Vol #13 | What is Data Sovereignty?
As a “data” person, have you ever been involved in data security or protection conversations?
If yes, you must have sometimes heard this term called Data Sovereignty. In today’s article, we will try to understand what it means & how it impacts you.
What is Data Sovereignty?
Data Sovereignty can be considered as the rules & regulations related to country-specific laws for storing & accessing data. These are mainly to protect the nation’s ability to have full control over its data.
E.g. Various countries impose laws for storing data of users. It might restrict you from storing users' data outside the user’s country.
Sometimes Data Sovereignty is closely interchanged with Data Locality & Data Residency, which has a slightly different meaning.
To keep things simple, just remember that whenever you want to store your data in the cloud, check the various country-specific rules & regulations related to data storage, data transmission, data sharing & data protection.
Key considerations for storing data in the cloud
As a data architect, if you design your cloud data platforms, keep the Data Sovereignty rules in mind. Here is a quick list you should consider
The cloud region where you store the data should be allowed by that specific country. Certain countries may not allow storing data in regions outside that specific country.
If you use any other country for backup or as a DR site, ensure it is allowed. If not, choose another region within the same country if available.
Also, consider the above points while sharing or transmitting data across countries - check for all applicable laws. There might be certain rules that data should be encrypted when transmitted.
Data Sovereignty, Data Locations & Data Residency are broad topics & need to be explored, studied & understood in depth. The security & compliance teams can guide you better when implementing cloud data solutions. As a data architect, it is important for you to have basic knowledge about these. While implementing any solution, you should involve your security & compliance teams to understand the specific laws applicable & design your cloud data architecture accoridingly.
Hope this helps you to get started with this topic. You can explore it further to understand it in detail. If you have enjoyed reading my articles, please share them with your friends using the button below.