Oracle unveils ‘sovereign cloud’ region for EU customers amid pending regulatory changes
Oracle has unveiled its highly anticipated EU Sovereign Cloud region for customers within the European Union (EU). This allows private and public sector organizations across the EU greater control over data privacy and sovereignty requirements.
The new EU Sovereign Cloud region by Oracle is one of the first cloud offerings specifically designed to meet pending regulatory changes. It will be located entirely within the EU, supported by EU-based personnel, and operated by separate legal entities within the union.
Oracle has partnered with Equinix and Digital Realty to establish this sovereign cloud region, with data centers in Frankfurt and Madrid, respectively. It is a strategic placement that strikes two birds with a single stone. For one, the partnership ensures compliance with the dynamic EU regulations, and secondly, it addresses the growing importance of data protection and localisation.
Richard Smith, Executive Vice President for Technology, EMEA, at Oracle, stated that the changing regulatory landscape in the EU has created a demand for sovereign cloud solutions capable of securely hosting sensitive customer data and complying with regulations such as GDPR. With the Oracle EU Sovereign Cloud, customers in highly regulated industries and those subject to country-specific legislation can accelerate their cloud strategies.
The new sovereign cloud region operates under comprehensive policies and governance and supports Oracle Cloud Infrastructure's (OCI) existing capabilities. It employs a framework focused on data and operational sovereignty. This defines how OCI stores and manages EU data and handles data access from non-EU entities.
Oracle EU Sovereign Cloud is designed for data residency and security, with no shared infrastructure or backbone network connection to Oracle's commercial regions in the EU. Customer access to Oracle EU Sovereign Cloud is managed separately from access to the company's commercial cloud regions.
This announcement aligns with the tightening regulatory approach to data sovereignty within the EU. The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has proposed a cyber security label, requiring non-EU companies operating in the union, including major cloud providers like Microsoft, Google, and AWS, to form joint ventures with EU-based firms for regulatory compliance.
Oracle's initiative is part of the broader EU certification scheme (EUCS), aiming to establish a union-wide certification regime for cloud providers and companies handling EU data. This move demonstrates Oracle's commitment to addressing data privacy concerns and enabling organisations to meet EU regulatory requirements.
Other industry leaders are also responding to the sovereignty push. IBM, for instance, recently announced plans to open a dedicated quantum cloud data centre and cloud region in Ehningen, Germany, to help clients manage their European data regulation requirements.
Oracle's EU Sovereign Cloud region is a significant step forward in providing organizations with localised cloud solutions that prioritise data privacy and comply with EU regulations. These bolsters trust in the cloud computing landscape.
