Sovereign cloud: why and where to host your company's data

Between AWS, Azure, OVHcloud and Scaleway, how to choose the right hosting for your sensitive data? Sovereign cloud: what is it?: A sovereign cloud is a hosting service that guarantees your data is stored and processed in a specific country or jurisdiction (France, EU), by an entity subject only to local law. This excludes providers subject to the US Cloud Act unless specific contractual agreements exist. Why it matters in 2026: GDPR requires personal data to be processed within an adequate legal framework. The AI Act reinforces traceability requirements. Regulated sectors impose specific certifications. But beyond regulation, it's a question of control. French sovereign alternatives: OVHcloud: French leader, HDS and SecNumCloud certified. Scaleway: Iliad subsidiary, cloud-native infrastructure. Outscale: Dassault subsidiary, SecNumCloud qualified. Clever Cloud: French PaaS, simple and effective. Infomaniak: Swiss host, good price/ethics balance. How to migrate to sovereign hosting: Migration starts with an inventory of your data and hosted services. Then assess technical compatibility (containerisation helps with Docker/Kubernetes), plan batch migration, and test in parallel before switching.