Global uncertainty is increasing. Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, trade wars between the US and China, and a pandemic have shown how vulnerable our international supply chains are.

But what about your digital supply chain? In the Netherlands, we have become highly dependent on American technology: from email and office software to the cloud infrastructure that runs our business-critical applications.

Is the ‘kill switch’ a reality? Various examples, such as the shutdown of Adobe services in Venezuela or Microsoft services for sanctioned organizations, show that access to your own data and software is no longer guaranteed.

During this inspiration session, we will explore what these developments mean for your IT strategy and which concrete measures you can take.

What will we cover? In this session, we dive deep into digital autonomy and sovereignty. We go beyond the hype and look at concrete risks and measures. The following topics will be addressed:

• The geopolitical reality: What geopolitical shifts are impacting your IT strategy?
• Risk analysis: We map out geopolitical risks such as sanctions, regulations, economic trade wars, etc.
• Defining concepts: The difference between sovereignty, digital autonomy, data sovereignty, operational sovereignty, and technological sovereignty.
• The Digital Sovereignty Stack: A practical model to determine which layers of your IT landscape (from hardware to AI) require action.
• Gartner’s Sovereign Cloud Spectrum: How do you position your applications? Do you choose Public Cloud, a local partner, or a hybrid model?
• Measures and Exit Strategies: What measures can you take to mitigate risks? Examples include creating an effective exit plan. We discuss the importance of portability, open standards, and the trade-off between ‘exit speed’ and investment costs.

Who is this session for? This session is essential for anyone responsible for the continuity and strategy of the IT landscape:

• CIOs and IT Managers
• Enterprise and Cloud Architects
• Security Officers (CISOs)
• Policy makers and risk managers

Outcome After this inspiration session, you will have a clear understanding of what digital autonomy means for your organization. You will understand the risks of excessive dependence on a single supplier or region and have tools to develop a strategy that makes your organization resilient. You will know how to strike the right balance between the convenience of the public cloud and the need to determine your own digital future.