Definition. The ability of an organisation or a state to decide independently about its own digital systems, data, interfaces and suppliers, technically, legally and operationally. It covers aspects such as data location, control over encryption, freedom from licensing constraints, availability of staff and ability to migrate.

Why it matters. At mid-sized companies, digital sovereignty is rarely a political statement but a question of risk: what happens if a US provider fails, doubles its prices or changes its terms? Sovereignty is the answer to this eventuality, not to an ideological position.

Related. Sovereign Infrastructure, Vendor Lock-in, European Cloud, Self-hosted Infrastructure, Open Source