Data sovereignty is about more than where data is stored. It is also about whether an organisation can change providers, move workloads and operate its infrastructure on its own terms.
The conversation around data sovereignty has grown louder across Europe. Geopolitics plays a part, but so do decisions made much closer to the data centre: which platforms an organisation relies on, how those platforms integrate, and how difficult it would be to change course.
The EU Data Act, for example, includes measures intended to make switching between data processing providers easier. Yet a right to switch is only useful if the underlying infrastructure makes that switch practical.
When a platform decision becomes an infrastructure decision
Changes to VMware’s licensing and commercial model following Broadcom’s acquisition have led many organisations to revisit their virtualisation strategy. OpenStack and Kubernetes-based environments are now part of that conversation. But choosing a new platform is only the beginning: existing workloads, data protection processes and operational tools must also make the journey.
Storage has a direct bearing on that work. If it is tightly coupled to one environment, moving to another may introduce extra cost and complexity. An adaptable storage foundation gives teams more room to evaluate their options and plan a phased transition.
“Our customers can move from VMware platforms to OpenStack and Kubernetes environments using proven, industry-standard conversion tools, while NGX Storage serves as a high-performance foundation for the new environment. As a result, there is no need to rebuild workloads from scratch.”
— Yücel Özdemir, Senior Solutions Engineer, NGX Storage
Migration still requires workload assessment, conversion and testing. The point is to avoid making the storage layer another reason to remain tied to a single operating model.
A practical path from VMware to OpenStack
A platform transition does not have to happen all at once. A phased plan gives teams a way to test the new environment before moving critical services:
Map the dependencies. Inventory VMs, applications, storage volumes, network settings, backup policies and any VMware-specific features they rely on.
Choose a pilot workload. Start with a lower-risk application and confirm that the chosen conversion tools and target OpenStack configuration meet its requirements.
Test the whole service. Check application behaviour, storage performance, snapshots, backups and recovery in the target environment—not just whether the VM starts.
Move in stages. Define cutover and rollback plans for each workload group, then expand the migration using what the pilot revealed.
The exact route depends on the applications and the target platform. Keeping storage integration in the plan from day one helps prevent a late discovery that the new environment cannot support an essential workflow.
What open storage infrastructure makes possible
For organisations building private clouds or modernising existing data centres, openness needs to show up in day-to-day operations. Teams should be able to provision storage through familiar tools, automate routine tasks and support different workload types without creating a separate infrastructure island for each one.
NGX Storage’s unified approach spans block, file and object workloads. Its all-flash arrays and hybrid storage systems give organisations options for workloads with different performance and capacity needs.
Integration matters just as much as the hardware. NGX Storage provides REST APIs, Cinder driver support for OpenStack and CSI driver support for Kubernetes environments. These connections allow storage to fit into the platforms administrators already use, rather than forcing every task into a separate workflow.
For example, NGX Storage’s documented Cinder integration supports volume creation, snapshots and cloning through OpenStack workflows. Available features depend on the driver, protocol and deployment configuration, so teams should validate the capabilities needed for their environment.
Five questions to test your freedom to move
Data sovereignty becomes more concrete when teams ask what would happen if they needed to change providers or platforms tomorrow:
Can we export our data in a usable format?
Check formats, interfaces and the time required to retrieve large datasets.Which workloads depend on provider-specific services?
Identify APIs, management tools and application features that would need to be replaced or reconfigured.Who controls access and encryption keys?
Document who can administer the infrastructure and how access would be transferred during a move.What would migration actually cost?
Account for data transfer, conversion, staff time, testing and any planned downtime.Have we tested recovery elsewhere?
A backup is more useful when the team knows it can restore applications and data in the intended alternative environment.
If these questions are difficult to answer, a small pilot can expose the dependencies before they become a barrier to change.
Sovereignty is a question of control
Keeping data within a chosen geography is one consideration. So are the ability to decide where workloads run, who manages the infrastructure, how data is protected and how readily the organisation can adapt when its needs change.
For European cloud providers and enterprises, an open storage layer can support that control. It can make it easier to build around OpenStack or Kubernetes, combine workloads on a suitable storage platform, and retain more choice as technology and commercial terms evolve. Read more about NGX Storage’s perspective on European data sovereignty.
The practical test is simple: if you needed to change platforms or providers, would your storage architecture help you make the move?
Frequently asked questions
Is data sovereignty the same as data residency?
No. Data residency concerns where data is stored. Data sovereignty also raises questions about who controls the infrastructure, which rules apply to it, and whether an organisation can move its data and workloads when its needs change.
Can NGX Storage migrate our VMware virtual machines to OpenStack?
NGX Storage can provide the storage foundation for an OpenStack environment. Moving VMs requires suitable third-party conversion tools and a migration plan covering application compatibility, downtime, data protection and testing. The storage platform does not perform the VM conversion itself.
How does NGX Storage integrate with OpenStack and Kubernetes?
NGX Storage offers Cinder driver support for OpenStack and CSI driver support for Kubernetes environments, alongside REST APIs for automation. The exact storage operations available depend on the driver, protocol and deployment configuration.
What should we check when evaluating storage for data sovereignty?
Ask where data will reside, who administers the platform, how backups and recovery work, which interfaces and integrations are available, and what it would take to move workloads or change providers later. Test those answers against your actual workloads before committing to an architecture.
Talk to NGX Storage about the storage requirements for your cloud or virtualisation environment.