The concept of digital sovereignty has become increasingly important in today's technology-driven world. As organizations rely more heavily on cloud services and artificial intelligence (AI), they face new challenges in maintaining control over their data and IT resources.

At Civo Navigate London, we brought together industry leaders to discuss the topic of digital sovereignty and its implications for the cloud industry. If you want to learn more about this topic, you can now watch the full recordings from Civo Navigate London here:

Throughout this blog, we will explore some of the core findings from Civo Navigate London surrounding digital sovereignty and how it is impacting the cloud industry. Plus, we’ll examine the key themes and takeaways from the conference, including the challenges of digital sovereignty, the role of regulation, and the importance of innovation and expertise in achieving true digital sovereignty.

The importance of digital sovereignty

In today's digital landscape, sovereignty has taken on a new dimension. Digital sovereignty refers to the ability of individuals, organizations, and governments to exercise control over their IT resources and data. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the importance of digital sovereignty has grown, driven by concerns over data security, privacy, and the impact of foreign jurisdictions on cloud computing.

At Civo Navigate London 2025, a panel discussion was held to explore the concept of digital sovereignty and its implications for the UK. Kelsey Hightower spoke on this topic by saying “the ability to move the needle without permission is a form of sovereignty,” highlighting the need for organizations to have the flexibility and autonomy to make decisions about their IT resources.

The panelists went on to emphasize that digital sovereignty is not just a technical issue, but also a matter of choice and control. As David Michels, Researcher at Queen Mary University of London, noted:

“Sovereignty, on a broad notion, is all about the customer being able to exercise control over the IT resources they use. I think that includes things like having a say in where your data is stored, who can access that data, and for what purposes that data is used.”

The panelists also noted that digital sovereignty is not just about data storage, but also about the use of cloud providers who are subject to foreign jurisdiction. David Michels explained that “the term is also used in a narrower sense to express a set of concerns about the use of cloud providers who are subject to foreign jurisdiction. I think there are two key concerns with this. The first is about confidentiality… The second concern is about availability.” These concerns are driven by the risk of foreign government interference and the potential for data to be accessed or withheld without consent.

As the discussion highlighted, digital sovereignty is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires a nuanced understanding of the technical, economic, and regulatory factors at play. By exploring the concept of digital sovereignty and its implications for the UK, the panelists provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities presented by this critical issue.

How can we overcome the challenges of digital sovereignty?

As organizations increasingly rely on cloud services, they face challenges in maintaining control over their data and IT resources. The use of cloud providers subject to foreign jurisdiction raises concerns about confidentiality and availability, and the need for organizations to take steps to protect their data.

Vendor lock-in

The panelists at Civo Navigate London 2025 highlighted the challenges of digital sovereignty, particularly in the context of cloud computing. David Michels, Researcher at Queen Mary University of London, noted:

“In some cases, we’ll have organizations that want to use different sets of IT environments for different workloads and for different data sets. And for that to work in a joined-up way, those environments need to be interoperable.

Ideally, if I'm unhappy with my cloud provider, I'm able to switch from one cloud provider to another. I'm able to take my data and port it to another cloud provider. I see that as fundamental to any kind of sovereign cloud deployment. That's not what we're seeing in the market at the moment. There are real concerns around vendor lock-in, around portability, and around interoperability.”

This is critical to ensuring that organizations have the flexibility to choose the cloud services that best meet their needs. The lack of interoperability between cloud providers can make it difficult for organizations to switch between providers or to use multiple providers simultaneously.

Our research found that 60% of organizations are no longer reliant on a single provider. Instead, they are adopting more diversified approaches.

Functioning markets

The discussion also emphasized the importance of having a functioning market that allows organizations to make informed decisions about their IT resources. A functioning market is essential for promoting digital sovereignty, as it allows organizations to choose from a range of cloud providers and services that meet their needs.

“When we’re talking about sovereignty, the underlying prerequisite is choice. It’s up to the person, the institution, the organization to make decisions which work best for them, but they need to have choice. We need to have a functioning market for that to operate. So, whether you’re happy with your data being in our jurisdiction, being in other jurisdictions subject to whatever legal framework, or an extra-jurisdictional legal framework is in operation, you should have the choice to do what works for you and your institution.” - Ben Spencer, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge

A functioning market is critical because it provides organizations with the flexibility to choose the cloud services that best meet their needs. As Kelsey Hightower noted:

“If the industry does what it's typically capable of doing, we will decide what the future looks like. So the quote I like the most is ‘It's easy to predict the future when you're working on it.’”

These discussions showed us that by promoting a functioning market, we can ensure that organizations have the flexibility and autonomy to drive innovation and growth, while maintaining control over their data and IT resources. This, in turn, will be critical in shaping the future of digital sovereignty and ensuring that the benefits of cloud computing are realized.

What role does regulation play in promoting digital sovereignty?

The role of regulation in promoting digital sovereignty was a topic of discussion at Civo Navigate London. While some panelists argued that the government should step aside and allow industry to self-regulate, others believed that there is a need for regulation to ensure that cloud providers are held to certain standards. As Ben Spencer, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge, stated:

"We need to think very carefully about whether we are going to take more steps, exactly what they are, and ensuring they're proportionate."

This cautious approach to regulation is necessary to avoid over-regulating the industry, which could stifle innovation and hinder the development of new technologies. The panelists also discussed the potential risks and benefits of regulation. Jacob Rees-Mogg, MP, noted:

"I think we go too far with GDPR and I think we go too far with the Online Safety Act, and I think we want to make the most of not being in the EU to be as competitive as the United States rather than as regulated as the EU."

This highlights the need for a balanced approach to regulation that promotes digital sovereignty while also ensuring that organizations are not overly burdened by regulatory requirements. David Michels, Researcher at Queen Mary University of London, added that:

"Different cloud customers will have different sovereignty needs. Right? As you said, it depends on the sector in which you're working, how critical your workloads are, and it depends on the type of data that you're processing in the cloud. And, and some workloads have no sovereignty needs whatsoever."

This emphasizes the importance of tailoring regulatory approaches to the specific needs of different organizations and industries, rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. By taking a nuanced and proportionate approach to regulation, we can promote digital sovereignty while also supporting innovation and growth in the cloud industry.

The future of digital sovereignty

At Civo Navigate London 2025, we announced our mission to free businesses to build without limits in the cloud, bringing together the freedom of public & the sovereignty of private cloud. Dinsesh Majrekar (Civo CTO) spoke about the company's vision for sovereign cloud during this mainstage session by saying:

"When we're talking about sovereignty and especially in an IT world, we're usually making the choice between a public cloud and a massive deployment like one of the hyperscalers… However, we're giving you an option now where you're able to do this using the same technology that we use in a private cloud environment in your own data center." - Dinesh Majrekar, Civo CTO

FlexCore, Civo’s cloud-in-a-box solution, makes it easy for organisations to run workloads seamlessly across public and private environments with feature parity between both, in locations of the user’s choice. This provides customers with more control over their data and infrastructure, and allows them to deploy cloud-native applications in a secure and sovereign environment.

If you want to learn more about how Civo is making a difference, check out these resources:

Summary

The concept of digital sovereignty is becoming increasingly important as organizations rely more heavily on cloud services and AI. At Civo Navigate London, industry leaders gathered to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by digital sovereignty, highlighting the need for organizations to have control over their data and IT resources. The discussion emphasized the importance of a functioning market, the challenges of vendor lock-in, and the need for regulation to promote digital sovereignty.

To learn more about Civo's vision for digital sovereignty and how it can help your organization, check out our resources on FlexCore and sovereign cloud.