European firms and municipalities seek digital sovereignty under NIS2 pressure

Manufacturers and other mid‑size enterprises in Germany are urged to integrate IT and OT security to meet the EU’s NIS2 directive. A recent analysis notes that a cyber‑alert at an auto‑parts supplier forced a production halt, highlighting how tightly linked IT and OT systems create attack surfaces. Legacy OT installations are identified as a major obstacle, with only about one‑third of firms having fully implemented NIS2 requirements.

German SMEs are advised to treat digital sovereignty as a management issue, ensuring data control, contract flexibility and the ability to switch providers. The same concerns drive a new interactive map showing that most European municipalities rely heavily on US‑based email services; in Austria 87 % of local governments use non‑European providers, while Germany’s reliance is lower at 20 %.

Swiss provider Proton showcases a fully integrated, privacy‑focused alternative to US services such as Gmail, Office and cloud storage, offering encrypted mail, drive, docs, meet, VPN and password tools. The ecosystem aims to give users and organisations control over their data without sacrificing usability, albeit at a modest subscription cost.

A separate study of German public administration reveals slow progress in digitalisation, with only 28 % of agencies delivering fully digital services and persistent gaps in standards, federal fragmentation and skill shortages hindering advancement.