A Balanced Cloud Strategy Can Reduce Europe’s Dependence on U.S. Technology

More organizations should consider adopting a so-called multicloud strategy, experts argue. It can offer increased technological flexibility – and reduce Europe’s dependence on American cloud giants.

The debate surrounding Europe’s reliance on U.S. technology has intensified over the past year, particularly due to rising political tensions between Europe and the U.S., new EU regulations such as the Digital Markets Act, and a growing need for European data sovereignty and innovation.

Both public authorities and private enterprises across the continent are now exploring how they can reduce their dependence on American technology providers. Several European countries have already taken concrete steps: In Denmark, politicians are debating how to address the tight dependencies on U.S.-based cloud services, while the German military recently decided to phase out Microsoft.

Stronger European Alternatives Emerging

Johan Grönlund, CEO of Forte Digital, and Andreas Aubell, the company's chief architect, are calling on organizations that are currently considering alternatives to cloud providers like Microsoft and Amazon. Together, they bring over 30 years of experience in IT architecture and cloud platforms.

– European providers have made great progress in some areas, but still lack the comprehensive service offering seen from hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform," says Grönlund.

The American players offer a wide range of services spanning from artificial intelligence and machine learning to serverless computing and automated security monitoring. In these areas, European providers such as OVHcloud, Scaleway, and Clever Cloud are still trailing behind.

– If you need advanced tools for AI, automation, or high scalability, it’s difficult to find European solutions that match the American offerings," he adds.

However, Grönlund highlights that providers like the French OVHcloud and Scaleway are making significant strides in core services such as data storage and server capacity. Several companies now also offer so-called GDPR-nativeoperations – solutions built from the ground up with privacy and European legal requirements in mind.

Adopt a Multicloud Strategy

Their key recommendation: more organizations should embrace a multicloud strategy. Even though there is no complete European substitute for all cloud services, many companies can already take practical steps today to reduce their technological dependency.

– You don’t have to go ‘all in’ on a single platform. A multicloud strategy that combines both American and European solutions is a realistic and smart choice, says Andreas Aubell.

By using platform-independent technologies like Kubernetes and tools like Terraform, organizations can build flexible systems that can easily be moved between providers. Aubell also recommends prioritizing open standards and open-source components, as this makes switching platforms easier in the future.

– A multicloud strategy offers many advantages. In short, it reduces dependency on single vendors, strengthens GDPR compliance and data sovereignty, and fosters innovation through the use of open standards and flexible platforms, he continues.

Not a New Challenge

The Forte consultants are clear in their support of European technology and their desire to see stronger European competitors emerge. At the same time, they caution against underestimating the complexity of implementing a multicloud approach – especially one that blends both European and American cloud platforms.

– We genuinely hope to see more strong European alternatives emerge. But building solutions that combine both worlds requires significant technical competence and architectural understanding within the organizations themselves, says Grönlund.

He believes that the discussion around cloud providers ultimately points to a deeper challenge – whether businesses are truly capable of moving their systems without having to rebuild everything from scratch.

– This is not a new challenge, really. You must be able to replace a business-critical system without it toppling your entire infrastructure. That’s why scalable and flexible data platforms should be built from the start. It provides long-term flexibility and security, he concludes.