What SIVON does

SIVON is a Dutch cooperative (coöperatie) headquartered in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, founded in 2017 to serve school boards in the primary (PO) and secondary (VO) education sectors. It functions as a sectoral intermediary for 476 member school boards governing 5,335 schools and approximately 1.6 million students, delivering shared services that individual boards would otherwise have to procure independently. The cooperative model means members are simultaneously owners, aligning SIVON's priorities with the collective interests of Dutch public education governance.

SIVON's core offerings center on information security and privacy (IBP) compliance, anchored by its proprietary Normenkader IBP framework, Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) services, and processor agreement testing. It has extended this base into adjacent compliance domains through the Toetsingskader AI (an AI assessment framework developed with Kennisnet), an OSPO open-source software pilot commissioned by the Ministry of OCW, cybersecurity insurance advisory, training programs, and collective procurement of learning materials. SIVON also holds a penholder role for digital autonomy and learning materials themes within the national regieplan digitalisering funderend onderwijs, formalizing its position in Dutch education policy infrastructure.

Revenue is generated through a mix of cooperative membership fees from school boards, project-based commissions from the Ministry of OCW (such as the OSPO pilot and regieplan work), and service fees tied to collective procurement and advisory engagements. The go-to-market leverages institutional partnerships with Kennisnet, PO-Raad, and VO-raad, allowing SIVON to reach the entire Dutch school-board sector with effectively zero customer acquisition cost. With 11-50 employees, the cooperative operates as a lean, mandate-driven organization rather than a commercial SaaS or consulting firm.

Name

SIVON

Legal name

Coöperatie Samen Innoveren/Inkopen/Ict voor Onderwijs Nederland U.A.

Website

https://sivon.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SIVON is a Dutch cooperative serving 476 school boards governing 5,335 primary and secondary schools, delivering shared IBP/privacy compliance, AI assessment, open-source policy, and collective procurement services on behalf of its member-owned education-governance constituency.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Technology Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

School IT Infrastructure & Cybersecurity for K–12 (Network, Identity, SSO) (EDAJAMAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compliance, Risk & Audit Support Services (EHS, Title IX/Clery Support, Policy Admin) (EDAEALAK), Compliance, State Reporting & Education Data Exchange (Ed-Fi/SIF) (EDAFAEAO)

Keywords

• Education data privacy
• School procurement services
• Information security compliance
• GDPR assessment services
• Cooperative membership services

Headquarters

HQ city

Zoetermeer

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: SIVON is financed by membership fees from its members (school boards). Members pay dues to access collective services, procurement frameworks, and advisory support.
2. Service Delivery: Revenue generated from providing services to members and non-members, including DPIA services, training programs, workshops, and advisory services.
3. Ministry of OCW Funding: SIVON receives financing from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) to support public interest objectives including digital safety initiatives for education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SIVON is a Dutch ICT cooperative for primary and secondary education that provides collective procurement of educational materials, Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) services, processor agreement assessments, and Normenkader IBP information security and privacy framework implementation support. The organization serves 476 member school boards covering 5,335 schools and 1.6 million students, delivering advisory services, training programs, and infrastructure services including Safe Internet and network management.

Product overview

SIVON is an ICT cooperative for primary and secondary education in the Netherlands, serving approximately 476 school boards and 5,335 schools with 1.6 million students. The organization operates as a platform offering multiple interconnected services focused on information security, privacy compliance, and digital safety for education. Core offerings include DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment) services and processor agreement assessments that evaluate supplier contracts against GDPR and Privacy Convenant standards. SIVON provides training programs including Deep Dive Workshops and the 5-daagse Wegwijs in het Normenkader IBP, which guide schools through the Normenkader IBP framework to achieve digital safety maturity level 3 by 2030. The organization also facilitates joint procurement of educational materials for member schools and offers an AI Assessment Framework developed with Kennisnet. Additional services include cybersecurity insurance advisory, expert review services for self-evaluations, Safe Internet connectivity, and network management. SIVON's offerings are accessible through online platforms including MijnSIVON member portal and SIVONnetwerken.nl.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment) Service Data Protection Impact Assessment service evaluating risks to personal data processing and assessing supplier security measures against ROSA certification standards for systems used in Dutch schools.
• Verwerkersovereenkomsten (Processor Agreement Assessment) Two-level assessment of processor agreements comparing theoretical provisions against the Privacy Convenant Model and GDPR, and practical alignment against real-world application behavior.
• Normenkader IBP Framework Implementation Advisory and implementation support for the Normenkader Informatiebeveiliging en Privacy (IBP) framework for primary and secondary education, helping schools achieve digital safety maturity level 3 by 2030.
• Deep Dive Workshops One-day workshops guiding school boards through 25-30 of the 69 IB norms and 5-10 P norms from the Normenkader IBP, with hands-on guidance for self-assessment. Free for all school boards.
• 5-daagse Wegwijs in het Normenkader IBP Five-session training program over 12-15 weeks where school boards work with IBP professionals to address Normenkader IBP norms and produce a roadmap to maturity level 3. Free for both members and non-members.
• Gezamenlijk Aanbesteden Leermiddelen (Joint Educational Materials Procurement) Collective procurement service bundling demand from member school boards and negotiating favorable terms with publishers over 4-year contract periods for primary and secondary education.
• Cybersecurityverzekering (Cybersecurity Insurance Advisory) Advisory service helping schools select cybersecurity insurance covering costs from cyber incidents including cybercrime, viruses, hacks, ransomware, and data breaches.
• Expertreview Zelfevaluatie (Expert Self-Evaluation Review) Expert review service where IBP experts analyze completed self-evaluations or policy documents and translate findings into concrete follow-up steps aligned with framework norms.
• Veilig Internet (Safe Internet) Network security service providing safe internet connectivity for schools as part of SIVON's infrastructure and hardware offerings.
• Netwerk & Beheer (Network & Management) Network management services for schools as part of SIVON's infrastructure and hardware offerings.
• Aanbestedingskalender SIVON (Procurement Calendar) Calendar service showing upcoming procurement opportunities for educational materials, allowing school boards to plan and join collective procurement processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 466+ school boards served, representing 5,335 schools and 1.6+ million students
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, support and minor.

• Digitalisering Regieplan PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026SIVON is penholder for digital autonomy and learning materials themes in the national regieplan digitalisering funderend onderwijs, working with OCW, PO-Raad, VO-raad, and Kennisnet on six thematic areas: digital safety, digital autonomy, AI, leadership/digital literacy, learning materials, and digital landscape governance.
• KennisnetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKennisnet is the government-funded organization for educational ICT infrastructure in the Netherlands. SIVON works with Kennisnet on the Digitaal Veilig Onderwijs program, joint DPIA initiatives, the Dienst Verwerkersovereenkomsten, Normenkader IBP tools, and the AI Assessment Framework (Toetsingskader AI).
• Ministry of OCW (Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science funds and commissions SIVON for public interest work including the OSPO pilot for open source in education, digital autonomy initiatives, and the Toetsingskader AI development.
• PO-Raad (Primary Education Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe PO-Raad represents primary education school boards in the Netherlands and is a partner in the Digitaal Veilig Onderwijs program, working with SIVON on digital safety initiatives for primary schools.
• VO-raad (Secondary Education Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe VO-raad represents secondary education school boards and is a partner in the Digitaal Veilig Onderwijs program, collaborating with SIVON on digital safety for secondary schools.
• School-CERTsupportTechnology or IntegrationSchool-CERT is a specialized team of ICT professionals that can provide rapid advice in case of cybersecurity incidents. Part of the Digitaal Veilig Onderwijs support ecosystem.
• GRC Tooling Vendors (Edufort, FullyInControl, Pulse Comply, YourSafetynet, Naris GRC, Privacy Manager, GRCPerfect, EasyDPIA, EasyPrivacy, IBP-Flex, RaaS/IRMA, Trustbound GRC, Key Control Dashboard)minorOthersSIVON conducted a market scan of 12 GRC tooling vendors to help school boards understand available options for Normenkader IBP compliance management. These are not formal partnerships but vetted tool options for the educational sector.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SURF: Dutch cooperative of educational and research institutions for collaborative IT services. Closely mirrors SIVON's cooperative structure and shared-services model, though focused on higher education and research rather than K-12.
• European Schoolnet: European network of education ministries focused on digital learning, eTwinning, and K-12 ICT policy. Comparable role advising on European-level digital safety, AI in education, and procurement frameworks for ministries of education.
• Kennisnet: Dutch government-funded organization for educational ICT infrastructure. Co-develops the Normenkader IBP framework, AI Assessment Framework, and Dienst Verwerkersovereenkomsten with SIVON; serves the same K-12 segment with overlapping advisory and compliance services.
• CoSN (Consortium for School Networking): US professional association serving K-12 ed-tech leaders with cybersecurity resources, frameworks, and policy advocacy. Comparable membership-driven mission to advance digital safety and infrastructure in K-12 schools.
• Edufort: Dutch K-12 GRC tool vendor whose platform embeds SIVON-DPIAs and IBP workflows. Directly competes with SIVON's DPIA and IBP advisory services via self-service SaaS, particularly for primary education.
• Education Services Australia: Australian not-for-profit cooperative providing shared educational infrastructure, interoperability standards (e.g., SIF), and procurement support to schools and jurisdictions. Operates an analogous sector-wide shared-services model for K-12 EdTech.

Emerging players

• TrustArc: Privacy and GRC SaaS platform used by organizations including schools/universities to manage GDPR/AVG compliance, processor agreements, and DPIAs. Direct competitor to SIVON's privacy compliance services at the tooling layer.

Regional players

• NAACE: UK membership association for education technology practitioners providing CPD, frameworks, and policy advocacy in schools. Comparable K-12 EdTech advisory role but UK-focused.
• Bildungsserver / Landesinstitute (e.g., Landesmedienzentrum Baden-Württemberg): German state-level education media centers and servers that provide shared ICT advisory, digital safety resources, and procurement support for K-12 schools. Functionally analogous to SIVON at the state/Bundesland level in Germany.

Broad incumbents

• Jisc: UK not-for-profit providing digital, data, and technology services to higher education, research, and increasingly further-education/colleges. Comparable cooperative-style shared services model, broader scope than SIVON.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SIVON