The Path to Digital Sovereignty: Why an Open Ecosystem is the Key for Europe

The Path to Digital Sovereignty: Why an Open Ecosystem is the Key for Europe About the author Penny Philpot More like this Blog post Blog post Original podcast Original podcast Browse by channel Automation Artificial intelligence Open hybrid cloud Security Edge computing Infrastructure Applications Virtualization Share In an increasingly complex technology landscape, digital sovereignty has moved from a theoretical concept to an urgent strategic imperative for European organizations and governments. Recent global events—from supply chain disruptions to geopolitical conflicts—have underscored the critical need for greater control over their technology. Digital sovereignty is a strategic effort for organizations to build greater resilience, choice and confidence into IT environments. This isn’t a move towards isolation, with true sovereignty requiring more than just local data centers. Businesses are re-evaluating their provider dependencies and are increasingly looking for a flexible approach that allows them to define their own digital destiny through a collaborative and open ecosystem of partners. While data residency is crucial, it's just one part of a larger, more complex picture. An effective sovereign cloud solution is built on four interconnected pillars: Assurance Sovereignty: Verifying that processes and security standards are met, and verifying that platforms are built to the required standards and certified for regulated industries like banking and government. Operational Sovereignty: Maintaining control over system management, monitoring, and who deploys and maintains the systems. Data Sovereignty: Having control over where data is stored and processed, and maintaining a high level of protection from extra-territorial influences. Technical Sovereignty: Exerting full control of IT environments by using open standards and technology to prevent dependencies on specific providers. An open source approach is fundamental to a sovereignty strategy because it provides a transparent foundation where customers can inspect and trust the underlying technology. However, technology alone isn't enough; a strong partner ecosystem—particularly in Europe—is essential to act as a multiplier, helping organizations to meet their sovereignty goals.