Data Management


SOVEREIGNTY, STEP BY STEP


Digital sovereignty is often discussed in the context of governments and large enterprises. But for the IT channel, the topic is becoming increasingly relevant as well. Customers are looking for greater flexibility, reduced dependence on individual vendors, and infrastructure that can adapt to changing business requirements. This creates new opportunities for


resellers and managed service providers to support organisations on their journey towards greater digital sovereignty. Sönke Liebau, co-founder and CPO of Stackable, explains why digital sovereignty is becoming a commercial issue for the channel.


D


igital sovereignty is oſten associated with governments or large enterprises. Why should resellers and managed service providers care about it?


Because they are oſten the ones customers turn to when they want


to reduce dependencies without disrupting their existing IT. Digital sovereignty is not about replacing everything overnight. It’s about giving organisations more choice over where their data is stored, how their infrastructure is operated, and how easily they can adapt to future requirements. For channel partners, this creates an opportunity to move beyond


simply reselling soſtware licences. Tey can help customers design, migrate, operate and optimise sovereign data platforms while continuing to provide managed services, support and expertise. Tis also creates opportunities to build recurring managed services around the platform, from operations and monitoring to lifecycle management and ongoing optimisation, rather than relying solely on one-off soſtware sales. In other words, digital sovereignty is not only a strategic objective


for end users, it is also becoming a new business opportunity for the channel.


In your opinion, what are the biggest barriers on the path to digital sovereignty? We generally observe two categories of barriers: openly stated arguments and unspoken, corporate-policy-related, or cultural reasons. Oſten, a shortage of skilled workers, costs, or technical complexity are cited as the biggest roadblocks, but in most cases they can be resolved through managed services delivered by experienced service providers or channel partners, as well as through training and knowledge-building. Partners also do not need to become data platform specialists overnight. With structured technical enablement, joint account


34 | September/October 2026


planning and support during the first customer projects, adoption becomes a gradual and significantly lower-risk process. We oſten get the impression that the real hurdles lie deeper. Whoever decides on a migration as an IT manager or CTO and it fails bears the consequences – not the external consultant, not the soſtware provider. What’s oſten missing is a shared vision of what such a transition


might look like – as a calculable project rather than a leap into the unknown.


Do you have any advice for companies on how to overcome these hurdles, for example, when there are concerns about risk or responsibility? Te technical and financial hurdles cannot, of course, simply be brushed aside or ignored. It is understandable that companies would rather not take risks. Such projects, whether soſtware migrations or complete infrastructure changes, are demanding, but can be effectively managed through standardisation, automation, and external support – companies do not necessarily need to have their own expert for every area. Experienced MSPs and solution providers can oſten provide the


operational expertise needed to reduce migration risks. Te deeper- rooted hurdles are harder to overcome. Tis is where leadership and a strategic perspective are needed. Digital sovereignty should not be viewed as a ‘nice-to-have’; aſter all, it’s about securing the future. You don’t even need a master plan to start – for the first step, it’s enough to begin with a clearly defined pilot project, such as a new standalone internal application running on a sovereign infrastructure.


Digital sovereignty is oſten used merely as a buzzword. What does the term mean to you as a data expert? For us, it means above all that companies have, or regain, complete sovereignty over their data. It’s about having control over where the


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