BT has launched a new platform offering a suite of “digital sovereignty services” for UK businesses as geopolitical instability makes sovereignty a top priority.
Digital sovereignty is essentially the ability to have your tech infrastructure, digital services and operations contained within your home country.
The level of influence of international tech providers has come into focus in recent months, from the devastating impact of outages at AWS and Cloudfare to general anxiety about geopolitical and regulatory divides between nations.
Research conducted in September found that as many as 73% of UK businesses have become “worried about their data being stored in the US”, with 67% unsure as to the exact location of where their data is being stored.
Looking to address this, BT has launched the Sovereign Platform to offer firms in the UK assurance that the control, management of operations, systems and data are within a UK infrastructure platform and supported exclusively by UK-based staff.
“Sovereignty isn’t simply a matter of compliance or risk management – it’s key to unleashing the potential of AI, and ensuring resilient operations in an increasingly uncertain world,” said Jon James, chief executive of BT Business.
“Organisations are increasingly looking for sovereignty in their services and it’s up to us to make sure we deliver for our customers.
“That means making sure we’re offering the right sovereign solutions that ensure data and operations remain secure, compliant, resilient and future-proofed.”
Read more: Securing Britain’s digital sovereignty
