How Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences prepares students for European cloud independence
- Customer since: Nov, 2024
- Industry: Education
- Size: 1000+ employees
- HQ: Amsterdam
Peter Odenhoven
I'm Peter Odenhoven (66) and have been a lecturer at HBO ICT of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences for 16 years. I have been closely involved in developing the learning objectives for the Cloud Engineer profile. Since 2021, students who choose this profile can be trained in various skills relating to analysis, advisory, design, realisation, and monitoring of a range of possible cloud services.
Dutch university partners with Cyso Cloud to teach students cloud computing beyond American hyperscalers, preparing the next generation for Europe's digital sovereignty challenge.
Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences has been working with Cyso Cloud to introduce European cloud infrastructure into its technical curriculum. This leading Dutch institution offers nine different study profiles, including a specialised cloud computing track. The university's technical curriculum traditionally centred on American hyperscalers, following an industry standard approach that most Dutch universities adopt. But as geopolitical tensions reshape the technology landscape, the institution recognised a critical gap in their educational mission.
Peter Odenhoven, lecturer ICT at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, guided the introduction of European cloud infrastructure into the curriculum alongside student Mees, who experienced the transition firsthand. With support from Cyso Cloud Platform Engineer Noa Omer, the partnership demonstrates how educational institutions can break free from hyperscaler dependency, whilst providing students with a deeper technical understanding.
About Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and the cloud computing programme
The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences structures its technical education around nine study profiles. Within the cloud profile, the programme traditionally operated as a "Microsoft club" with established contracts for student credits on Azure. However, this is set to change. The programme is now incorporating Cyso Cloud into the curriculum.
Discover our Cloud platformThe challenge: preparing students for a world beyond American cloud dominance
Five years ago, the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences began its American cloud journey. The pattern seemed straightforward: teach students the platforms they'd encounter in the workplace. Then Trump returned to office, and everything changed.
"That made a huge difference for how Europe perceived dependency on American companies," Odenhoven notes. "I suspect the desire for independence from American hyperscalers will only grow, given the geopolitical tensions."
What started as occasional conversations about American cloud providers became urgent discussions. "Two years ago, there were some voices here and there wondering if we could move away from those American companies. Over the past year, that urgency and those voices have only increased."
The challenge wasn't technical. The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences had the expertise to teach any platform. The challenge was strategic: how do you prepare students for a European technology landscape that's actively trying to reduce American dependency? Dutch employers in housing, healthcare, and government increasingly demanded European infrastructure. Students graduating with only Azure and AWS knowledge found themselves unprepared for conversations about digital sovereignty and data residency.
Odenhoven and several colleagues within the HvA share an ambition: to shift from a curriculum where everyone knows only Azure, to one where every student understands at least one European provider. “I'd say we're currently at perhaps 20% or 30% on our way there,” Odenhoven explains.
Discovering Cyso Cloud: European infrastructure meets educational partnership
The path to Cyso Cloud emerged from careful evaluation of European alternatives. The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences explored various European cloud providers, attracted by their sovereignty credentials and competitive pricing. They even built test environments.
But a critical gap emerged: what happens when something goes wrong and the lecturer doesn't have the answer? Educational institutions face a unique challenge. Unlike companies with dedicated infrastructure teams, universities need external expertise they can rely on. Students experiment, break things, and ask questions that textbooks don't cover.
What differentiated Cyso Cloud was the combination of technical capability and educational understanding. When the university needed specific Managed Kubernetes configurations for student projects, the response was direct and helpful.
"What I found particularly pleasant was the support side," Odenhoven explains. "If students run into something and we don't know the answer, we can just contact Noa or someone else at Cyso, and we actually always get a reasonably quick response."
The partnership started with a straightforward approach: take an existing project, adapt it for Cyso Cloud infrastructure, and see how students respond.
Implementation: from Azure foundation to European cloud proficiency
The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences took a measured approach to integrating Cyso Cloud into their curriculum. Rather than replacing American hyperscalers entirely, they created a pathway where students gain experience with both American hyperscalers and European alternatives.
"The first three weeks, everyone practises on Azure, and after that they move to a platform for the project they're assigned to.” After those initial weeks on Azure, students increasingly work on projects running on European cloud infrastructure.
The transition revealed an interesting dynamic. Azure's highly abstracted interface makes it easy to get started. Cyso Cloud's approach requires more practical configuration. Students need to think about networking, resource allocation, and infrastructure design.
When working with hyperscalers, everything is a bit more abstract. But with Cyso, you're forced to understand the underlying theory a bit better. With Azure, you can just follow the documentation and get away with not understanding the underlying technology very well.
The "disadvantage" became the feature. Students gained deeper technical understanding, because the Cyso Cloud platform didn't abstract everything away.
Results: deeper learning through European cloud experience
The partnership between Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and Cyso Cloud delivered outcomes that extended beyond technical skills. Students gained perspective on the European technology landscape whilst developing practical expertise with cloud infrastructure.
Student perspective: straightforward, but challenging in the right ways
Mees entered the cloud semester with no prior cloud experience. His assessment reveals the educational value of the European approach.
"That semester was actually the first time I got acquainted with the cloud. So it was all new to me. I first worked with Azure, and then I could experience Cyso. I didn't find it much more difficult per se. I actually found working with Cyso Cloud quite straightforward."
The documentation gap, inevitable when comparing a European provider to a trillion-dollar company, was offset by direct access to support. "If you run into something somewhere and you can't find it in the documentation, you can just email or call. And then you actually always get a response. With the large parties, you're dealing with tickets and waiting times."
The more deliberate approach with Cyso Cloud forced students to think carefully about resource usage, mirroring real-world scenarios where businesses manage cloud spending carefully. "And I actually think that's also an advantage, because students need to learn that too," Odenhoven notes. "In practice, you're not just going to leave everything running."
Growing awareness among students
The programme's broader goal, preparing students for a European technology landscape focused on digital sovereignty, shows early progress. The awareness gap persists particularly in younger students, but maturity develops over time.
We teach students in the second, third and last year of their bachelors, and usually students are more aware of data-privacy concerns after their internship than before. At some point, students start thinking about these issues themselves, and that requires a certain level of seniority and hands-on experience.
By exposing students to European alternatives early, the university plants seeds that mature during professional experience.
Looking ahead: expanding European cloud education
The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences plans to continue and expand its partnership with Cyso Cloud. Students begin their next cloud computing project in the first week of March 2026.
"We find it very important that we become acquainted with Cyso Cloud, and to realise real projects for students to work on and learn from it." The approach remains pragmatic: start with proven projects, adapt them for European infrastructure, and learn from the experience.
Students currently work with managed Kubernetes in educational test environments. Mees articulated what he'd like to learn next: "I would be very interested in those unmanaged clusters. Maybe go further into how you can better secure things in reality. Now you do it purely in a test environment." The request reveals maturity in thinking. Students want to understand production-grade infrastructure, moving beyond abstracted services to understanding real infrastructure management.
Practical guidance: what other universities can learn
Peter Odenhoven's experience offers practical guidance for universities considering similar transitions.
The goal isn't to replace existing cloud-platforms. "The goal is that those basic skills and introduction will run via a European provider, so that instead of 'everyone knows how hyperscalers work', we move to 'everyone knows at least one European provider'," Odenhoven clarifies. This balanced approach lets students understand both models.
For educational institutions, starting small makes sense. The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences selected specific projects, adapted them for European cloud infrastructure, and evaluated results before expanding.
The strongest argument for European cloud education isn't just technical. It's also strategic. "I think students should know that," Odenhoven states firmly. "That's part of social orientation." Students need to understand the geopolitical context shaping technology decisions. By the time they face real-world infrastructure decisions, they'll have the context to understand why organisations choose European providers.
Take action: prepare your students for European digital independence
Is your educational institution still teaching cloud computing exclusively through American platforms? The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences demonstrates that introducing European cloud alternatives delivers deeper technical learning whilst preparing students for a technology landscape increasingly concerned with sovereignty.
The partnership with Cyso Cloud shows that European providers can support educational needs with responsive support, flexible infrastructure, and commitment to helping students understand technology beyond abstracted interfaces.
Schedule a discovery call
