CloudLabs at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference 2026

The most interesting conversations in higher education technology are no longer about what technology can do. They are about what institutions can do with it.

How do you give students meaningful hands-on experience with emerging technologies? How do you build and manage the virtual lab environments that make that possible? And how do you keep those experiences scalable as programs and learner needs grow?

These are the kinds of questions that make EDUCAUSE such an important stop for higher education technology professionals.

In 2026, the conversation moves to Denver, September 29–October 2, followed by the online conference on October 14–15.

And yes, the CloudLabs team is attending EDUCAUSE 2026! Find us at Booth #2015.

EDUCAUSE 2026 at a Glance

Event	Details
Location	Denver, Colorado
In-person	September 29–October 2, 2026
Online	October 14–15, 2026
Meet CloudLabs	Booth #2015

CloudLabs at EDUCAUSE 2026

CloudLabs helps institutions bring multiple practical learning experiences into the classroom, training program, or technical curriculum. From ready-to-deploy labs and custom learning environments to AI-powered lab creation and hands-on assessments.

You can choose from 500+ prebuilt hands-on labs across Cybersecurity, Generative AI, Machine Learning, Data & Analytics, Microsoft 365 & Copilot, Networking & Linux, Cloud Certifications, and more. Build a custom lab for your course, technology, or learning needs.

With 150+ leading global institutions trusting CloudLabs to deliver hands-on technology learning, we are bringing some of our exclusives to the table at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference 2026.

CloudLabs VM Labs: Microsoft-Recommended Azure Lab Services Alternative

But there is one conversation we expect to be especially important at EDUCAUSE 2026: what comes next for institutions using Azure Lab Services?

If Azure Lab Services is currently part of your institution’s virtual lab strategy, you have probably heard the news. Microsoft Azure Lab Services is retiring on June 28, 2027.

For institutions planning their next step, CloudLabs VM Labs is a Microsoft-recommended Azure Lab Services alternative that provides a familiar virtual lab experience while adding more flexibility and control. You can start fresh with new lab environments or move existing ones. Existing VM images can be migrated or replicated, while labs can be migrated from Azure Lab Accounts and Lab Plans using our migration tools and scripts. All under expert guidance.

And the goal isn’t simply to recreate what you already have.

CloudLabs VM Labs brings the capabilities you need to deliver hands-on learning at scale, with more room to customize, monitor, manage, and optimize your environments.

Everything You Need for Hands-On Virtual Labs

Learners can access their virtual machines directly through a browser, without additional client software. Windows and Linux environments can be configured around individual course requirements, while custom VM SKUs let institutions choose the right combination of vCPU, RAM, GPU, storage type, and disk size.

Need more complex environments? A single lab can support up to five VMs, each with its own configuration, making it possible to build scenarios involving servers, clients, networking, cybersecurity, and more.

For instructors, VM Shadow provides real-time visibility into learner sessions. LMS integration through LTI 1.1 and LTI 1.3 makes it easier to bring labs into existing learning workflows, while scheduling, usage quotas, reusable templates, and detailed cost reporting give administrators greater control over lab usage and infrastructure consumption.

There is also plenty of room to optimize. AI-based fleet analysis can uncover infrastructure and storage optimization opportunities, while AI-based image engineering can identify application and data dependencies when optimizing VM images. For eligible environments, Ephemeral OS can eliminate separately billed managed OS-disk storage.

In one large-scale deployment, infrastructure optimization helped achieve approximately 65% lower storage costs. Optimized environments can also be deployed in approximately two minutes, while scheduling, idle VM detection, auto-stop, and auto-delete help keep unnecessary compute consumption under control.

A Special EDUCAUSE 2026 Offer

If you’re attending EDUCAUSE and considering platform options for end-to-end managed migration assistance from Azure Lab Services, this is a good time to start the conversation. Qualified existing Azure Lab Services customers attending EDUCAUSE 2026 can avail of 0-cost migration and no CloudLabs platform fees for the first year.

The offer is available for customers signing up for our Free Trial by October 31, 2026.

From an Idea to a Hands-On Lab

Virtual labs solve one part of the hands-on learning challenge. But what happens when you need to create the lab itself? That is where CloudLabs AI Lab Builder comes in.

Instead of starting with a blank canvas, start by describing what you want learners to do.

With AI Lab Builder, you can describe your requirements and use AI to accelerate the creation of a hands-on lab environment. It helps turn an initial idea into a CloudLabs-ready lab that can be reviewed, refined, and prepared for learners.

That can be particularly useful when educators need to create labs around new technologies, update existing curriculum, or quickly develop environments for workshops and training programs.

Put Skills to the Test

Hands-on Skill Assessments take assessment beyond traditional quizzes and knowledge checks.

Learners demonstrate what they know by completing practical tasks inside real lab environments. Results can be auto-scored in real time and sent to the LMS, giving educators a clearer view of how learners apply their skills in practice.

So, whether you need to build a lab, deliver a lab, or assess what happens inside it, CloudLabs brings those pieces together.

Looking Back at CloudLabs Journey @ EDUCAUSE

CloudLabs has been part of the EDUCAUSE community for years, and our previous conference experiences have focused on understanding the key interests of the people building the future of higher education technology.

EDUCAUSE 2023: Hands-On Labs Take the Spotlight

In 2023, CloudLabs showcased its virtual IT lab platform at Booth #1242, demonstrating how institutions could use hands-on labs for teaching, training, workshops, virtual events, and proof-of-concepts.

The focus was practical: instant lab deployment, preconfigured and custom labs, cost controls, automation, browser-based access, instructor visibility, and multi-cloud environments.

EDUCAUSE 2025: From Virtual Labs to the Future of Learning

By 2025, the conversation had expanded.

Team CloudLabs returned to EDUCAUSE in Nashville at Booth #1222, showcasing ready-to-deploy labs, custom environments, AI capabilities, and CloudLabs VM Labs: the Microsoft-recommended Azure Lab Services alternative.

And now, in 2026, we’re bringing that story forward.

See You at Booth #2015!

Whether you’re looking for a way forward from Azure Lab Services, building AI and cloud curricula, creating custom hands-on environments, or figuring out how to assess practical technical skills, visit our booth at EDUCAUSE.

See VM Labs in action, explore the latest CloudLabs capabilities, browse the 500+ prebuilt labs, or simply tell us what you’re trying to teach.

Meet CloudLabs at EDUCAUSE 2026, Booth #2015, Denver. September 29–October 2, 2026.