More and more Dutch companies are investigating the possibilities of becoming less dependent on American cloud providers such as Amazon (AWS), Microsoft (Azure) and Google Cloud. IT service providers are also receiving more requests to think about exit strategies or to draw up a 'plan B'. The FD wrote this today.

 

The reason for the increased attention is a growing sense of urgency, fueled by geopolitical uncertainties, trade conflicts and concerns about digital sovereignty. The unpredictability of American politics, especially in the time of President Trump, makes the risk of sudden blockades or restrictions real.

The movement is in line with the policy of the Dutch government, which, following a critical report from the General Audit Office, is also working to reduce its dependence on American cloud services.

Significant vendor lock-in

In the private sector, plans to invest further in American clouds are now being paused. The FD also writes that switching is not easy; the market is strongly concentrated around American players. Companies are struggling with a significant vendor lock-in, the regulator ACM also notes. Even partially migrating services to European providers often takes at least a year. Moreover, European alternatives do not (yet) offer the same functionality and level of data security, says IT auditor Marc Welters of EY in response to questions from the FD.

In light of changing geopolitical circumstances, the Ziptone editorial team is currently working on a Market overview of European CCaaS vendors. This offers organizations with a contact center insight into alternatives. Ziptone previously wrote about what is involved in the switch to another CCaaS solutionAnyone who would like to know more about the market research 'CCaaS made in EU' can contact the editors.

 

Vandebron

The FD also gives the example of energy supplier Vandebron, which consciously switched to a French provider. By investing in advance in a flexible IT architecture, the company was able to migrate relatively easily. According to CTO Sietse Bruinsma, a step-by-step approach is wise: start small, spread risks and build digital independence in the long term.

In February, Ziptone already called attention to a 'exit strategy' for companies that are largely or completely dependent on a valid set of rules for data transfers to the US. At that time, it became clear that the US government was challenging the existing data protection agreement with the EU. That agreement is the foundation of the European GDPR. Since February, other arguments have been added, such as possible tariffs and economic sanctions.

The increased vulnerability to US measures forces organizations to rethink the adjustment of the existing cloud strategy. The dependency on US platforms affects not only data storage, but also the continuity of customer contact and compliance.

(Ziptone, FD)

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