Microsoft Expands Sovereign Cloud Solutions for Europe

Microsoft has announced significant updates to its Sovereign Cloud platform in Europe, further strengthening data protection, compliance, and customer control. These updates highlight Microsoft’s commitment to helping European organizations meet sovereignty requirements without compromising access to the company’s full suite of cloud services.

Key Announcements

1. Sovereign Public Cloud Enhancements
The Sovereign Public Cloud is expanding with new features designed to give customers greater control over their data:

• Customer-controlled encryption ensures only approved parties can access sensitive information.

• Protections are now available in any European Azure Region, with no need to migrate existing data or workloads.

2. Sovereign Private Cloud Expansion
The Sovereign Private Cloud—built on Azure Local—is also evolving. A key development is the introduction of Microsoft 365 Local on Azure Local, allowing organizations to run Microsoft 365 services within a private, localized cloud environment.

Full details on the announcement can be found in Microsoft’s blog: Announcing Comprehensive Sovereign Solutions Empowering European Organizations.

Why This Matters

• Broader Sovereign Support: Microsoft now offers the most comprehensive set of sovereign cloud services in Europe, addressing both public and private needs.

• Confidence in Data Protections: With the current political climate in the U.S., these enhancements give European organizations greater confidence that their data remains under local control and outside undue influence.

• Simplified Adoption: Most customers will find the Sovereign Public Cloud sufficient for their sovereignty and compliance needs. Because protections are built into Azure Regions, they can take advantage of these features without costly or complex data migrations.