Many vendors promise data security while meaning encryption in transit to their own data centre. That is not the same as processing on your premises.
Control questions
- Where does the model that produces the answer physically run?
- Does the system need an internet connection to start at all?
- Does the vendor collect telemetry, and if so, what exactly is in it?
- Does the content of queries go anywhere outside your infrastructure, even briefly?
- Can the whole deployment be rebuilt from scratch using resources you hold locally?
Three levels that are easy to confuse
| Model | Where the data sits | What constrains you |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor cloud service | With the vendor, often outside Europe | Trust in the contract and the vendor's policy |
| Private cloud | In a rented, logically separated environment | Dependence on the cloud provider and its availability |
| Deployment on your premises | On your hardware, in your network | Your hardware, your team, your procedures |
What sovereignty does not solve
A system running on your premises does not automatically become compliant. You still need access control, an audit trail, a risk assessment and a decision about who is accountable for what the model produces. Sovereignty removes one risk - data leaving the building - and leaves everything else to design.