Red Hat has announced new options for European customers aimed at bolstering data sovereignty.
The enterprise open source software supplier has announced Red Hat Confirmed Sovereign Support, a new offering purpose-built for the 27 EU member states and set to go into operation early next year.
The aim here is to help organizations strengthen operational control, resilience, and compliance in line with Europe’s digital sovereignty goals.
“Digital sovereignty means keeping control over your own technology destiny, from data location to software and operations. Navigating the EU's stringent regulatory and compliance frameworks demands an open source-driven, transparent, auditable foundation and a local operational support model," said Chris Wright, Red Hat's CTO and senior vice president, global engineering.
"Red Hat Confirmed Sovereign Support offers exactly that: a fully EU-anchored support experience, run by EU citizens for EU organizations, backed by the trust of our open hybrid cloud portfolio.”
The company said the offering will provide high levels of technical expertise, with localized technical support staff and greater independence from non-EU dynamics.
Support will be delivered entirely by verified European Union citizens operating solely within the 27 EU member states, with localized operational control. There will be 24/7 in-region availability, the company added.
Red Hat partners reducing reliance
Red Hat revealed its network of more than 500 EU cloud partners – many of which already offer sovereign clouds – will strategically reduce reliance on non-EU hyperscalers.
Instead, it said, customers will have robust, local alternatives that align directly with regional regulatory policies and economic priorities.
“Red Hat is making a clear, demonstrable investment in European digital sovereignty," said Hans Roth, senior vice president and general manager EMEA at Red Hat.
"This offering underscores Red Hat’s commitment to empowering EU organisations to own their digital destiny and build upon our open hybrid cloud foundation for greater digital autonomy and resilience.”
Sovereignty in the spotlight
Digital sovereignty is becoming increasingly important in the EU, thanks to provisions in the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, the Digital Services Act, and the Data Act.
The aim is to insulate operations from geopolitical tensions and safeguard EU data, technology and operations.
In Europe, according to a recent report from Accenture, 62% of organizations are now looking for sovereign solutions - particularly those in sectors with regulatory requirements and sensitive data, such as banking, public services, and utilities.
"A sovereign AI approach is not about holding everything in one place. The goal is to make technology choices according to the degree of control organizations want to exercise over data, AI infrastructure and models, while benefiting from the scale, service breadth and pace of innovation that some non-European providers offer," said Mauro Capo, Digital Sovereignty lead for Accenture in EMEA.
"These choices are decided by the use case and national priorities. Some cases need only local data residency, while others, in defense for instance, call for full sovereignty over the different AI components - local data, infrastructure and model, advanced encryption, or even air-gapped systems when necessary.”
Make sure to follow ITPro on Google News to keep tabs on all our latest news, analysis, and reviews.
MORE FROM ITPRO
- Red Hat touts developer workflow gains with new AI tools
- Red Hat targets greater partner autonomy with latest channel updates
- The secret to Red Hat’s success: Trust, trust, and more trust
-
Red Hat eyes developer workflow efficiency, app modernization gains with new AI toolsNews An AI assistant specifically designed for application migration and modernization looks to reduce developer toil
-
Red Hat is giving developers free access to RHEL – here’s what you need to knowNews Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Business Developers aims to help development teams build, test, and deploy applications more efficiently – and at no extra cost.
-
Red Hat just made three big changes to its developer hub – here’s what you need to know
News Red Hat has unveiled a raft of upgrades for Red Hat Developer Hub (RDHD), including support for a local version as well as new analytics.
-
Red Hat launches Build module as part of partner program refresh
News Red Hat has announced new changes to its partner program, including the launch of a new 'Build' module and go-to-market support capabilities.
-
Red Hat eyes “clear pathways for collaboration” with new partner program updatesNews The enhanced framework for Red Hat partners features a new modular design and fresh incentives
-
Red Hat adds trio of new tools to its Trusted Software Supply ChainNews The open-source giant said the additions will help organizations tackle vulnerabilities in their supply chains earlier and improve overall resiliency
-
Linux Blue Screen of Death gives users a taste of the dreaded Windows featureNews The Linux Blue Screen of Death has been added in a recent update
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux becomes foundational operating system for Cohesity Data CloudNews New strategic partnership between Red Hat and Cohesity aims to drive innovation in the data security and management space
