25 years of Fundaments

How have you experienced the past 25 years?

Jeroen: “Looking back, what strikes me most is that in 2000, we had no idea we would end up doing what we’re doing now. Our original idea—the carpool site—never even came to life. And just look at where we are today: we’re surrounded by more than 50 colleagues and have grown into a highly professional organization—a true expert in Private Clouds.”

Or as Larik-Jan puts it: change is the only constant.
Larik-Jan: “The world around us is constantly changing, which means we haven’t been doing the same thing for 25 years—we’ve constantly adapted. That’s what keeps it so exciting for me. Of course, it hasn’t always been a straight line up, and that’s taught me something important. We have to carry these changes together as a team. It's not the technology that makes us good at what we do—it’s our people.”

Raoul also emphasizes the professional transformation:
“If you look at how we’ve evolved into the Fundaments of today, it’s been a rollercoaster. From hosting provider to sovereign Private Cloud specialist. That transformation happened incredibly fast—but that’s a good sign. I never feel like, ‘ugh, I have to go to work again.’ What I do notice is that the fast-changing world demands more from our colleagues than it used to. People get more stimuli than ever. So, we’ve adjusted our policies—we now focus more on employee wellbeing. We offer healthy lunches, weekly fitness sessions with professional trainers, and walks in the park next to the office.”

What’s your favorite memory?

Larik-Jan: “There have been so many. But if I have to choose one, it would be the moment—2.5 years ago—when we were the first in the Netherlands to openly position ourselves as a sovereign cloud provider. Back then, no one really cared. But now it’s a regular topic in Parliament. What I find especially rewarding is that we achieved this as a team effort. Literally everyone contributed—from marketing to process design and the technical foundation behind it. That’s something I’m really proud of.”

Raoul also points to the team:
“Trips like VMware Explore in Barcelona always stand out for me. You connect with colleagues in a different way, which changes the team dynamic. Back at the office, that really strengthens collaboration.”

For Jeroen, external recognition is always a highlight:
“We’re partnering more and more with vendors, and we’ve already won several awards—like the VMware Partner Innovation Award, the Cohesity MSP Partner Award, and the Dell Technologies Cloud Services Provider of the Year. Our vendors often say they enjoy working with us because we embrace innovation. We’re quick to adopt new ideas, and that’s something they really appreciate.”

What has been the most important development?

Jeroen: “I think it’s amazing to see how we’ve spread across the country like an oil slick. Where we used to only operate from our data centers in East and West Netherlands, we’re now also working on-site at customer locations. If the business case makes sense, we’ll go to the customer—literally. That opens new doors.”

Larik-Jan sees major impact from AI:
“AI is causing massive shifts. With the rise of Private AI, the number of traditional virtual servers is decreasing—because AI workloads use GPU-optimized hardware. What’s exciting is that we literally have the foundation: the knowledge and expertise to move with this development.”

Raoul: “I’d like to add that I’m incredibly proud and grateful that after 25 years, Fundaments has become a real success story. And that every (former) colleague has contributed to that. That’s something truly special to me.”

What does the future look like?

Larik-Jan already has a clear vision:
“I see us becoming the company that lays the groundwork—the foundation—for the entire Private Cloud ecosystem. The architects of all future variations of Private Cloud. In today’s traditional world, applications still live in databases, servers, or SaaS platforms. But the future will be different: data will be exchanged between AI agents—and we’ll host that from our Private Cloud proposition. With 25 years of experience behind us, we’re in the perfect position to develop new concepts and transform existing platforms into more innovative forms.”

Raoul: “Positive! Where we are now with Fundaments is just the tip of the iceberg—especially in terms of sovereignty and the momentum we currently have. I also believe there’s massive potential in AI if we commit to it. We’re already getting calls from clients asking whether we’ll offer AI models. The question is: will we only provide the infrastructure and compute power—or will we go further than that? One thing I know for sure—we’re far from done growing.”

Jeroen adds:
“I recently watched a video where NVIDIA announced their latest innovations. It was mind-blowing. AI is going to play an even bigger role than it already does—and it’s going to drive amazing developments. I really hope Fundaments can play a meaningful part in that.”

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