3 keys to defining data sovereignty: Security, privacy, and portability

Data sovereignty has emerged as a critical concern for businesses and governments, particularly in Europe and Asia. With increasing data privacy and security regulations, geopolitical factors, and customer demands for transparency, customers are seeking to maintain control over their data and ensure compliance with national or regional laws. However, defining and achieving data sovereignty goes beyond simply storing data within borders—it requires a comprehensive approach to security, privacy, and interoperability.

Broadcom’s strategy with VMware Cloud Service Providers who are Sovereign attested offers a unique and resilient route for customers across the globe achieving compliance with robust and bespoke sovereign cloud requirements. By leveraging the services of such VMware Cloud Service Providers, customers can achieve peace of mind that all their data is secure, private, and portable across systems and jurisdictions. Let’s explore the three essential keys to defining data sovereignty and how VMware Cloud Service Providers with sovereign attestation can help meet these demands.

Security: The Foundation of Sovereignty

At the heart of data sovereignty is security—ensuring that data remains protected from unauthorized access, breaches, and malicious actors.

As organizations expand globally, securing data at rest and in transit becomes even more complex. Local and industry-specific regulatory requirements, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), France’s SecNumCloud, France’s Health Data Housing (HDS), the United Kingdom’s National Data Strategy & NIS Directive, Germany’s Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG), the United Arab Emirate’s National Cybersecurity Strategy, and Turkey’s Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK), require not only strict security controls but also accountability from service providers on where and how data is processed.

VMware Sovereign Cloud Providers design their systems with security at their core. These providers operate within strict compliance boundaries, enabling organizations to host sensitive data in-country while leveraging robust encryption, zero-trust architectures, and continuous monitoring and auditing capabilities. The combination of VMware’s advanced security solutions within VMware Cloud Foundation and available Add-On solutions with local expertise and third party solutions managed by the provider, ensures that organizations can maintain a sovereign cloud infrastructure without compromising on innovation or scalability.

Key Advantage: By working with Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers, organizations can ensure that their data remains fully within jurisdictional boundaries and is protected by some of the most advanced security protocols in the industry.

Privacy: Ensuring Compliance and Trust

Data privacy regulations are growing more stringent globally. Organizations must ensure they comply with laws that govern how personal data is collected, stored, and processed, such as the GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), or industry-specific regulations, like HIPAA for Personal Health Information (PHI). Achieving compliance means not only storing data locally but also demonstrating full control over data access and usage.

Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers servicing vertical-specific industries, such as health insurance and healthcare organizations that have to comply with  HIPPA regulations  must provide administrative, physical and technical safeguards, underpinned with a legally binding business associate agreement (BAA) outlining the VMware Cloud Service Provider responsibilities. They also utilise frameworks like HITRUST for HIPAA, GDPR and NIST streamline compliance with a structured approach to managing security and privacy. All told, providing this level of coverage is a big task, and keeping up with regular SOC2 and HIPAA audits, pen tests and compliance validation is a workload that the provider takes on for their customers, allowing customers to focus on their businesses, not their infrastructure or data.

Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers offer dedicated VMware Cloud Foundation-based features and capabilities and other typical cloud capabilities to help healthcare organizations manage HIPAA-compliant workloads, including:

• Encryption: Encrypting PHI data both at rest and in transit to ensure data security and privacy.
• Identity and Access Management (IAM): Enforcing role-based access, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and user activity monitoring.
• Backup and Disaster Recovery: Providing automatic backups, replication, and disaster recovery solutions to maintain ePHI availability.
• Logging and Monitoring: Ensuring detailed audit logs and monitoring of access to ePHI for real-time threat detection.
• Secure Communication Channels: Providing HIPAA-compliant virtual private networks (VPNs) and secure APIs to connect healthcare systems securely.

Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers offer comprehensive frameworks, often underpinned by NIST or other frameworks, such as ISO/IEC 27001 and 27701 certifications, to address privacy concerns. These providers ensure that data handling complies with appropriate privacy laws, and they give businesses the ability to demonstrate compliance through robust audit trails and data access controls. Additionally, they enable organizations to define and enforce granular privacy policies that can govern how data is processed, stored, and accessed, ensuring full transparency for both the organization and its customers.

Key Advantage: Privacy is built into the sovereign cloud model. By partnering with Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers, organizations gain the ability to manage and protect customer data in a way that meets or exceeds privacy laws at the local, national, or regional levels, reinforcing customer trust and mitigating legal risk.

Portability: Avoiding Vendor Lock-In and Enabling Growth

True data sovereignty isn’t just about keeping data within borders or complying with laws and regulations—it’s also about ensuring that data is portable, and systems are interoperable.  Cloud choice and data portability are big factors in cloud, and organizations must be able to back out of agreements to migrate to better placed clouds as they wish. Organizations that fail to plan for data portability may find themselves locked into specific vendors or technologies, unable to fully leverage their data as they scale or expand into new markets. Interoperability across hybrid cloud environments and 3^rd party systems is crucial for maintaining flexibility and avoiding operational silos.

Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers leverage open standards to support seamless integration across various platforms, ecosystems, and jurisdictions. This high level of interoperability allows organizations to scale globally while remaining compliant with local regulations and facilitating easy data movement between environments. VMware Cloud Foundation supports key open standards, such as Open Virtualization Format (OVF) for secure and efficient virtual machine distribution, OpenStack APIs for access to familiar tools while benefiting from VMware’s enterprise-grade features, and Kubernetes for managing containerized workloads. This enables organizations to run cloud-native applications alongside traditional VMs, ensuring a consistent operational experience. The hybrid cloud approach emphasizes data and workload portability, allowing seamless transitions across regions or between on-premises and cloud environments without disruption.

Key Advantage: Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers offer the flexibility that today’s businesses need. By supporting data interoperability and portability, they empower organizations to grow without fear of lock-in or compliance risks.

Why Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers?

Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers deliver a comprehensive suite of services tailored to meet the complex needs of a customer’s data sovereignty. By focusing on security, privacy, and interoperability/portability, they empower businesses to manage their data in a way that complies with appropriate laws while remaining agile and scalable. With Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers, organizations can ensure their data remains within the legal jurisdiction they choose while benefiting from the innovation and flexibility of a global cloud infrastructure.

As more organizations recognize the importance of digital sovereignty, VMware’s sovereign cloud strategy sets a new standard for secure, compliant, and future-proof cloud solutions. By partnering with Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers , businesses can confidently navigate the evolving regulatory landscape and maintain control over their most critical asset—their data.

Finding a Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Provider has never been easier! With the launch of our new Partner INSIGHTS portal, you can effortlessly explore and connect with Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Providers, including those with the Sovereign designation. Simply find your partner through the portal, reach out to them, and start a conversation about your unique compliance, data sovereignty, and operational needs. Get the security, privacy, and flexibility you require—all with the simplicity and ease that comes from working with a Sovereign VMware Cloud Service Provider. Start your journey today!

About Guy Bartram

Guy Bartram is Director of Product Marketing for Broadcom’s VMware Cloud Foundation Division.  Leading Broadcom’s VMware CSP Product Marketing, Guy’s focus on operational excellence and revenue enhancement has resulted in the successful launch of self-service go-to-market global initiatives, the VMware Cloud Foundation, and Private AI portfolio.

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