NetApp puts sovereign storage at the center of European infrastructure decisions

Sovereign storage is gaining importance for European enterprises as they invest in AI, modernization and cyber resilience, according to Willem Hendrix, senior vice president and general manager of EMEA and LATAM at NetApp. Sovereignty extends beyond physical data storage, encompassing factors such as who operates and manages the data, where support is based, and the telemetry collected.

Hendrix emphasized that sovereignty is not merely a legal matter, but also an architectural design and an operational decision. During an interview with theCUBE Research's Christophe Bertrand and co-host Rebecca Knight at NetApp INSIGHT, they discussed sovereign storage, neoclouds and cyber resilience in Europe. Many customers continue to purchase capital equipment on a five-year cycle, while a growing number require infrastructure that adapts to business needs, offering predictable cost, availability, performance and growth.

NetApp's new Keystone Sovereign service enables qualified European customers to implement data sovereignty controls, with local partners able to incorporate it into their own sovereign offerings. Hendrix clarified that a service is more than just a payment model; it's a business decision. Enterprises face unique AI challenges compared to neoclouds, as most have decades of data scattered across countries and clouds.

NetApp aims to make this data AI-ready through its Novus architecture and broader data infrastructure. Fragmentation exacerbates the issue, as AI, on-premises systems, software as a service and cloud often operate as separate models with distinct teams. NetApp's Keystone storage-as-a-service platform can unite these models, shifting focus towards business outcomes, cost reduction and innovation.