Overview – "What's This All About?"
- Author: Interview with Gerald Boyne (IT Security Architect), conducted by Gregor
- Source: cloudahead.de
- Date: Not explicitly stated
- Reading time: Approx. 8-10 minutes
- Topic: The practical and financial challenges of digital sovereignty for companies
Summary – "I Got It, Now You Will Too"
Gerald Boyne, former AWS employee and IT security consultant, explains why digital sovereignty remains an expensive dream for most companies.
- Sovereignty = Ability to Act: Companies want to make their own decisions in crises, not be completely independent
- Critical dependencies exist everywhere: Proprietary software, cloud services, supply chains
- Concrete risk scenarios must be analyzed: From 30-60 days notice period to immediate service shutdown
- Costs arise multiple times: Basic analysis, detailed projects, tied-up key personnel, external specialists
- "Spaghetti IT" makes everything more complicated: Historically grown systems often need complete re-architecture
- David Heinemeier Hansson as an exception: With modern, decoupled systems it's quick – for most others, not so much
- Micro-enterprises (90% of all companies) should focus on basics: Backups, passwords, updates
Opportunities & Risks – "It's Complicated"
Opportunities:
- Real crisis resilience through well-thought-out redundancies
- Growing awareness of hidden dependencies
- Modern architectures enable more flexible solutions
Risks:
- Massive cost increases due to parallel systems
- Key personnel pulled away from daily operations
- External knowledge doesn't remain in the company
Looking Ahead – "What Could Still Come?"
Short-term (1 year):
- Companies begin risk analyses and realize: This will be expensive
- First emergency plans emerge, mostly just on paper
Medium-term (5 years):
- Market bifurcation: Large companies can afford sovereignty, small ones cannot
- Specialized providers for "Sovereignty as a Service" emerge
Long-term (10-20 years):
- Digital sovereignty becomes a luxury good for corporations and critical infrastructure
- Mid-sized businesses remain trapped in dependencies or enter new ones
Fact Check – "Is This Even True?"
Solidly substantiated:
- Concrete examples (VMware-Broadcom, OVH fire, Log4j) underpin the argumentation
- Differentiated consideration of various company sizes
- Expert's practical experience from both perspectives (AWS and consulting)
Missing or remains vague:
- Concrete cost estimates in euros
[⚠️ To be verified] - Success rates of sovereignty projects
[⚠️ To be verified] - Legal framework conditions barely mentioned
Quick Bottom Line
Digital sovereignty is not a technology problem, but a resource problem. While a David Heinemeier Hansson can quickly become independent with modern systems, most companies are stuck in historically grown "spaghetti landscapes." The message is clear: Sovereignty doesn't just cost money, but also ties up key personnel – and that's exactly what most can't afford. For micro-enterprises the rule is: Secure the basics instead of building castles in the air.
Three Critical Questions
Isn't corporate freedom being restricted through the back door here – if only large corporations can afford digital sovereignty?
Who bears the responsibility when mid-sized companies have to forgo sovereignty for cost reasons and then become incapacitated in a crisis?
Where's the transparency regarding the actual costs of digital sovereignty – why are there no concrete figures, only vague "substantial" warnings?