NEWS

Luxembourg has long been a pivotal player in the process of European economic and political integration. Today, two Luxembourg-based companies—Gcore and emma—are taking the lead in the sphere of international data management and protection by promoting European digital sovereignty.

Understanding Digital Sovereignty’s Significance and Challenges

Digital sovereignty refers to the authority to define and implement digital data policies, regulations, and strategies that align with an organization's or country's values and interests. Meeting this need is becoming increasingly complex as data traverses diverse digital jurisdictions, each with its own set of sovereignty regulations. IDC FutureScape projects that by the end of 2024, nearly 40% of European enterprises will need a sovereign cloud in order to address data complexities.

Despite its complexity, ensuring digital sovereignty is crucial for protecting national interests, fostering economic prosperity, upholding citizens’ rights, and preserving political independence—and it’s a legal obligation for businesses to adhere to their local data sovereignty laws.

No Data Sovereignty Without Cloud Sovereignty

Data sovereignty, a foundational element of digital sovereignty, enables the control over crucial information. Similarly, cloud sovereignty bolsters data sovereignty by supplying the infrastructure and services essential for data control and compliance. While cloud adds complexity to the overall picture of digital sovereignty, it may in fact hold answers to the broader challenges at hand.

Recognizing these complexities, hyperscalers such as Google Cloud, Azure, and AWS have undertaken significant measures like establishing local data centers, launching compliance programs, and making contractual commitments. Nevertheless, the intricate European framework of data sovereignty, compliance, legal requirements, and customer expectations continues to pose persistent challenges for hyperscalers operating within Europe. A European challenge needs a European solution.

Enter Gcore and emma

Innovative solutions—like multi-cloud edge computing—are emerging to aid companies in proficiently managing their data, while maintaining control of costs and service quality. One such multi-cloud edge computing solution is created in collaboration between Gcore and emma. Headquartered in Luxembourg and boasting impressive global footprints, both companies deeply understand the significance of European data regulations and the importance of adhering to them.

Gcore offers Cloud and Edge platforms with exceptional global coverage and performance standards.

emma, short for enterprise multi-cloud management application,  is a comprehensive platform, enabling businesses to orchestrate the deployment, management, and scaling of cloud workloads to their platforms and regions of choice.

This collaboration aims to bring the best of European data protection standards to globally scaled cloud operations, delivering an exceptional balance of cost and quality.

Gcore and emma Ensure EU/EEA/GDPR Compliance

Gcore and emma take great pride in a commitment to GDPR compliance, which means we handle customers' data with utmost transparency, integrity, and confidentiality. Our strict conformity with GDPR ensures that our customers' data is governed according to EU/EEA standards, including data management within, and transfer beyond, these regions.

Dmitry Panenkov, founder and CEO of emma comments, “Using the emma multi-cloud management platform offers the potential to ensure adherence to data privacy norms and local compliance rules by allowing a choice of providers who meet specific criteria in these areas. And, while the emma platform helps you to respect local regulations and save sensitive data here in Europe, it can support you to scale globally and faster than other companies in the world.”

The benefits of combining the emma platform and –the Gcore infrastructure are vast. Let’s take a look at them.

 

Localized Cloud Infrastructure

Together, Gcore and the emma platform provide organizations with access to locally hosted cloud infrastructure. This ensures that data resides within the desired jurisdiction, aligning with local data sovereignty requirements.

 

Data Residency and Compliance

Organizations can define policies and rules to ensure that data remains within specific geographic regions using the emma platform. Gcore's localized cloud infrastructure supports these data residency requirements, facilitating compliance with local data protection regulations and enhancing data sovereignty.

 

Enhanced Control and Transparency

Gcore’s infrastructure gives organizations granular control and real-time insights into their data. Combined with the centralized control and visibility over cloud resources offered by the emma platform, organizations are empowered to enforce data governance practices and maintain data sovereignty.

 

Security and Data Protection

Organizations can leverage Gcore's robust security practices to protect their data. This includes features such as data encryption, access controls, and threat detection. By relying on Gcore's secure infrastructure within the emma platform, organizations can strengthen their data protection measures and achieve data sovereignty.

 

Multi-Cloud Edge Computing

Combining the emma multi-cloud management platform and Gcore Cloud and Edge platforms provides organizations with a powerful solution for diverse use cases. Data processing takes place near the source of the data (the “edge” of the network) across a network of multiple cloud service providers. Multi-cloud edge can provide significant benefits in terms of speed, efficiency, and reliability, particularly for applications that require real-time or near-real-time data processing and for operations distributed over various geographical locations. Multi-cloud edge computing offers companies greater flexibility and control over where and how their data is processed and stored, and it can improve resilience and performance by taking advantage of the unique strengths of multiple cloud providers.

Multi-cloud edge computing offers the potential to ensure adherence to data privacy norms and local compliance rules by allowing a choice of providers who meet specific criteria in these areas. The advent of multi-cloud edge computing enables organizations to process data closer to the source, bolstering security, and adapting to dynamic network conditions. This leads to a superior user experience and facilitates a broad spectrum of applications and services.

Seva Vayner, Product Owner of Gcore's Edge Cloud service, explains, "At Gcore, we offer a public cloud solution, but we also provide equivalent services and solutions for our customers as a private cloud. This means we can deliver an appliance to your data center, granting you access to the same functionalities and services. You always know precisely where your data is located.”

Conclusion: Achieve Data Sovereignty in Europe with Gcore and emma

It's crucial to recognize the significance of digital sovereignty in a globally interconnected context, and to act to ensure your and your customers’ data is protected according to local laws. Multi-cloud edge computing can play a pivotal role in reinforcing digital sovereignty, bringing a wealth of additional benefits. Gcore and emma joining forces offers an exciting prospect to European businesses looking to secure their digital future safely, efficiently, and with optimal value for money.