Last week, the CloudStack European User Group took place in The Hague. With a record number of attendees, it officially became the largest CloudStack User Group event to date.

Hosted by CBS – Statistics Netherlands, and supported by ShapeBlue and Cyso Group, the event brought together cloud experts, researchers, technology providers, and many professionals attending their very first CloudStack community event.

The day was packed with technical sessions, insightful discussions, and opportunities for collaboration across the open-source cloud ecosystem.

 

Welcome to the CloudStack European User Group – Ivet Petrova, ShapeBlue

Ivet Petrova opened the event with an introduction to the Apache CloudStack community, highlighting the platform’s growth, goals, and future direction.

The session focused on fostering collaboration around cloud technologies, including hypervisors, storage solutions, and ecosystem integrations, while showcasing the strength of the CloudStack community.

 

CBS Digital Sovereignty Strategy – Erik Logtenberg, CBS

Representing Statistics Netherlands, Erik Logtenberg shared how digital sovereignty is becoming a strategic priority for public sector organizations.

Attendees gained insight into how the Dutch national statistics office approaches cloud independence, resilience, and long-term infrastructure control, while reducing dependency on external vendors without compromising flexibility or performance.

What’s New in Apache CloudStack – Release and Features Overview – Boris Stoyanov, ShapeBlue

Boris Stoyanov explored the latest Apache CloudStack 4.23 release and its newest features and enhancements.

The session highlighted improvements in performance, usability, and scalability, and provided practical guidance on applying these updates in real-world environments to maximise the value of CloudStack deployments.

 

A Deep Dive into the Integration of CloudStack and Ceph Primary Storage – Wido den Hollander, Your.Online

Wido den Hollander delivered a deep dive into integrating Apache CloudStack with Ceph as primary storage — widely regarded as a gold standard for organisations building reliable, open-source IaaS platforms.

The session covered architecture, deployment patterns, and key design considerations for building scalable and resilient cloud environments. Attendees also gained practical insights into performance optimisation, high availability, and operational best practices, supported by lessons learned from more than a decade of hands-on experience with both technologies.

Digital Sovereignty in Practice: Building a High-Performance Cloud Without Vendor Lock-In – Swen Brüseke, ProIO

Swen Brüseke explored why digital sovereignty has evolved from a buzzword into a critical strategy for enterprises.

The presentation focused on how ProIO has relied on Apache CloudStack since 2013 to build high-performance, cost-effective private cloud platforms free from vendor lock-in. Swen also shared technical insights into their infrastructure stack, from LINBIT-based hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) to the company’s strategic partnership with ShapeBlue.

LINSTOR as CloudStack Primary Storage: From Theory to Production War Stories – Rene Peinthor, LINBIT

Rene Peinthor introduced LINSTOR-SDS before diving into real-world production challenges, operational lessons, and practical strategies for avoiding common pitfalls when deploying LINSTOR with CloudStack.

Kubernetes Is Not the New VM: Choosing the Right Abstraction for Modern Infrastructure – Stoil Sotilov, StorPool Storage

In this session, Stoil Sotilov challenged the common assumption that Kubernetes replaces virtual machines.

Instead, the talk presented a practical framework for deciding when to use Kubernetes and when virtual machines remain the better choice — particularly in CloudStack environments. The session explored differences in isolation, lifecycle management, networking, and operational complexity, while highlighting real-world scenarios where each technology performs best.

Safeguarding Apache CloudStack – Data Protection & Recovery Powered by Commvault – Marc De Schepper, Commvault

Marc De Schepper demonstrated how Commvault enhances Apache CloudStack with enterprise-grade data protection and recovery capabilities.

The session provided insight into Commvault’s broader portfolio while showcasing strategies for building cyber resilience through practical implementation blueprints and live demonstrations.

CloudStack Multisite Networking – Noa Omer, Cyso Group

Noa Omer presented how Cyso Cloud deploys Apache CloudStack to establish multisite networking across two geographically distributed regions.

The presentation covered cross-region zone interconnectivity, network fabric design, and routing configuration, alongside an honest discussion of operational complexities, challenges, and outcomes.

From VMware to CloudStack/KVM: A Structured Migration Strategy with Minimal Downtime – Ingo Jochim & Prashanth Reddy, ShapeBlue

Ingo Jochim and Prashanth Reddy presented a practical and structured approach to migrating from VMware to Apache CloudStack with KVM.

As organisations increasingly look to reduce vendor lock-in and regain infrastructure control, the session explored the full migration lifecycle — from environment discovery and planning to testing and large-scale execution.

A key focus was minimising downtime through techniques such as warm migration, pre-staged bulk data transfer, and short cutover windows using delta synchronisation.

 

CBS – Our CloudStack Journey – Abdurrahman Ali & Perry Smolenaars, CBS

The event concluded with Abdurrahman Ali and Perry Smolenaars sharing the CloudStack journey of Statistics Netherlands.

They discussed when and why CBS decided to adopt Apache CloudStack, the challenges encountered along the way, and the benefits the organization has achieved through its open-source cloud strategy.

Session recordings will be available soon.

Continuing Our Commitment

At ShapeBlue, we are proud to once again stand alongside the Apache CloudStack community as both sponsors and contributors. Events like the CloudStack European User Group demonstrate the strength of open collaboration and the value of openly sharing expertise and innovation.

Together with our partners, we remain committed to supporting the global growth and adoption of Apache CloudStack.

We would like to thank all speakers, sponsors, and attendees for making this event such a success. We look forward to the next opportunity to come together as a community.

The next major event is the CloudStack Collaboration Conference — the largest annual CloudStack event — taking place from 18–20 November in Edinburgh. Don’t miss it.

 

A gallery from the event in The Hague: