Digital sovereignty is a hot topic at the moment. This topic applies to both governments, such as the EU, which has released sovereignty guidelines like the Cloud Sovereignty Framework, and to private companies, who are overly reliant on vendors with abusive pricing power.
In the world of software enterprises, digital sovereignty can typically be broken down into four axes: data sovereignty, technological sovereignty, operational sovereignty, and general IT governance/strategy. For the technological and operational sides, sovereignty tends to be defined as the ability to utilize, develop, and operate digital solutions independently. In other words, it is a question of control over these solutions.
The governance aspect defines how controls can be put in place to ensure sovereignty practices are pursued. In this article, I will focus on technology, operations, and governance, because data sovereignty often heavily touches on legal matters.
Sovereignty is a Choice, but it Should be Evaluated Properly
Sovereignty is a choice, but it should be evaluated properly. Portability is an insurance policy that should be applied selectively to critical systems. Open standards are a way to ensure such portability while making use of providers. Convenience makes accidental vendor lock-in the default state; avoiding it requires active architectural discipline.
Full sovereignty across an entire organization, business, or company is a myth. Digital sovereignty isn’t about building everything yourself; it’s about having a valid ‘Plan B’. What would your ‘Plan B’ be if your vendor for a critical system suddenly decided to quadruple its price tag or if it decided to abandon product development and suddenly communicated a product ‘end-of-life’ deadline?
Portability is an Insurance Policy
Portability is an insurance policy that should be applied selectively to critical systems. Open standards are a way to ensure such portability while making use of providers. Convenience makes accidental vendor lock-in the default state; avoiding it requires active architectural discipline.
For example, consider a company that relies on a SaaS provider for its customer relationship management (CRM) system. If the provider suddenly decides to quadruple its price tag or abandon product development, the company would be left with a critical system that it cannot operate independently. To avoid this scenario, the company could implement a ‘Plan B’ that involves using an open standard-based CRM system that can be easily ported to another provider if needed.
Open Standards are a Way to Ensure Portability
Open standards are a way to ensure such portability while making use of providers. For example, consider a company that uses a proprietary database management system (DBMS) for its critical business applications. If the vendor of the DBMS suddenly decides to abandon product development or quadruple its price tag, the company would be left with a critical system that it cannot operate independently.
To avoid this scenario, the company could implement a ‘Plan B’ that involves using an open standard-based DBMS that can be easily ported to another provider if needed. This would ensure that the company has control over its critical systems and can operate them independently, even if the original vendor decides to abandon product development or quadruple its price tag.
Convenience makes accidental vendor lock-in the default state; avoiding it requires active architectural discipline. For example, consider a company that uses a cloud-based infrastructure as a service (IaaS) provider for its critical business applications. If the provider suddenly decides to abandon product development or quadruple its price tag, the company would be left with a critical system that it cannot operate independently.
To avoid this scenario, the company could implement a ‘Plan B’ that involves using an open standard-based IaaS provider that can be easily ported to another provider if needed. This would ensure that the company has control over its critical systems and can operate them independently, even if the original vendor decides to abandon product development or quadruple its price tag.
Conclusion
Digital sovereignty is a choice, but it should be evaluated properly. Portability is an insurance policy that should be applied selectively to critical systems. Open standards are a way to ensure such portability while making use of providers. Convenience makes accidental vendor lock-in the default state; avoiding it requires active architectural discipline.
Full sovereignty across an entire organization, business, or company is a myth. Digital sovereignty isn’t about building everything yourself; it’s about having a valid ‘Plan B’. What would your ‘Plan B’ be if your vendor for a critical system suddenly decided to quadruple its price tag or if it decided to abandon product development and suddenly communicated a product ‘end-of-life’ deadline?
