Published : 22/05/2026 - 10 minutes read
Beyond Digitalization
Digital sovereignty: taking back control with Private Cloud
In a world marked by geopolitical tensions and stricter regulations, concerns about where data resides and who can access it are growing. Against this backdrop, digital sovereignty is not an ideological statement but a rational risk decision.
Source:
Article from the IT Special publication in Knack, May 13, 2026
Cybersec Europe, May 20, 2026
Beyond security
Cloud adoption is often approached from a security perspective, but that is too narrow. “As regulations and risks increase, legal and compliance aspects also play a larger role. This forces organizations to weigh their choices more consciously. Not every workload or data flow belongs in the same environment,” says Katja Smith, Business Unit Leader Infrastructure Services at Inetum.
“Security and compliance are still too often treated as separate domains, while in reality they must be addressed together. When you add resilience — the ability to absorb disruptions and recover quickly — you lay the foundation for real control and sustainable digital sovereignty.”
Digital sovereignty therefore goes beyond technology alone and requires an approach in which technical choices, governance, contracts, and operational management are aligned. Organizations are increasingly looking for concrete solutions that combine control, transparency, and legal certainty with flexibility.
Within this context, European alternatives are also gaining importance. rCloud is a concrete example: a Belgian private cloud environment that allows organizations to store their data locally and maintain control over their platform and operations. “rCloud is a sovereign cloud platform designed for organizations with high requirements in terms of data residency, compliance, and operational autonomy,” explains Steve Huon, Sr. Solution Manager rCloud at Inetum.
This solution runs on HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise) technology, with compute and storage on HPE infrastructure and HPE GreenLake services as the foundation for a scalable and robust environment. An independent audit of rCloud ensures compliance with European data protection requirements, sector-specific regulations, and sovereignty standards, with clear guarantees regarding data location, access, and control.
No one-size-fits-all
Every cloud strategy starts with a clear understanding of your own environment. “Know your data,” says Huon. “We often see that companies only address questions around data location, access, and regulation later in their journey, even though these are fundamental. It is also important to map not only your own systems but also external parties and supply chain risks.”
From there, the need for a tailored approach emerges. “There is no one-size-fits-all,” Huon states. “At Inetum, we take on the role of trusted advisor. We do not start from a single technology or platform, but from the customer’s needs. We always consider data flows, workloads, and regulations, and assemble the right combination of solutions, aligned with both internal and external requirements.”
This process starts with discussions and analyses at the customer. A multidisciplinary team — including architects, security specialists, and data consultants — maps out the data, needs, and risks, determining which applications belong in which environment. Based on this, Inetum develops a cloud or infrastructure roadmap, where technical, legal, and commercial aspects come
together and anticipate future needs and regulations. “We also provide advice on processes and data usage,” he adds.
“We always work within sector-specific ecosystems, such as healthcare, the public sector, and industry, where specialized teams have deep knowledge of the processes and regulations in their domain,” Smith clarifies. “This allows us to develop solutions that are not only technically sound but also better aligned with the customer’s reality.”
Not one cloud, but the right combination
“For many organizations, a hybrid or multi-cloud model is the most realistic choice today. In such models, organizations combine different environments depending on the nature of their applications and the sensitivity of their data. rCloud can play a role here for organizations looking for more control and certainty around their data,” says Huon.
“It’s not about choosing between public or private cloud, but about making deliberate choices tailored to the specific context of the organization,” he concludes.
Digital sovereignty thus becomes not a constraint, but a lever for a more conscious and forward-looking approach to data, technology, and risk — enabling organizations to actively align their cloud strategy with their needs, obligations, and ambitions.