Introduction

In the age of digital transformation, cloud computing has revolutionised how organisations store, process, and manage their data. Public clouds, offered by global tech giants, have been widely adopted due to their scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. However, in specific scenarios, concerns regarding data sovereignty, privacy, and security have led to the emergence of sovereign public clouds. In this blog, we will explore what sovereign public clouds are, their benefits, and their potential disadvantages.

What are Sovereign Public Clouds?

Sovereign public clouds are cloud computing platforms established and operated by governments or trusted entities within a country’s borders. They are designed to address the concerns of data sovereignty, ensuring that sensitive information remains under the jurisdiction and control of the nation rather than being subject to foreign laws or regulations.

Benefits of Sovereign Public Clouds:

1. Data Sovereignty: One of the primary advantages of sovereign public clouds is the assurance of data sovereignty. Governments can exercise greater control over their citizens’ data and critical infrastructure, ensuring compliance with local regulations and laws. This level of control fosters trust and confidence in cloud services among citizens, businesses, and public sector entities.
2. Enhanced Security: Sovereign public clouds prioritise security and employ stringent measures to protect sensitive data from unauthorised access, breaches, or data leakage. By leveraging advanced encryption techniques, access controls, and physical security measures, these clouds provide additional protection for critical national infrastructure and data assets.
3. Compliance and Regulatory Alignment: Sovereign public clouds offer a framework that aligns with local data protection regulations and compliance requirements. Governments can establish specific standards, policies, and guidelines tailored to their jurisdiction, ensuring that cloud services comply with these regulations, including data residency and privacy laws.
4. National Economic Growth: Governments can foster domestic technology industries by investing in sovereign public clouds, creating jobs and economic growth. Local cloud service providers can develop expertise in cloud computing, enabling them to cater to the unique needs of businesses and public organisations within the country.

Disadvantages of Sovereign Public Clouds:

1. Scalability and Innovation: Sovereign public clouds may face challenges in terms of scalability and innovation when compared to global public cloud providers. The limited scale and resources available within the country’s borders may restrict the range of services and features offered, potentially hindering the adoption of cutting-edge technologies.
2. Costs: Building and maintaining sovereign public clouds can be expensive endeavours. There is a significant requirement to invest substantial capital and human resources to establish and operate these platforms. These costs might be passed on to users, resulting in potentially higher service fees compared to global public cloud providers.
3. Interoperability and Vendor Lock-In: Sovereign public clouds may face challenges in achieving seamless interoperability with other cloud platforms. The lack of standardised interfaces and protocols could result in vendor lock-in, making it difficult for users to migrate between different cloud providers or leverage multi-cloud strategies.

Overview of Oracle Sovereign Cloud Offering

The new Oracle Sovereign Cloud offering defines a transparent operational model, ensuring it can offer the scale and still draw on its broader cloud experience and innovation. 

Some of the initial feature highlights include:

• Data Center Location in the EU
• Operations and Support Oracle EU (no US support services)
• Network Isolation, a fully air-gapped solution with an EU network realm 
• Control Plane, coupled with the network air gap the control plane will keep all that import management information within the EU
• To deliver the scale and the right cloud economics, the underpinning Architecture is the same as Oracle Public Cloud. 

The Oracle offering provides the right balance to deliver the benefits described above whilst addressing the disadvantages that could arise with Sovereign cloud services. 

Conclusion:

Sovereign public clouds offer a viable solution for nations seeking greater control, security, and compliance with local data regulations in the era of cloud computing. These clouds can empower governments to safeguard their citizens’ data and critical infrastructure by addressing data sovereignty and security concerns. 

However, they face challenges like limited scalability, higher costs, and potential interoperability issues. Striking a balance between the benefits and disadvantages is crucial for governments as they decide to adopt sovereign public clouds and shape their digital future.

We are watching with interest at Junkshon how this new cloud evolution will develop and see more detail on this new Oracle cloud offering.