What is Data Sovereignty?
Data Sovereignty refers to the principle that digital information is subject to the laws, regulations, and governance frameworks of the country or region where the data is created, stored, or processed. In practice, this means organizations must ensure that sensitive or personal data complies with local requirements – such as storage location, access controls, transfer restrictions, and government oversight – based on the jurisdiction that governs it.
Data sovereignty has become increasingly important as organizations adopt cloud services, manage cross-border operations, and handle data across multiple geographies. Compliance often requires understanding where data resides, who can access it, and how it moves across global environments.
A strong data-centric security, such as persistent encryption, usage controls, and audit visibility, helps maintain compliance with sovereignty requirements even when data travels across cloud, SaaS, or external collaboration channels.