#digital-sovereignty

#digital-sovereignty

Even before Azure had a global failure this week, Austria's Ministry of Economy had taken a decisive step toward digital sovereignty. The Ministry achieved this status by migrating 1,200 employees to a Nextcloud-based cloud and collaboration platform hosted on Austrian-based infrastructure. This shift away from proprietary, foreign-owned cloud services, such as Microsoft 365, to an open-source, European-based cloud service aligns with a growing trend among European governments and agencies. They want control over sensitive data and to declare their independence from US-based tech providers.

German Minister for Digital Affairs Karsten Wildberger emphasizes that Europe's call for digital sovereignty should not be confused with protectionism. According to him, Europe must develop its own digital infrastructure. This is to reduce dependence on American technology companies. That does not mean that cooperation with the United States should be ruled out. In an interview with Reuters, Wildberger explains that Germany and the European Union can no longer be mere spectators or customers in the digital sector, but must play an active role themselves.

The European Commission is investing €1 billion in artificial intelligence. Its aim is to reduce dependence on American and Chinese technology. This Apply AI strategy focuses on ten crucial sectors, from healthcare to defense. The European Commission's new Apply AI strategy builds on an action plan published in April this year, writes Reuters. The goal is clear: Europe wants to become less dependent on foreign technology.

Nextcloud, a German productivity and collaboration software vendor, hopes to capitalize on the shift in mood. Working with Ionos, a German data center hosting company, Nextcloud plans to launch an open-source service that it bills as a digitally sovereign competitor to better-known US software-as-a-service (SaaS) products like Microsoft 365 (M365). Nextcloud, which launched in 2016, already develops and sells a suite of collaboration and productivity tools called Nextcloud Hub, which includes apps for document editing, email, and video meetings.

Given that corporate IT relies heavily on cloud-based infrastructure and services delivered via the public cloud, access to the data held in the cloud is paramount. Should all mission-critical data be held on-premise? What roles should digital sovereignty and digital residency play in a corporate IT strategy? These are among the questions being discussed at Forrester's forthcoming Technology & Innovation Summit in London.

"Critical data would become inaccessible, websites would go dark, and essential state services like hospital IT systems would be thrown into chaos," says Robin Berjon, a digital governance specialist who advises EU policymakers.

On 11 August, South Korean authorities will decide whether to permit Google to export detailed mapping data for improved navigation, impacting tourism and innovation.

Spain's recent decision to award Huawei a contract worth €12.3 million to manage and store legally authorized wiretaps raises significant concerns about the country's commitment to digital sovereignty.

Under the new agreement, CISPE members can offer Microsoft software to customers on a pay-as-you-go basis through the CSP-Hoster program, enhancing privacy for European customers.

SUSE Sovereign Premium Support geo-pins support to a given region, ensuring it aligns with data sovereignty regulations important for European customers.