The Dutch universities believe they should be less reliant on the American software giants. So, they are setting up a joint committee to promote greater digital autonomy.
(Photo: Sam Rentmeester)
Suddenly being unable to access your email due to US sanctions: what happened (in Dutch) to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague last year has served as a wake-up call for Dutch universities.
“We really need to develop a digital contingency plan,” says Ruben Puylaert, spokesperson for UNL, the umbrella organisation for Dutch universities. “What if something like what happened at the ICC were to occur? Which provider would you switch to then?”
‘Educational values under pressure’
There is a high degree of dependence on US software. Microsoft, in particular, is the dominant player in Dutch higher education. And the Americans could simply pull the plug. Or raise prices significantly. Or secretly grant others access to our data.
“This dependence puts the values of education and science under pressure,” writes UNL in a statement (in Dutch). The umbrella organisation has set up a committee that also includes the government and the IT cooperative SURF. The committee will assess the risks and seek solutions for the short and long term.
Digital emergency package
The unnamed UNL committee tasked with helping to strengthen digital autonomy is to put forward proposals for ‘joint actions’, according to the statement. Possible examples include ‘tightening up joint procurement conditions, developing and promoting alternatives, and fostering international cooperation’. Before this can happen, a ‘baseline assessment’ must clarify ‘where the greatest risks currently lie’. This will be followed by a ‘digital emergency package’ for the short term and a ‘joint long-term goal’.
Alexandra van Huffelen, Executive Board Chair of Radboud University Nijmegen, will chair the committee. The other members are: Jacquelien Scherpen, Rector Magnificus at the University of Groningen; Margot van der Starre, Vice Chair of the Executive Board at Utrecht University; Art de Blaauw, Director of the Government CIO and Digitalisation Policy; and Ron Augustus, Chair of SURF.
Universities of applied sciences and universities not only use Microsoft’s email and office software, but also rely heavily on it for cloud storage and for securing their networks. This dependence was already addressed by the rectors of all universities in 2019, but in practice little has changed since then.
More attention
Nevertheless, awareness of this dependence is increasing. Last year, the Dutch House of Representatives called on the government to work together with higher education to strengthen the Netherlands’ digital autonomy.
Universities of applied sciences are also working on this, according to a spokesperson for their umbrella organisation. For example, a few years ago they, together with SURF, they launched an ‘innovation zone’ in which alternatives are being explored ‘to market parties that do not respect public values’.
At the end of last year, SURF began a pilot with software from the German company Nextcloud. This could replace Microsoft to some extent. The pilot has proven so popular that SURF is now expanding it.
HOP, Olmo Linthorst/Delta, Saskia Bonger
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Last autumn, Delta asked ICT Director Erik Scherff how TU Delft is doring when it comes to digital autonomy. Read: Digital autonomy is unavoidable, but demands more than a quick fix.
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Hoger Onderwijs Persbureau
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