Introduction

Introduction

Speakers: Karim El-Melhaoui, Conference Lead, fwd:cloudsec

Conference: fwd:cloudsec Europe 2025

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tdXOfU7Hmk

Overview

Karim El-Melhaoui, conference lead for fwd:cloudsec, opened the second edition of fwd:cloudsec Europe with a welcome address covering the conference's mission, logistics, and the broader context of European cloud security sovereignty. Held in Berlin, the two-day single-track event brought together cloud security practitioners for vendor-independent discussion of offensive and defensive cloud security topics, continuing the momentum from the inaugural Brussels event in 2024.

Background

▶ Watch: Welcome and introduction to fwd:cloudsec Europe's mission and nonprofit struc... (0:00)

The fwd:cloudsec Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing cloud security content directly to practitioners, free from vendor influence. The conference originated in North America and expanded to Europe in 2024 with a single-track, single-day event in Brussels. The European organizing committee includes experienced members from the North American team — including Chris Farris and Aaron — alongside a team of European organizers recruited from prior attendees and volunteers. The event is produced in partnership with Rising Media.

The association also operates a Technical Oversight Committee that sponsors cloud-native open-source projects, including the Granted project, and funds scholarships to bring the next generation into cloud security — three scholarship recipients attended this year's conference.

Key Findings

▶ Watch: European sovereignty discussion — EU Chips Act, sovereign clouds, and Mistral... (4:00)

El-Melhaoui shared several noteworthy data points about the conference's growth and composition:

• 105 call-for-papers submissions were received, with 29 speakers accepted — roughly a one-third acceptance rate, which El-Melhaoui characterized as high given the quality bar for a single-track conference.
• Germany was the most represented country by registration, followed by the UK and Norway — the latter being the most represented when weighted by population.
• Ticket sales showed a sharp spike on announcement day, indicating strong demand and repeat attendance. All ticket requests were fulfilled this year.
• Sponsor revenue constitutes a significant portion of conference funding, as the ~€200 ticket price does not cover full event costs. Critically, sponsors do not receive attendee lists or personal details — a deliberate privacy protection measure that distinguishes fwd:cloudsec from vendor-driven events.

Technical Deep Dive

▶ Watch: Behind the scenes of conference planning — venue, dates, track decisions (6:00)

While this was a logistics and community talk rather than a technical presentation, El-Melhaoui touched on significant strategic themes in European cloud security:

• European sovereignty is becoming a central concern as cloud providers are predominantly US-based, and AI tooling follows the same pattern. Europe is responding with initiatives like the EU Chips Act, targeting 20% of global chip production within Europe.
• The announcement of the first sovereign cloud suggests more will follow, raising the question of whether European companies — not just European regions of US providers — will deliver sovereign cloud services.
• Regulatory burden remains the key obstacle: whether Europe can achieve the speed required to produce competitive technology while navigating its own regulatory frameworks.
• Despite Mistral's strong performance, European AI companies are not being adopted at the same rate by practitioners — a gap between capability and market adoption.

Demo / Proof of Concept

▶ Watch: Sponsor model explained — attendee privacy protected, no attendee lists shared (10:00)

No technical demonstration was included in this opening session.

Defensive Implications

▶ Watch: Birds of a Feather sessions and Cloud Security Forum Slack introduced (12:00)

The opening remarks framed several themes that recurred throughout the conference:

• Vendor independence in security evaluation matters. Conferences like fwd:cloudsec provide a space to discuss limitations of what cloud providers communicate, which is difficult at vendor-sponsored events.
• Community collaboration through the Cloud Security Forum Slack channel and Birds of a Feather sessions creates ongoing knowledge-sharing beyond the conference itself.
• The tension between European regulatory ambition and US cloud dominance will shape defensive strategy for European organizations — particularly around data residency, sovereign cloud adoption, and supply chain trust.

Key Takeaways

• fwd:cloudsec Europe grew from a single-day single-track event in Brussels to a two-day single-track event in Berlin, with strong registration demand and international attendance.
• The conference maintains strict attendee privacy — sponsors do not receive attendee lists, distinguishing it from vendor-driven events.
• European cloud sovereignty is an emerging strategic theme, with sovereign clouds, the EU Chips Act, and regulatory evolution all shaping the landscape.
• The Cloud Security Forum Slack and Birds of a Feather sessions extend the conference community year-round.
• Three scholarships were funded to bring new practitioners into the cloud security community.

About the Speaker(s)

Karim El-Melhaoui is the Conference Lead for fwd:cloudsec and a Norwegian-based cloud security professional. He leads the European organizing committee for fwd:cloudsec and has been instrumental in expanding the conference from North America to Europe.