Sovereignty, Autonomy, Confidence in Cloud Computing: Numeum members have their say

The main results of this survey:

• Unsurprisingly, Numeum’s members confirm that Cloud Computing is at the heart of their business models: 74% offer or integrate Cloud offers and solutions, rising to 85% for software publishers with SaaS offers; 68% of them declare that they have mostly installed it with French operators.
• Data localization in France or Europe is an essential request very often expressed by members’ customers. When this choice is expressed, 78% of customers choose to locate their data in France, and 64% in Europe. . However, the vast majority of customers keep their so-called sensitive data on internal or private clouds.They are more concerned about compliance with RGPD-type regulations, or data security (69% and 77% respectively) than about possible national or international judicial requisitions (19% and 34% respectively).
• 50% of respondents say they are confronted with trust cloud requirements in their customers’ calls for tender, and this percentage rises to over 60% for customers in the healthcare and public sectors. While reversibility is also a regular requirement, only 35% of customers ask for portability clauses.
• 70% of respondents – in a fairly similar way for all member businesses, whether for themselves or for their customers – say that France/Europe should make it compulsory to use only French or European cloud providers for data of a sensitive nature (as defined by law 78-17 of January 6 1978). This percentage falls to around 30% for our members who are subsidiaries of non-European international groups. If such an obligation were to be implemented, for 58% of respondents this would appear feasible, while for 36% it would be difficult or impossible. This could have a positive impact on their development strategy for 46%, and no impact at all for 37%.

In addition to the survey results, Numeum has also drawn the following conclusions:

• Numeum had already sensed the need to send a clear message to political bodies: this was particularly the case with our proposals for the presidential election. Numeum has noted that its members are increasingly sensitive to the issues of data, its creation, use and protection. It’s a significant development in recent years, and one that’s intensified by security and geopolitical issues.
• Sovereignty, autonomy and trust are not just about Cloud Computing and Numeum will have the opportunity to continue working on these issues and contribute to the debate. They deserve to avoid misinterpretation, simplistic amalgams, incantatory posturing and unfounded claims. Beyond the results of this questionnaire , Numeum will continue to contribute to the debate on these subjects by providing technical and operational expertise that will also help refine and standardize definitions.
• Numeum has always defended, with conviction and pragmatism, the central issue of freedom of technological choice.This requires, in particular, the affirmation of a powerful French and European digital industry, while remaining open, without stigmatization, to cooperation with international players, so that French companies can benefit from the best technologies and latest innovations on the market, as long as certain values and rules are respected. This is the price that will be paid by customers, users and citizens in the freedom and sovereignty of their choices and integrity. Numeum also advocates this as far as possible within a unified European space, to avoid maintaining a counterproductive fragmentation of the European market.