Kerstin Demko at 8×8 shares how data sovereignty is shaping technology and infrastructure decisions across global markets.
We have been talking to a lot of businesses recently, and one phrase keeps coming up: data sovereignty. We surveyed a group of business leaders around the globe on how big an issue it is, and 89% told us that data sovereignty has moved up their priority list in the last 12 months.
Something that used to be considered a minor item-or something for the compliance teams to sort out-is now a topic of conversation in boardrooms worldwide.
Data sovereignty is reshaping infrastructure decisions. CIOs are evaluating vendor choices, AI platform deployment, and control over their tech stack through a sovereignty lens. Get it wrong, and customer trust – and the data behind it – goes with it.
Data sovereignty is a Competitive Advantage, But What That Advantage is Depends on The Location
And while many assume that data sovereignty is an issue that only Europeans get concerned about, our conversations showed that this was not the case. The US, in particular, is all over this.
In The US
In the US (93%), where regulatory pressure has historically been lighter, CIOs are treating sovereignty as a competitive architecture decision, not a compliance requirement.
They’re asking: “If our data stays in jurisdictions we control, what capabilities can we build that others can’t?” This is purely an infrastructure strategy. GDPR isn’t the driver here; competitive advantage is.
In France
In France (93%), stricter data residency laws have forced the conversation earlier and louder than in most markets. French CIOs don’t have the luxury of treating this as a future problem. It’s active architectural work now.
In The UK
In the UK (91%), post-Brexit data law reshuffled the entire playbook. The conversation shifted from “Where can we put data?” to “Where can we keep data?” Infrastructure location went from a preference to a structural requirement.
In Australia and Ireland
In Australia and Ireland (both 85%), the pressure comes from a different angle – and so does the opportunity. For Australian CIOs, sovereignty is a competitive advantage: control over customer data wins deals and builds loyalty in a market where trust is a true differentiator.
For Irish CIOs managing GDPR alongside multinational complexity, it’s about redesigning infrastructure that works across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously.
What unites these numbers is that CIOs everywhere are no longer retrofitting sovereignty into existing platforms. They’re building it into the architecture from the start. That’s the inflection point the survey captured. That’s what the percentages actually measure.
This blog post has been re-published by kind permission of 8x8 – View the Original Article
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About 8x8
8x8 is transforming the future of business communications as a leading Software-as-a-Service provider of voice, video, chat, contact centre, and enterprise-class API solutions, powered by one global cloud communications platform. Find out more about 8x8
Call Centre Helper is not responsible for the content of these guest blog posts. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Call Centre Helper.
Author: 8x8
Reviewed by: Robyn Coppell
Published On: 27th Aug 2026
Read more about - Guest Blogs, 8x8
