ALASCA – where the “C” is for “cloud” and the wildlife is free open source software

In this talk we will introduce ALASCA e.V., a non-profit association based in Dresden and focused on fostering digital sovereignty and open source technologies. ALASCA stands for “Alliance for Sovereign Cloud Infrastructures”, reflecting the focus of the association on cloud technologies – hence the “C” for “cloud”. During the talk we will talk about the term “digital sovereignty”, at the core of the association’s mission, and explain how the association purses it.
To begin with, ALASCA hosts open source technologies that enable or simplify building open cloud infrastructures and supports their development. We will briefly present the three open source projects currently hosted by the association, each of them represented by an animal mascot. ALASCA’s wildlife are the following open source tools:
– Yaook, our husky, a cloud lifecycle management tool for OpenStack
– Krake, our octopus, a tool for optimizing the energy efficiency of cloud infrastructures
– Yake, our yake (surprise!), a tool for the installation and lifecycle management of Gardener
In addition to software development, the association also provides information and raises awareness of the importance of digital sovereignty in the cloud and its connection with open source software. We will also discuss the current initiatives to promote knowledge exchange, such as the ALASCA Tech-Talks – a monthly online format in which experts present open source-based projects – or the ALASCA Summit, which will take place in Dresden in October and bring together international open source enthusiasts.