2025 - 04 - 25
The return of digital sovereignty
In recent years, digital sovereignty has been at the heart of the strategic concerns of CIOs and executives. The development of cloud services has pushed the traditional boundaries of data, but also exposed companies to issues of jurisdiction, security and technological dependency.
In 2025, the sovereign cloud is much more than a marketing label: it is a concrete response to regulatory challenges (GDPR), geopolitical threats and the need for control over critical infrastructures. This model is based on local hosting, European governance and certified partners.
This article explores why the sovereign cloud is now becoming a strategic lever for companies, and when it’s best to use a specialized provider to make the transition.
GDPR, Cloud Act and legal control of data
The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) requires European companies to guarantee the protection, location and traceability of personal data. However, collaborating with a non-European provider (subject to the US Cloud Act, for example) exposes this data to risks of access by third-party authorities. The CJEU, in its 'Schrems II' judgment of 2020, has invalidated the Privacy Shield, reaffirming that only data hosted in the EU by service providers complying with the GDPR is legally secure. Choosing a sovereign cloud means ensuring the legal compliance of your company. It also avoids having to reconfigure its systems in an emergency if the legislation changes or if a partner no longer complies with the rules. A sovereign cloud strategy is usually accompanied by legal and technical support from specialized providers.
Increased safety and control of the technical chain
Sovereign providers' data centers are located in Europe, ensuring geographical proximity, increased resilience and better incident monitoring. Unlike the US hyperscalers, sovereign clouds favour a more “artisanal” approach to security, with controlled physical access, ISO 27001 and HDS certifications, and transparency on the subcontracting chain.
The level of security is high not only technically, but also in data governance. The company retains control over the entire information life cycle: storage, access, archiving, destruction. For CIOs, this means fewer grey areas and more responsiveness. A well-accompanied migration to a sovereign cloud strengthens the entire foundation of cybersecurity.
Local Performance and Personalized Customer Relationship
Sovereignty is not just legal. It’s also functional. By working with a local provider, companies benefit from better latencies, human and responsive support, often in the local language, and greater flexibility on architectures.
Need a custom cluster? Root access? Interconnection with a dedicated line? The sovereign cloud allows you to adapt the solution to your specific business needs. This adaptability is valuable for critical infrastructures, sensitive business software or DevOps environments. Where hyperscalers work with standardized models, the sovereign cloud brings customisation and listening, a key point for companies looking for customizable and scalable solutions.
Reduction of the risks of technological dependence
Working with a sovereign actor is also about taking back control. Large platforms often impose proprietary logics (vendor lock-in), making it difficult to carry data or applications. If there is a change in policy, pricing or service, the company can be trapped. Conversely, the sovereign cloud values open standards (OpenStack, Kubernetes), facilitates migrations and promotes interoperability. In addition, reliance on external infrastructure (often hosted in the US or Asia) can pose geopolitical or commercial risks.
European companies with a public or sensitive activity are increasingly anticipating these risks by choosing local service providers.
A technical, strategic and political choice
The sovereign cloud emerged in 2025 as a response to the legal, technical and strategic requirements of European companies. But this evolution does not happen by itself. The migration to a sovereign cloud requires advanced expertise, adapted tools and personalized support. At UNIVIRTUAL, we offer high-performance sovereign cloud infrastructures, based in Switzerland, fully controlled and adaptable to your business needs. Our experts guide you through every step: from the initial audit to custom configuration, to GDPR and HDS compliance.
Need to evaluate your current architecture? Schedule a free audit with our expert teams.
