Cisco is expanding its sovereign infrastructure suite for EMEA customers

Cisco is rolling out its Sovereign Critical Infrastructure (SCI) portfolio across the EMEA region, allowing customers to build and operate their own sovereign infrastructure.

The announcement covers the company's core product lines, including networking, security, compute, collaboration, network management, AI, and Splunk.

With the move, customers can now configure and operate the products in their own air-gapped, on-premises physical environments.

"At Cisco, we understand that true sovereignty means having the freedom to innovate with choice and control remaining crucial to businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa,” said Gordon Thomson, President Cisco EMEA.

"Our Sovereign Critical Infrastructure portfolio meets organizations where they are on their sovereignty journey. The availability of this portfolio reinforces our commitment to being a trusted technology provider for the region’s critical infrastructure."

What to expect with Cisco SCI

Cisco said customers will have control over their data, via on-premises and air-gapped deployments where they retain full authority over location and access to data.

They get operational autonomy, with product capabilities and licensing models that allow products to function without internet connectivity or remote intervention.

A key appeal, according to Cisco, lies in freedom from dependency through continued legal use rights even in extraordinary disruption circumstances.

"A key strength in delivering on our promise of sovereignty is Cisco’s strong partner ecosystem," said Thomson.

"Together, we offer unmatched breadth and choice. Whether customers require a fully sovereign environment or the ability to deploy on-prem, air-gapped Sovereign Critical Infrastructure alongside cloud-based services in a hybrid environment, we provide the choice and control they are asking for."

Meanwhile, the Cisco Customer Experience (CX) organization now offers support and services with air-gapped, on-premises, or hybrid setups.

As part of this, Cisco CX is expanding its Critical National Services Centers (CNSCs) across EMEA - including UK, France, Spain, and Italy – along the lines of its existing center in Germany.

These centers will provide support reflecting strict data sovereignty strategies, including dedicated facilities, controlled access, and cleared personnel.

The company said its on-premises portfolio conforms to IPv6 Ready standards and Common Criteria certification.

Cisco is also working towards achieving the new European Union Cybersecurity Certification (EUCC) across its product lines, already in place for its Cisco Nexus 9K Series family of high-performance data center switches, as well as Intersight Appliance on UCS.

Cisco doubling down on sovereignty

Just last week, Cisco broadened its offer of Webex data residency to the UK, after having rolled it out across the EU five years ago.

Gartner predicts that spending on sovereign cloud infrastructure in Europe will triple from 2025 to 2027, with around a fifth of existing workloads set to shift from global cloud providers to local ones.

"As we navigate an era of digital transformation and AI adoption at a speed that we have never experienced before, the ability to maintain control and autonomy over the most critical data and digital infrastructure has become a strategic requirement for organizations managing complex digital environments," said Thomson.

"Our role is not to define sovereignty for our customers, but to listen to their needs and help them have control over their infrastructure and data. This is our long-term commitment to the region."

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow ITPro on Google News and add us as a preferred source to keep tabs on all our latest news, analysis, views, and reviews.

You can also follow ITPro on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and BlueSky.