How Les Compagnons du Tour de France rely on a sovereign French cloud to support their digital services
Today, the organisation brings together 15 regional federations, 18 training centres and around 30 accommodation sites. More than one hundred training programmes are offered, covering professions ranging from carpentry and stonemasonry to metalwork, bakery and engineering.
At the heart of this model lies the famous Tour de France: an educational journey where apprentices move from city to city over several years, learning their trade alongside experienced professionals.
Modernising digital tools while preserving traditional know-how
Over the past few years, Les Compagnons du Tour de France has invested heavily in the digital transformation of its educational programmes. Through its ESPRIT project, the organisation has developed more than 1,300 digital learning modules in just three years, introducing innovative teaching methods such as serious games and educational escape games.
Training centres are also increasingly equipped with the digital tools used throughout today’s industry, including CNC machines, CAD software, 3D printing and computer-aided manufacturing.
Our role is twofold: to pass on centuries-old craftsmanship while embracing technological and digital innovation.
Yacine Seffar
Head of Communications and Partnership Development, Les Compagnons du Tour de France
As a result, digital services have become an essential part of the organisation’s daily operations. Its website and training catalogue now serve as the primary gateway for prospective apprentices, families and businesses looking to discover available professions, courses and training opportunities.
Why Les Compagnons du Tour de France chose Clever Cloud
Before migrating to Clever Cloud, the organisation regularly experienced service disruptions that affected the availability of its website.
Without a dedicated in-house IT department, infrastructure reliability, ease of operation and responsive technical support quickly became key selection criteria.
Clever Cloud was ultimately recommended by the technical partner responsible for developing and maintaining the website.
We were looking for a French hosting provider that was technically robust and reliable. Clever Cloud was recommended to us, and their expertise as well as the resilience of their infrastructure quickly made the difference.
Yacine Seffar
Head of Communications and Partnership Development, Les Compagnons du Tour de France
Data sovereignty was another decisive factor. The organisation wanted to work with a French provider capable of ensuring data security and GDPR compliance. More broadly, the decision reflected a desire to support French technology companies and contribute to an independent digital ecosystem.
We wanted to work with a French provider to guarantee the sovereignty and security of our data. We also believe France is home to excellent, innovative and reliable digital companies that deserve to be supported and promoted.
Yacine Seffar
Head of Communications and Partnership Development, Les Compagnons du Tour de France
This decision is fully aligned with the organisation’s mission: preserving French expertise, supporting skilled professions and investing in long-term relationships. Beyond a hosting platform, Les Compagnons du Tour de France were looking for a trusted technical partner able to support an organisation without a dedicated internal IT team.
The collaboration developed progressively. Their technical partner had never worked with Clever Cloud before, but regular video calls with Clever Cloud’s engineering teams helped answer questions, explain how the platform operates and ensure a smooth onboarding process.
During our discussions with the technical teams, we felt we were talking to passionate people, almost digital craftsmen.
Yacine Seffar
Head of Communications and Partnership Development, Les Compagnons du Tour de France
Greater stability with less operational complexity
Since migrating to Clever Cloud, the most significant improvement has been infrastructure stability. The website outages experienced previously have disappeared, ensuring uninterrupted access to information and training programmes.
Those issues have disappeared. Our infrastructure is now much more stable and better suited to our needs.
Yacine Seffar
Head of Communications and Partnership Development, Les Compagnons du Tour de France
Greater stability also means less time spent dealing with technical issues and more time dedicated to the organisation’s core mission. Les Compagnons du Tour de France also work alongside AmphiBee, a Clever Cloud partner agency, to maintain and continuously improve their website.
Our website has become much easier to maintain. It allows us to focus on our core mission instead of technical concerns.
Yacine Seffar
Head of Communications and Partnership Development, Les Compagnons du Tour de France
A partnership built on shared values
Throughout the collaboration, Les Compagnons du Tour de France recognised many similarities between their own philosophy and Clever Cloud’s culture: passion for the craft, teamwork, knowledge sharing and a commitment to building sustainable solutions.
You can really feel the solidarity and commitment in the way they work, much like in traditional crafts.
Yacine Seffar
Head of Communications and Partnership Development, Les Compagnons du Tour de France
For Les Compagnons du Tour de France, infrastructure is not an end in itself. It should provide a reliable, secure and stable foundation that allows their teams to focus on what truly matters: educating, passing on knowledge and preparing future generations.
In that sense, choosing a sovereign French cloud was not simply a technical decision. It was a natural extension of the values that have shaped the Compagnons for generations: excellence, responsibility and the transmission of knowledge.