Digital Sovereignty: Who Has Control Over Your Data?

Why data sovereignty is becoming more important than ever for businesses.

Today, data is one of a company’s most valuable assets. It contains confidential information, documents business processes and forms the foundation of numerous digital services.

At the same time, dependence on international cloud platforms, global IT infrastructures and external service providers is growing. This raises a fundamental question: Who actually has control over our data – and can we still access and use it if circumstances change?

This is precisely where digital sovereignty comes into play.

What does data sovereignty mean in practice?

Data sovereignty means more than simply knowing where your data is stored. Businesses must be able to retain control over their data – from storage and access to recovery.

This includes, in particular:

• Control over data storage locations: Knowing where business data is stored and processed, and which legal frameworks apply.
• Control over access: Determining independently who is authorised to access data and under which conditions.
• Control over encryption: Ensuring that sensitive information is protected against unauthorised access.
• Digital independence: Consciously reducing dependencies on individual providers and their platforms.
• Independent recovery: Ensuring that critical data remains available and recoverable even if the original platform is no longer accessible.

Data sovereignty is not just about knowing where data is stored. What matters is retaining control and the ability to act, even in an emergency.

International dependencies: An underestimated risk

Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Google Workspace and other cloud services have become indispensable to the daily operations of many businesses. They enable efficient collaboration, flexible working models and access to data from virtually anywhere.

However, these benefits also bring increasing dependence on international providers.

Geopolitical developments, regulatory changes, cyberattacks or restricted platform access can expose businesses to unexpected challenges.

What happens if a cloud account is suspended? If access to a platform is restricted? Or if critical business data is lost in a cyberattack?

Businesses that protect their data exclusively within the original platform risk becoming even more dependent on its availability and accessibility in an emergency.

Independent data backup provides an essential additional layer of security.

Backups as the foundation of digital independence

A well-designed backup strategy is an essential component of any digital sovereignty strategy.

Simply copying data regularly is not enough. What matters is that backups are stored independently of production systems and can be reliably restored when needed.

External, independent data backup provides greater flexibility and reduces dependence on the original IT infrastructure.

At MOUNT10, backups are encrypted and stored in Switzerland – in SWISS FORT KNOX, deep within the rock of the Swiss Alps.

Swiss infrastructure, controlled access conditions and independent backup environments provide the foundation for businesses to retain access to their protected data, even outside their original cloud platforms.

Artificial intelligence is changing the requirements for data security

The growing use of artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities, but also new challenges when it comes to protecting business data.

AI technologies can identify security vulnerabilities more quickly, analyse large volumes of data and make cyberattacks more effective. At the same time, businesses are processing increasing amounts of sensitive information through AI-powered applications.

This makes control over data even more important: Where is it stored? Who can access it? And how can businesses ensure that it remains protected and available in the long term?

Data sovereignty is therefore becoming a strategic issue that goes far beyond traditional data protection.

Digital independence starts with the right decisions

Complete independence from international IT providers is neither realistic nor necessary for most businesses. What matters is managing dependencies consciously, reducing risks and providing additional protection for critical business data.

Businesses should therefore regularly ask themselves the following questions:

• Do we know where our business data is stored and processed?
• Do we have control over access rights and encryption?
• Are our backups independent of our production systems?
• Can we restore our data if the original platform fails or access to it is lost?
• Have we tested our recovery processes under realistic conditions?

Data sovereignty means remaining in control and retaining the ability to act independently. Not just when it matters most, but through the decisions we make today.

Independent data backup from Switzerland

Swiss solutions for greater digital independence are already available today.

With MOUNT10’s CLOUD 2 CLOUD, Microsoft 365 data is encrypted and backed up in Switzerland at SWISS FORT KNOX. The protection goes beyond simply creating a copy of the data: With the appropriate preparations in place, backed-up data can also be restored locally and independently of the original Microsoft 365 environment.

This provides an additional layer of security, even if access to the original Microsoft tenant is no longer possible.

MOUNT10 helps businesses store and protect their data independently and securely in Switzerland. This creates an important foundation for digital sovereignty and long-term data availability.