What is sovereign cloud (and why it’s important for your business)

August 12, 2024

You've likely heard of Cloud Computing or "the cloud," a technology that allows you to access computing resources on demand, in a simple, secure, and flexible manner, without the need to invest in your own infrastructure or specialized personnel.

However, you might not know that there are different types of Cloud based on the level of control, security, and customization required. One type that is gaining relevance is the sovereign cloud.

In 2024, 40% of large companies will move 10% of their workloads to sovereign cloud providers.

What is sovereign cloud?

The sovereign cloud was created to ensure that cloud services comply with regulations and jurisdiction of a specific territory, region, or country. This is crucial for public administrations and companies that handle sensitive or critical data.

Sovereign cloud aims to secure sovereignty, independence, control, and security of the data and the infrastructure that processes and stores it. This avoids dependence on foreign providers or governments.

Sovereign cloud provides public institutions and strategic companies with greater sovereignty, security, and trust over their data and applications.

It respects the regulations and national sovereignty of each country, without being subject to foreign legislations like the U.S. Cloud Act, which allows U.S. authorities to access data stored in the cloud.

What type of cloud is sovereign cloud?

Among the various types of clouds based on the level of control, security, and customization required (public, private, hybrid, multicloud), the private cloud is the enabler of the sovereign cloud:

The private cloud model uses its own dedicated infrastructure for a single client, unlike the public cloud where computing resources are shared among multiple users.

The private cloud offers companies complete control over the design, management, and security of their cloud environment, with advantages such as:

Data Protection: Utilizing a dedicated infrastructure that meets data protection standards and ensures data remains within national borders.
Resource Optimization: Flexibility to adapt resources to business needs.
Customization: Tailoring the private cloud to each client's specific requirements (availability, scalability, security, support) and the desired service type.

What are the benefits of sovereign cloud for your business?

Public administrations and companies may require a sovereign cloud for several reasons, including:

Compliance: Ensuring their data is stored and processed according to local laws, free from foreign governments' jurisdiction or control.
Data security: Protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information, especially when dealing with sensitive or critical data related to national security, defense, health, or the economy.
Independence: Ensuring the independence and mobility of their data, avoiding reliance on cloud providers that may impose restrictive or abusive conditions or may suffer service interruptions or cyberattacks.
Regulatory compliance: Meeting regulations and standards for data protection, privacy, transparency, sovereignty, and information security.
Innovation and development: Promoting local innovation and technological development by supporting national or European cloud providers offering solutions tailored to the specific needs of each country or region.

Conclusion

Sovereign cloud is an option that offers institutions and companies handling sensitive or strategic data a higher degree of control, security, and confidence over their information, respecting each country's regulations and national sovereignty.

In this context, the private cloud is the model that enables the sovereign cloud, offering a dedicated infrastructure that adapts to the specific needs of each client. The sovereign cloud is a key factor in competitiveness, innovation, and technological development of organizations and regions.