SAP, the software giant, has called for a secure and sovereign cloud for the European Union in the face of geopolitical tension. “In the past, one secured the land with fortresses and walls” said Board Member Thomas Saueressig to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (Saturday edition). “Today, we must secure the data.”
In doing so, SAP publicly distances itself from its competitor Google and its cloud ambitions. The fact that Google Maps labeled the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America shortly after President Trump’s announcement, shows that the company follows the directives of the US government, Saueressig said.
Google, in his opinion, does not offer a sovereign cloud for Germany. “Sovereignty requires a genuine legal independence” said the company’s board member.
SAP sees itself as a pioneer for a new, secure data infrastructure in the EU. “We have the financial means, we are the largest provider in Europe.” If the EU is to be a union, it must also use a sovereign cloud. “If we build 27 national clouds, we won’t have to talk about Europe anymore” Saueressig said.