The News: Cisco Webex has announced a strategic collaboration with Deutsche Telekom and Eviden, an Atos business, to enhance digital sovereignty for European customers. This partnership will introduce sovereign controls, ensuring encryption keys for Webex meetings, messaging, and calling user-generated information hosted and managed by trusted European entities. This initiative aims to provide European businesses from various sectors with enhanced control over their data, ensuring it remains within European borders. The new Sovereign Controls feature is set to be available to European Union (EU) customers by spring 2024. See the detailed announcement from Cisco Webex here.
Webex Advances Digital Sovereignty With New European Partnerships
Analyst Take: Cisco’s recent announcement regarding the integration of sovereign controls in its Webex platform is a significant stride toward addressing the rising concerns around digital sovereignty in Europe. This move not only amplifies Webex’s commitment to data security but also aligns with the increasing demand for data sovereignty in the European market.
Cryptographic Controls: The New Standard?
One of the standout features of this announcement is the emphasis on cryptographic controls. By allowing encryption keys to be hosted and managed by trusted European partners, Webex ensures that the data remains within European borders, adding an extra layer of security. This approach not only ensures data protection but also provides businesses with the flexibility of choosing a cloud provider they trust, without the complexities of hosting their encryption keys.
EU Data Residency: More Than Just a Buzzword
Another pivotal aspect of this announcement is the focus on EU data residency. Webex has already been storing user profiles, content, analytics, and operational data for its EU customers in data centers located in Frankfurt and Amsterdam. By reinforcing its commitment to EU data residency, Webex is positioning itself as a leader in compliance with the stringent data protection norms set by the EU.
The Future of Data Sovereignty
As Europe continues to champion digital sovereignty, collaborations like these will become increasingly significant. Webex’s proactive approach, combined with its commitment to innovation, positions it well to navigate the evolving digital landscape. However, as the European Cybersecurity Certification Scheme for Cloud Services (EUCS) is set to be published by the end of 2023, it will be crucial for Webex to stay agile and adapt to any new standards that emerge.
Concluding Thoughts
The partnership between Cisco Webex, Deutsche Telekom, and Eviden is a testament to the shifting priorities in the digital world. As businesses demand greater control over their data, cloud service providers (CSPs) will need to innovate and collaborate to meet these needs. Webex’s latest move is a step in the right direction, but the journey toward complete digital sovereignty is far from over.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
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Author Information
As Practice Lead - Workplace Collaboration, Craig focuses on developing research, publications and insights that clarify how the workforce, the workplace, and the workflows enable group collaboration and communication. He provides research and analysis related to market sizing and forecasts, product and service evaluations, market trends, and end-user and buyer expectations. In addition to following the technology, Craig also studies the human elements of work - organizing his findings into the workforce, the workplace, and the workflows – and charting how these variables influence technologies and business strategies.
Prior to joining Wainhouse, now a part of The Futurum Group, Craig brings twenty years of experience in leadership roles related to P&L management, product development, strategic planning, and business development of security, SaaS, and unified communication offerings. Craig's experience includes positions at Poly, Dell, Microsoft, and IBM.
Craig holds a Master of Business Administration from the Texas McCombs School of Business as well as a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Tulane University.
