{
    "title": "Belgian IT firms team up to offer sovereign cloud storage for critical sectors",
    "modified_at": "2026-05-26 19:48:07",
    "published_at": "2026-05-26 19:48:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/belgian-it-firms-team-up-to-offer-sovereign-cloud-storage-for-critical-sectors",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/l3Hd",
    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "belgian-it-firms-team-up-to-offer-sovereign-cloud-storage-for-critical-sectors",
    "body": "<p><strong>Hasselt-based IT company Cegeka and Keyes, the ICT subsidiary of insurer Ethias, are joining forces to offer a Belgian sovereign cloud storage service, the two companies announced in a press release on Tuesday.</strong></p><p>The strategic partnership, named Belgian Critical Cloud, targets public authorities, defence companies and other operators of critical infrastructure - sectors where the bar for security and legal certainty is particularly high. The partners will pool their existing infrastructure and data centres, a move they say will enable rapid scaling and provide sufficient investment capacity.</p><p>All data will be stored exclusively in Belgian data centres, in compliance with Belgian and European legislation, and operational control will remain within those borders. The aim is to reduce dependence on large foreign technology providers.</p><p>&quot;Digital sovereignty is no longer a theoretical debate,&quot; said Koen Deryckere, CEO of Cegeka. &quot;It is an operational requirement for governments and providers of critical infrastructure. And in Belgium, the need is particularly urgent.&quot; </p><h4 id=\"surge-in-demand\" >Surge in demand</h4><p>Belgian Critical Cloud comes amid a broader surge in demand for sovereign cloud services across Europe, driven by geopolitical tensions and concerns about reliance on US-based cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. </p><p>According to Deryckere, the demand is coming directly from clients who want assurance that their data is managed within the correct jurisdiction. Under the US Cloud Act, American authorities can compel US technology companies to hand over data even when it is stored outside the United States.</p><p>Similar initiatives are emerging at European level. Earlier this year, <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/proximus-among-four-companies-selected-for-sovereign-eu-cloud-contract\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Belgian telecom provider Proximus was selected</a> by the European Commission as one of four providers to supply sovereign cloud services to EU institutions, under a six-year contract worth up to 180 million euros. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><sup>#FlandersNewsService | PHOTO &copy; Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP</sup></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-7bba8090-4600-45f8-a90a-8046db7fa91e\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/microsofts-three-belgian-data-centres-to-come-online-this-autumn\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F6f81f6e8-9ae2-449f-98ea-2fe1d9752a4f%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=8fd1c1d4f75b10741eeafe471f5b4284)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/microsofts-three-belgian-data-centres-to-come-online-this-autumn\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"7bba8090-4600-45f8-a90a-8046db7fa91e\"\n           >\n                Microsoft&#039;s three Belgian data centres to come online this autumn            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                Microsoft&#039;s three data centres in Belgium will be operational from the autumn, the technology company has announced. The data centres are designed...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fmicrosofts-three-belgian-data-centres-to-come-online-this-autumn&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n",
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    "links": [
        {
            "description": "Microsoft's three Belgian data centres to come online this autumn",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/microsofts-three-belgian-data-centres-to-come-online-this-autumn"
        }
    ],
    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
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}