European Cloud Deployment Models

The terms "public," "private," and "hybrid" cloud have been hijacked by marketing departments, obscuring their real meaning and implications for European digital sovereignty. Understanding these deployment models—and their European alternatives—is crucial for organizations planning their cloud independence journey.

Redefining "Public" Cloud

When AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud call themselves "public" clouds, they're using "public" to mean "available to the public," like a public swimming pool. But these are private companies, subject to private interests and foreign governments.

For Europe, we need truly public cloud infrastructure—owned by or accountable to the public, operating under European governance and values.

True public cloud characteristics:

• Democratic Governance: Accountable to citizens, not shareholders
• Transparent Operations: Open about data handling and security practices
• European Jurisdiction: Subject only to European laws and courts
• Public Interest Focus: Prioritizing societal benefit over profit maximization

Several European initiatives approach this ideal. Gaia-X creates a federated infrastructure with shared governance. National research networks provide computing resources for academia. Municipal data centers serve local government needs.

Private Cloud: More Than On-Premises

Private cloud isn't just servers in your basement. It's about control—over data, operations, and destiny. Modern private clouds built on Kubernetes and OpenStack provide cloud-like experiences while maintaining complete sovereignty.

European organizations are pioneering innovative private cloud models:

Industry Collaboratives: German automotive companies share private cloud infrastructure for non-competitive functions. This spreads costs while maintaining control.

Regional Clouds: Nordic countries collaborate on shared infrastructure serving government and healthcare. Data never leaves the region; governance remains local.

Sovereign Stacks: French organizations use "Cloud de Confiance" certified providers—technically private clouds operated by trusted European companies.

Hybrid Reality

Pure public or private clouds are rare. Most organizations operate hybrid environments, and this isn't a transitional state—it's the end goal. Hybrid cloud lets organizations optimize for different requirements:

• Sovereignty for Sensitive Data: Personal data, trade secrets, and government information stay on European infrastructure
• Scale for Public Services: Web frontends and mobile apps leverage global CDNs and edge networks
• Specialization for Specific Needs: AI training on specialized hardware, archival storage on cost-optimized systems
• Resilience Through Diversity: Multiple providers prevent single points of failure

European Deployment Innovations

Europe is pioneering new deployment models that transcend traditional categories:

Federated Clouds: Multiple providers collaborate while maintaining independence. Customers get unified experience; providers keep sovereignty.

Edge-to-Cloud Continuum: Processing happens wherever it makes sense—sensors, edge devices, regional data centers, central clouds.

Regulatory Clouds: Infrastructure designed for specific regulations. A GDPR-compliant cloud handles personal data; a financial cloud meets banking requirements.

Green Clouds: Data centers powered entirely by renewable energy, with workloads scheduled based on energy availability.

The Portable Future

The ultimate goal isn't choosing between public, private, or hybrid—it's making the choice irrelevant. With cloud-native applications on Kubernetes, organizations can move workloads based on changing requirements.

This portability is Europe's strategic advantage. While others lock customers into proprietary platforms, Europe can build on open standards that preserve choice.

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