From March 23–26, the FastNetMon team attended CloudFest 2026, one of the largest global gatherings for the internet infrastructure industry, held at the ever-so-fun Europa-Park in Germany.
Representing FastNetMon on-site was Virgil Truica, Head of Sales, who spent four intensive days meeting partners, reconnecting with industry peers, and discussing the evolving challenges facing network operators and cloud providers.
What’s happening at CloudFest?
CloudFest brings together the global cloud computing and internet infrastructure ecosystem, from hosting providers and ISPs to hardware vendors, cybersecurity companies, and platform builders.
According to the organiser, the 2026 edition gathered:
- 10,000+ participants
- 250+ speakers
- 150+ partners
- 80+ countries represented
Across four days, the event combined conference sessions, exhibitions, and networking activities focused on the technologies shaping the future of the internet — plus much more fun than one would normally expect from a standard work trip!
Meetings, meetups, and memorable moments
While the official agenda covered a wide spectrum of topics, including web infrastructure, AI, cloud platforms, hardware innovation, cybersecurity, and network operations, much of the value came from direct conversations.
For FastNetMon, CloudFest was primarily about people.
Virgil’s schedule quickly filled with back-to-back meetings, partner discussions, and spontaneous catchups across the venue.
I jumped straight into meetings from the morning, caught up with old friends I haven’t seen in a while, and had some really good conversations. It’s always great to see how quickly things can click when you’re face-to-face.
— Virgil Truica, Day 1 at CloudFest
These in-person discussions remain critical in an industry where operational trust and long-term collaboration matter as much as technology itself.
Information security and sovereignty increasingly central to industry discussions
One clear trend throughout the event was the growing attention around DDoS defence.
According to Virgil, conversations around network resilience and attack mitigation were noticeably more frequent – and more serious – than in previous years, alongside broader discussions around cybersecurity services, DNS infrastructure, and European cloud alternatives.
Back-to-back meetings, great conversations, and a lot of new connections. One thing that stood out was how many discussions touched DDoS security, EU cloud sovereignty, and cybersecurity in general. Interest is clearly growing given what’s happening worldwide.
— Virgil Truica, Day 2 at CloudFest
Operators, hosting providers, and infrastructure teams are increasingly looking for more control, improved visibility and transparency with everything they do.
Some of the topics beyond the stage
Many discussions during the week reflected broader operational challenges facing hosting providers today.
Across meetings and informal conversations, several recurring topics emerged:
- growing interest in European-operated cloud services as alternatives to hyperscalers
- increasing focus on DNS reliability and security services
- rising RAM and storage prices impacting providers of all sizes
- and AI moving from hype into practical integration across infrastructure and operations
These themes came up consistently in conversations rather than just conference sessions, highlighting where operators are currently focusing their investments and attention.
Work hard, play hard, throw servers
CloudFest is known as much for its community atmosphere as for its technical programme. Beyond keynotes and panels, much of the magic happens in the informal moments — catching up with peers over a coffee, sharing stories at booth gatherings, or making connections during speed networking and community meetups.
And then, of course, there’s the CloudFest tradition that turns heads: the World Server Throwing Championship. For over a decade, servers have been hurled in data-center basements, a secret pastime organised by the Dutch Cloud Community. Now brought into the open by the World Server Throwing Association (WSTA), this underground sport is finally celebrated in the mainstream — a true test of strength, skill, and bravado. As the competition showed, it’s where the cloud world finds out who’s strong, who’s fearless, and who’s keeping their datacenter tidy.
Why we love CloudFest
We probably love remote work even more than you do, but some things are just better face-to-face – like CloudFest.
Face-to-face meetings have a way of cutting through all the noise. At an event like CloudFest, a short chat over coffee can spark ideas and build trust far faster than any online meeting. Showing up in the flesh changes everything: projects move quicker, partnerships deepen, and conversations take on a level of honesty and nuance that only real-world connection can provide.
For FastNetMon, CloudFest 2026 reinforced a clear signal: network operators are placing increasing emphasis on visibility, automation, infrastructure independence, and reliable DDoS mitigation as foundational capabilities.
See you at the next event
If you met Virgil during CloudFest — thank you for the conversations and insights shared throughout the week.
We look forward to continuing those discussions and meeting more members of the community at the next one!
