What is digital sovereignty?

Digital sovereignty explained – clear, practical, and without buzzwords.

Digital sovereignty is no longer just a political buzzword. For companies, public authorities, and organizations, it has become a strategic necessity.

It describes the ability to design, operate, and evolve digital systems, data, and platforms in a self-determined way – without uncontrollable dependencies on individual vendors or technologies.

On this page, we explain why digital sovereignty is crucial today, what it actually means, and how VSHN has been putting it into practice for more than ten years.

Summary: Digital sovereignty means maintaining control over digital systems and data, being able to change providers, and reliably meeting regulatory requirements – without lock-in, without black boxes, and without empty promises.

What does digital sovereignty actually mean?

Digital sovereignty is often discussed in abstract terms. In practice, it is about very concrete capabilities and decisions.

Digital sovereignty describes an organization’s ability to design and operate its digital systems, data, and processes in a self-determined way.

In concrete terms, this means:

• Control over your own data – where it is stored, who can access it, and how it is processed
• Technological freedom of choice instead of lock-in with individual vendors
• Transparency regarding software, dependencies, and operating models
• Compliance with data protection, security, and regulatory requirements
• The ability to further develop systems independently or change operating models

Digital sovereignty does not mean running everything yourself. It means being able to make conscious decisions – and to revise those decisions at any time.

Why digital sovereignty is crucial today

Many organizations are only now beginning to seriously engage with digital sovereignty. The reasons are real and understandable.

Geopolitical tensions, new regulatory requirements, and strong market concentration among global hyperscalers are forcing organizations to reassess their dependencies.

Typical triggers include:

• Uncertainty about data access by third countries
• Rising costs and reduced negotiating power
• Regulatory requirements in finance, healthcare, and the public sector
• Strategic risks caused by proprietary platforms

Digital sovereignty creates room for maneuver – technologically, legally, and economically.

What digital sovereignty means for VSHN

For VSHN, digital sovereignty is not a marketing term, but an architectural and organizational principle.

Above all, digital sovereignty at VSHN means building and operating open, verifiable, and future-proof platforms.

Our core principles are:

• Open source as the foundation – no black boxes
• Open standards instead of proprietary interfaces
• Cloud-agnostic architectures
• Operation on European and Swiss infrastructure
• Automation, transparency, and traceability in operations

We do not see ourselves as a pure hosting provider, but as a long-term platform and operations partner. Our goal is to reduce complexity without creating new dependencies.

Why technology alone is not enough

Even the best platform does not create digital sovereignty if knowledge, responsibility, and control are outsourced.

Technology alone is not sufficient. Digital sovereignty only emerges when organizations understand, operate, and evolve their systems themselves.

That is why we focus on:

• Close collaboration instead of classic handovers
• Knowledge sharing and enablement
• Clear responsibilities and transparent processes
• Automated operating models instead of manual, specialist solutions

This ensures that know-how does not remain with the service provider, but becomes part of the organization.

Data sovereignty is built, not bought

Data sovereignty is not a purchasing decision, but an architectural one.

As Aarno Aukia puts it succinctly: “Data Sovereignty is built, not bought.” Data cannot be moved arbitrarily. It has gravity – the larger, more sensitive, and more regulated data becomes, the more it determines where and how systems can be operated.

In reality:

• Data already lives on-prem or in private clouds
• Regulatory requirements and latency prevent easy migration
• Developers still expect self-service and speed

A common mistake is to move data into a supposedly sovereign cloud, duplicate platforms, and create new dependencies.

A sustainable approach looks different:

• Data remains where it makes sense from a regulatory, technical, or operational perspective
• Access to services is standardized
• A central control plane ensures governance and consistency

This way, sovereignty is not promised, but enforced every day through architecture.

How VSHN implements digital sovereignty

Digital sovereignty is created through concrete technical and organizational decisions – not through individual products.

At VSHN, digital sovereignty is not only explained, but implemented in practice. These products and services are key building blocks:

Servala – the Sovereign App Store

Servala connects cloud service providers, software vendors, and customers through an open service catalog. Organizations can consume and operate applications and platform services in a self-determined way – on sovereign infrastructure.

Servala enables:

• Freedom of choice across infrastructure and service providers
• Unified governance across different clouds
• Transparency around costs, operations, and responsibilities

Link: https://servala.com

APPUiO and Managed OpenShift

With APPUiO and our Managed OpenShift offerings, we operate Kubernetes and OpenShift platforms across a wide range of infrastructures – from Swiss cloud providers to on-premises environments.

The focus is on:

• Standardized, reproducible platforms
• Security, compliance, and high availability
• Independence from infrastructure providers

Link: https://www.vshn.ch/en/products/managed-container-platforms/

Cloud-native managed services

Databases, messaging, identity, security, or backups – we operate critical services as managed services based on open, cloud-native technologies.

The result:

• Clear SLAs and responsibilities
• No proprietary dead ends
• Portability across platforms

Link: https://www.vshn.ch/en/products/application-catalog/

Further reading and perspectives

In-depth articles, opinions, and practical examples around digital sovereignty at VSHN and Servala.

We have been publicly and critically engaging with digital sovereignty for years. In these articles, you will find deeper insights, context, and real-world examples:

• https://www.vshn.ch/en/blog/sovereignty-washing-when-sovereign-cloud-isnt-really-sovereign/
• https://servala.com/article/taking-back-control-the-case-for-data-sovereignty/
• https://www.vshn.ch/en/blog/recap-servala-ecosystem-day-2025-sovereignty-in-action/
• https://servala.com/article/european-cloud-alternatives-matter/
• https://www.vshn.ch/en/blog/vshn-joins-the-sovereign-digital-switzerland-sds-network/
• https://www.vshn.ch/en/blog/dinacon-2025-sovereignty-needs-collaboration-courage-and-real-openness/
• https://www.vshn.ch/en/webinar-datensouveraenitaet-im-cloud-native-zeitalter/
• https://servala.com/article/servala-ecosystem-day-sovereignty-in-action/

Initiatives for digital sovereignty in Switzerland and Germany

Digital sovereignty is not driven by individual companies alone, but is also addressed strategically at the national level.

In Switzerland, the SDS Network – Sovereign Digital Switzerland is committed to building an open and trustworthy digital ecosystem. Its goal is to reduce dependencies, strengthen local value creation, and build digital core infrastructure based on open standards and open source.

In Germany, ZenDiS – Center for Digital Sovereignty of Public Administration follows a similar approach. ZenDiS develops and operates open software solutions such as openDesk for public administration, laying the foundation for greater independence, transparency, and long-term control.

Both initiatives clearly show that digital sovereignty is not a theory, but a concrete strategic task for government, business, and society.

In summary – digital sovereignty is a conscious decision

Digital sovereignty is not a state that is reached once and then checked off. It is a continuous process of conscious decisions, technological openness, and organizational clarity.

VSHN supports organizations on this journey – pragmatically, transparently, and without false promises. Not everything needs to be built in-house. But everything should be self-determined.

If you would like to discuss what digital sovereignty can look like in your specific context, we look forward to the conversation.