What the figures show

The latest "State of Cybersecurity Report 2025" by HarfangLab is based on a survey of over 800 IT and security managers in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The interviews were conducted in the second quarter of 2025 by the market research institute Sapio Research. Companies with 300 to 5,000 employees were surveyed - from sectors such as healthcare, industry, technology and the public sector.

• 78% of respondents now attach more importance to digital sovereignty than in the previous year.
• 54% say that it is now a top priority for their organisation.
• 70% see the dependency on non-European technologies as too high.
• 59% select security solutions specifically according to sovereignty criteria.

The result is clear: digital sovereignty is no longer a marginal issue, but a central selection criterion in IT decisions.

Cloud solutions are also very popular - primarily due to their scalability and speed. However, the market continues to be dominated by US providers such as AWS, Microsoft and Google. According to the study, 37% of European companies alone are "very" or "extremely" concerned about foreign access to sensitive information when using cloud-based security services. The key driver behind the growing awareness of sovereignty is clear: control and transparency. In the security context in particular, it is clear that those who control their data not only reduce dependencies - but also the attack surface.

We offer a concrete answer here with OpenCloud: an open, GDPR-compliant platform that gives companies full sovereignty over data, infrastructure and processes - without dependence on the usual global providers.

Security needs sovereignty

The HarfangLab study shows that companies are increasingly relying on sovereign IT to protect themselves against spying, data leaks and systemic vulnerabilities. On-premises models in particular offer a clear advantage here: they make it possible to operate security architectures independently, control updates in a targeted manner and react quickly in an emergency - without having to rely on external support.

For many organisations, the guiding principle is: security is not an add-on, but a prerequisite.

What moves organisations

Whether municipal administration, SMEs or research institutions - the need to regain technological freedom of choice is growing everywhere. And not just for compliance reasons, but also in terms of resilience, sustainability and freedom to innovate. What has long been called for in political guidelines - for example in the German government's coalition agreement - must now be implemented at an operational level.

Open source as a lever

Sovereignty does not mean doing everything yourself. It means deciding for yourself on what basis and under what conditions you work. And also when you want to switch providers or systems. Open source creates the basis for this - through open standards, comprehensible architectures and the possibility of independent further development. At the same time, open technologies create long-term benefits that are based on joint dissemination and further development and prevent control being replaced by convenience.

The extent to which this attitude has arrived in practice can be seen, for example, in Berlin's SME sector: more and more companies are turning to open source solutions to make themselves less dependent on proprietary platforms - without compromising on functionality or security.

What matters now

Digital sovereignty is not a project - it's a process and it doesn't start with a new technology, but with the decision to actively shape independence.

This includes:

• Strategic location determination:What dependencies exist - technological, contractual, legal?
• Future-proof selection: Which IT solutions can be audited, customised and easily replaced if necessary?
• Strengthen open source expertise: Work confidently with open technology internally or with partners.
• Anchor sovereignty as an attitude: Not only in IT, but also in procurement, management and communication.

The following applies: sovereign technologies are often also the more sustainable ones. This is because open systems can be operated in a resource-saving manner, developed further in the long term and combined sensibly with existing infrastructures - as we show in our article on sustainable digitalisation with open source.

Closed systems, on the other hand, make integration more difficult, increase dependencies and prevent sustainable further development due to a lack of transparency and adaptability.

Conclusion: Sovereignty is becoming concrete

The days of observing are over. Digital sovereignty is being demanded - both politically and economically. The latest study by HarfangLab shows how firmly the topic is now anchored in organisations - and how closely it is linked to security, control and sustainability. Those who act now not only create technical independence, but also lay the foundation for legal clarity, economic resilience and sustainable digitalisation.

OpenCloud provides companies, research institutions and the public and security sectors with a sophisticated solution for file management and collaborative working in the online office. With professional support and long-term assistance from experienced partners. A sustainable building block for digital sovereignty. Open, scalable, secure and with European responsibility.