From the cloud boom to autonomy
The more business-critical processes migrate to the cloud, the more important control, compliance and resilience become. Service management platforms are a particular focus here: they consolidate services, processes and business-critical information, and are increasingly evolving into the digital control centre of modern organisations. Consequently, the demands on security, availability and digital sovereignty are correspondingly high. This is precisely where sovereign service management platforms such as the BMC Helix German regulated Cloud come into play.
Digital sovereignty means more than just data storage
Sovereignty does not end at the location of the data centre. What matters is who processes the data, who is responsible for operations and who has access to the systems. This includes transparent operational processes, clear governance structures, regulatory compliance and the ability to avoid dependencies on individual providers. Current frameworks such as the BSI’s ‘Criteria enabling Cloud Computing Autonomy’ (C3A) take this holistic view into account. With the C3A criteria, the BSI has, for the first time, published a guidance framework that enables the digital sovereignty of cloud services to be systematically assessed. The crucial question is therefore no longer simply: ‘Where is the data?’, but rather: ‘Who controls the processes, operations and access to this data?’
Innovation and sovereignty need not be a contradiction
Modern service management platforms must today meet several requirements simultaneously: they are expected to automate processes, provide transparency across complex IT landscapes, enable AI-driven innovation and, at the same time, comply with regulatory requirements.
The BMC Helix German Regulated Cloud demonstrates how these requirements can be combined. It combines BMC’s cloud-native service management platform with an operational model geared towards digital sovereignty. Data storage, support and operational processes are organised within Germany or the EU.
Materna plays a key role in this. As a long-standing BMC partner, the company has been supporting the implementation, further development and operation of service management solutions for many years. The German Regulated Cloud was jointly developed by BMC Helix and Materna for organisations that utilise modern SaaS functionalities whilst also needing to meet high standards of compliance, data protection and control.
The scope of services includes practical functions that enable companies to better manage their IT services, automate recurring tasks and maintain an overview of their IT systems – even when these are spread across their own data centres and various cloud environments. Furthermore, the platform helps to deliver service processes across the organisation, beyond the IT department, and provides staff with central points of contact for services, information and knowledge. AI-powered features also help service teams to automate tasks, deliver knowledge more quickly and provide users with more targeted support.
Compliance does not begin with an audit
A common misconception is to view compliance as an afterthought. In fact, compliance begins as early as the design phase of a cloud service and continues throughout day-to-day operations. This is why issues such as information security management, vulnerability management, monitoring, and backup, recovery and failover procedures play a central role. The BMC Helix German Regulated Cloud Service was therefore designed in accordance with the BSI:C5 criteria and is audited annually by independent auditors to assess its effectiveness.
It is only the interplay of technology, organisation and governance that creates the foundation for the secure and traceable operation of business-critical platforms. This is precisely what constitutes an essential component of digital sovereignty today.
The future of the cloud is sovereignty
The cloud remains the driving force behind innovation in modern enterprises. However, the criteria for successful cloud strategies are changing. Alongside scalability and efficiency, control, transparency and regulatory certainty are becoming increasingly important. For business-critical service management platforms, digital sovereignty is thus becoming a strategic prerequisite.
Solutions such as the BMC Helix German regulated Cloud demonstrate that organisations can combine modern service management capabilities with high standards of compliance, data protection and governance. This is based on a combination of the cloud-native BMC Helix platform and an operating model tailored to regulated environments. Whilst BMC Helix provides the technological platform and its ongoing development, Materna handles operations, support and implementation within Germany and the EU. This creates a model that makes modern SaaS solutions accessible even to organisations with stringent regulatory requirements.
In future, the question will no longer be whether companies should use cloud technologies. The crucial question is how innovation and digital self-determination can be sustainably combined.
Further articles in the series:
Part 1: Cloud sovereignty – a key success factor for modern IT and enterprise service platforms
Part 2: From ‘Cloud First’ to ‘Sovereignty First’: The rules of the cloud are changing
Part 3: From Strategy to Implementation: How Sovereign Cloud Platforms Enable Digital Independence
Further information
Webcast
BMC and BMC Helix
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