The key role of hybrid cloud in digital sovereignty and innovation

As CIOs move towards digital sovereignty, should they break with the hyperscalers – or take a more nuanced approach?

Many CIOs are prioritising digital sovereignty, with concerns around extraterritorial data requests, regulatory compliance, and data security among the key drivers of this shift, according to IDC research.

But does this require moving completely away from the big hyperscalers? For many experts, this approach could lead to suboptimal outcomes.

Red Hat’s Senior Principal Chief Architect for EMEA, Chris Jenkins, warned in a CIO webcast that abandoning major public cloud providers entirely during a digital sovereignty shift could lead to a long, complex migration process while sacrificing their agility and speed.

Hyperscaler efficiency versus on-premises security is a false binary, he says, when a hybrid cloud strategy is best for most organisations. This way, they can move certain workloads to a particular jurisdiction for regulatory compliance reasons, while also benefiting from using major cloud providers for others.

“You can also use the hyperscalers, the public cloud, the private cloud and the sovereign cloud together. So, it creates this harmonious environment,” he says.

A hybrid cloud approach can be made sovereign by design, rather than completely starting over with new infrastructure, according to Jenkins. “Build in the sovereign principles and requirements for your organisation into your trusted software supply chain,” he advises.

For those IT leaders forming a digital sovereignty strategy, what first steps can they take? Jenkins says the best place to start is “understanding from operations, technical assurance, executive leadership, from an open source point of view, where you currently are.”

They can use a tool like Red Hat’s digital sovereignty assessment tool to assess this, and then plan how to close the gap, whether the goal is complete sovereignty or something more pragmatic.

To watch the full Webcast Series ‘The rise of digital sovereignty’, click below

• Episode 1: Why digital sovereignty is a fast-rising priority in an uncertain world.
• Episode 3: The practical steps IT leaders must take to pivot toward a sovereign future