Europe pushes for secure, sovereign cloud ecosystems

European organisations are seeking to build cloud environments that are both secure and scalable while reducing dependence on US hyperscalers. A recent guide outlines how firms can achieve this through clear architectural choices, strong security policies, governance processes, and compliance with regulations such as the EU NIS2 directive, which requires critical‑sector operators to actively manage cyber‑risk and report incidents.

Industry experts from Cloudera, Dynatrace, Eurofiber, Rubrik and Thales say that recent incidents have highlighted the loss of control over data stored in American cloud services. They stress the need for digital sovereignty – the ability to locate, access and protect data within Europe – and note that banks, governments and other critical‑infrastructure providers are increasingly reassessing cloud migrations. While complete independence from major providers is difficult, the shift reflects a broader awareness of the strategic risks of digital dependence.