Across Europe, the digital transformation journey has accelerated dramatically. Governments and enterprises are embracing AI, cloud computing, and data-driven innovation to deliver better services and drive economic growth. But with this progress comes a new imperative: trust.
Trust is no longer a soft value – it’s the foundation of resilience. And in 2025, trust is being tested by geopolitical tensions, regulatory shifts, and the growing realisation that data sovereignty is not just a legal requirement – it’s a strategic necessity.
Sovereignty Is No Longer Optional
Across Europe, countries like Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands have launched sovereign cloud initiatives and legislated stricter controls. This isn’t just about data locality anymore. It’s about operational control, legal jurisdiction, and the ability to maintain service continuity under pressure.
The shift is being driven by a growing awareness among European policymakers and enterprise leaders that digital infrastructure must be aligned with national interests. Sovereignty is now seen as essential to ensuring that critical services – such as healthcare, finance, public safety, and energy – remain uninterrupted and compliant with local laws, even in times of geopolitical uncertainty or cross-border regulatory conflict.
Organisations are increasingly prioritising platforms that offer transparent data governance, localised storage options, and full lifecycle control over sensitive information. Sovereign-ready solutions are no longer a luxury – they are a prerequisite for digital trust, regulatory alignment, and long-term resilience. This is especially true in sectors where data sensitivity and operational continuity are paramount, such as government, law enforcement, and emergency services.
As Europe continues to define its digital future, sovereignty is emerging not just as a compliance requirement, but as a strategic enabler of innovation, autonomy, and public confidence.
Veeam’s Commitment to Europe’s Digital Future
At Veeam, we’ve been listening – and acting. Our commitment to Europe’s digital sovereignty is built on more than compliance. It’s built on partnership, presence, and purpose.
We’ve built a robust footprint across the continent, with offices in over 20 cities and a network of more than 5,000 partners. Our infrastructure supports local compliance, data residency, and secure backup and recovery operations within European borders. But our commitment goes deeper than geography.
We’ve aligned our platform with Europe’s most stringent regulatory frameworks, including GDPR, NIS2, DORA, and the AI Act. Our certifications – ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, 27018, 27701, SOC 2 Type II, and the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework – are not just badges. They’re proof of our dedication to privacy, security, and operational resilience.
To further strengthen trust and accountability, Veeam provides comprehensive transparency reports that give organisations clear visibility into how their data is managed, audited, and protected across our platforms, supporting compliance with European regulatory frameworks and reinforcing digital sovereignty.
Real-World Impact: Trusted by European Institutions
Our platform is trusted by public sector institutions and enterprises across Europe.
In Austria, WienIT uses Veeam to reinforce its IT security under the EU NIS2 framework. “By uncovering any issues with our backups in near-real time, Veeam ensures we’re comprehensively protected and better prepared for NIS2,” Michael Dexheimer, Service Portfolio Manager Platform Services at WienIT shared.
In the UK, Falkirk Council relies on Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365 to support GDPR compliance and accelerate digital transformation. “We all know backups are the last line of defence in a ransomware attack, so my advice is to make them immutable,” said Murat Dilek, Network, Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Team Leader at Falkirk Council. “During the first week we deployed Veeam, employees needed access to historical emails. Veeam had backed them up, so we restored them quickly. If that request had come two weeks earlier, we wouldn’t have had access, and our services might have been impacted.”
In the Netherlands, Veiligheidsregio Noord- en Oost- Gelderland (VNOG) – a regional fire and emergency service – has radically increased its cyber resilience with Veeam. “We’re now backing up 17TB of data across 130 virtual machines hosted on four physical machines every night, something that simply wasn’t possible before,” said Edwin Moraal, Chief Information Security Officer at VNOG. “We feel so much more secure now that we have immutable backups through Veeam. It gives us extra layers of resilience so we can continue to pursue our mission: keeping the 870,000 citizens of North and East Gelderland safe.”
And in Italy, Guardia di Finanza, a national law enforcement agency, uses Veeam to protect two petabytes of sensitive data in a virtualised private cloud environment. “We looked at many different backup solutions, but Veeam was the only platform that could meet our high security standards and also offer extensive compatibility for virtualised IT environments,” said Rosario Cacciola, Security Backup Manager at Guardia di Finanza. “Veeam support was with us every step of the way and was always on hand to help us ensure best practices.”
Empowering Sovereignty Through Technology
Veeam’s platform enables full ownership and control over data. With flexible, location-based storage options, customers can host data within specific EU jurisdictions to align with national mandates. Immutable backups safeguard data integrity. Robust encryption protects sensitive information. And our zero-trust security model, combined with AI-driven threat detection, minimises reliance on external parties and proactively identifies risks.
We also provide transparent auditing and reporting capabilities, giving organisations clear visibility into data handling processes and enabling them to demonstrate compliance with EU frameworks.
Building Skills and Confidence Across the Region
Through Veeam University, we offer free onboarding courses, expert-led webinars, and advanced certifications like VMCE and VMCA. These resources empower IT professionals to implement sovereign-ready solutions and stay ahead of evolving threats.
We also provide educational content on regulatory compliance, data privacy, and best practices – helping organisations avoid penalties and ensure secure, localised data management.
Looking Ahead: Transparency, Control, and Collaboration
As the sovereignty conversation evolves, we’re not standing still. We’re actively pursuing additional EU-specific certifications. We’re exploring the feasibility of deploying Veeam Cloud services into Azure Sovereign zones. And we’re developing due diligence materials – data flow maps, exit plans, BYOK clarifications – to support procurement and compliance reviews.
We’re also working with our VCSP partners to build a Sovereignty Competency, helping customers identify providers with local data centers and sovereign-ready services.
Sovereignty Is a Strategic Advantage
At Veeam, we understand that our European customers require more than advanced cybersecurity. They seek heightened digital autonomy, assured service continuity, and unwavering assurance in the management of their data. Our technologies are engineered with European priorities at the forefront and are iteratively enhanced in collaboration with European stakeholders.
Sovereignty is not just a challenge – it’s an opportunity. It’s a chance to build trust, strengthen resilience, and shape a digital future that reflects Europe’s values. At Veeam, we’re proud to be part of that journey.
Let’s build a Europe where sovereignty is not a constraint, but a competitive advantage.
