesting year. The NextCloud pilot will be completed. We’re also working on a project for a fully sovereign workplace, with a Linux PC and LibreOffice. Scaling up is the big challenge in all cases: how do we create something that works for a large organisation with more than fifteen thousand devices?
Meanwhile, developments around AI also touch on digital sovereignty. And you see Europe aiming for greater sovereignty geopolitically through the EuroStack movement, from raw materials to chips. It’s interesting to see how urgent this topic has become in such a short time, with university boards and IT departments joining forces to develop a shared digitalisation strategy. As I said: we can’t do it alone as a university. Everyone seems to understand that message.’
