The ZKI Autumn Conference in Aachen is now behind us—and we came away with a great deal. Conversations, insights, and topics that are part of our daily work at Fuxam: AI, digital sovereignty, and data protection in higher education.
What is the ZKI?
The association “Centers for Communication and Information Processing in Teaching and Research” (ZKI) brings together the IT service centers of higher education institutions, universities, and research institutions in Germany. Founded in 1993, ZKI operates 14 working groups covering areas ranging from campus management and information security to strategy and organization.
Anyone who wants to understand how IT at German universities really works should engage with the ZKI. The autumn conference is the ideal opportunity to do so.
Our Highlights
We spoke with numerous people from the public higher education sector—including data center directors, CIOs, and IT managers. Three topics dominated the discussions:
- AI in higher education: What already works today—and what is still just a vision? These are exactly the questions we consider every day at FuxamOne.
- Digital Sovereignty: Who controls the data? Why Fuxam has relied on Made in Germany and servers located in Germany from the very beginning.
- Data Protection and GDPR: Still a key issue—especially as AI tools from outside Europe make their way into higher education institutions.
In addition to having our booth, we sponsored the conference goodie bags—our logo was visible throughout the venue all day, carried by every attendee. A nice way to be seen without being loud.
A huge thank you to RWTH Aachen for organizing the event—and to everyone who talked with us, asked questions, and joined the discussion. Your openness and engagement are exactly why we attend events like these. We’d be happy to come back. 🦊
