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By Howard Boville, Head of IBM Cloud Platform
To thrive in today's economy, organizations need to access a trusted, global data ecosystem. But issues around data access and ownership are becoming more complex. As a result, we're seeing an increase in global laws and regulations to reduce risk and preserve privacy, security, safety, and ethical standards.
In May 2018, the European Union's enactment of the General Data Protection Regulation aimed to improve security practices and brought personal data protection to the forefront for businesses. Today, the newly proposed Data Act, summarized as an act by the European Commission, aims to facilitate access to and use of data, including business-to-business and business-to-government, and to review the rules of legal protection of databases.
For global organizations, evolving regulations and growing legislation should serve as a reminder that data privacy and protection requirements can help proactively safeguard customer and employee data wherever it's stored and shared.
Where sovereignty meets innovation
Countries across the world should examine what data sovereignty means to them — especially as it relates to technology. But often, when people talk about sovereignty, not everyone is discussing the same thing.
Data sovereignty is especially important for enterprises because it is based on the idea that data is subject to the laws and governance structures within the nation where it is collected. This means that if a company is doing business across different countries, the data it collects within each country could be under very different protection requirements, and the operational compliance response from enterprises will need to adapt accordingly.
On the other hand, digital sovereignty is of concern at the national level where regulatory policy is decided and enforced. When countries talk about digital sovereignty, they often are referring to the ability to have control over their own digital destiny – including the data, hardware, and software they create – ensuring that, as a sovereign nation, they are not relying on foreign tech companies to safeguard their data and enable their digital economies.
Understanding the building blocks of Sovereign Cloud
Against a backdrop of shifting economic forces, the proliferation of cloud technologies has introduced Sovereign Cloud — an emerging operating model for the industry that aims to help organizations meet the legal, regulatory, and operational requirements of a given jurisdiction.
Enterprises should look at sovereignty as a composite set of stackable layers that encompass data privacy, data residency, service locality, and governance. These interconnected components are sovereignty enablers and together, build toward a holistic vision of Sovereign Cloud.
By first understanding the foundation of sovereignty, we can pave the way to better understanding.
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How data sovereignty is reshaping the future of talent
Data sovereignty looks different for every country, and some nations are more restrictive than others. For example, some countries may require a company's cloud to be operated and run locally and under their control only.
While each jurisdiction is autonomous in its decision-making, economic trends suggest to me that wider access to talent, culture, and ideas are prerequisites to competing effectively in today's world. If data sovereignty means it is no longer possible to access the best international talent, at what point does this become an inhibitor to innovation and progress?
While we don't know what the future holds, if talent needs to remain in-country, it will be critical that there are sufficient, highly skilled workers to meet the challenge.
Looking ahead
Data sovereignty is an evolving concept that organizations will need to adapt to going forward. As they strive to diversify and reduce risk, a hybrid cloud approach can help.
In today's increasingly competitive economy, is your organization prepared to thrive or merely survive? Find out how IBM Cloud can help your business embrace the evolving data landscape.
This post was created by IBM with Insider Studios.
source https://www.businessinsider.com/sc/what-to-know-about-data-sovereignty