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Sovereign Cloud Stack – a genuine alternative for Europe

Freedom Fighter

Article from ADMIN 82/2024

By Kurt Garloff

The Sovereign Cloud Stack promises no less than liberation from the shackles of vendor tie-in. Cloud users who rely on this technology are free to choose their provider and switch, without further investment in training or financial penalty.

The European Union (EU) is extremely dependent on platforms from the US in particular when it comes to basic technologies. Recent reports indicate that the EU has lagged in terms of digitalization [1], although it "has narrowed the gap with the United States in adopting advanced digital technologies (EU 69% vs. US 71%)," despite disparities within the EU [2].

The EU and member governments have launched major funding programs in the field of basic digital hardware (chip technology), which is an ambitious project that will probably take more than a decade and require tens of billions of euros in investment. Dependencies are no better in other areas. The platforms for state-of-the-art, automated provisioning of virtual IT environments with cloud and container technology, which has enabled an enormous boost in quality and productivity in the development and provisioning of software solutions, are in the hands of a few large high-tech companies in the US.

If Europeans want to have the freedom to set and enforce their rules without being cut off from digital progress, they need technology that is under their control. Otherwise, the game will probably continue, with the EU Commission ignoring the rules in a business-friendly manner and Max Schrems [3] having to remind the European Court of Justice (CJEU) of the applicable law.

Here, too, the remedy is a lengthy process because an entire ecosystem is built on platforms on which Europe has become dependent. However, one piece of good news is that the basic technology is available as open source software and is in active use in many different (albeit fragmented) applications. This technology can be expanded into a competitive open platform without investing billions.

Germany is putting theory into practice with the Sovereign Cloud

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