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Sovereign Private Cloud

The sovereign private cloud is a customer-operated cloud platform for organizations that need full control over infrastructure, data, and operations. It combines Azure Local and Microsoft 365 Local to provide modern cloud capabilities in on-premises, air-gapped, or hybrid environments. This setup meets the most stringent sovereignty, security, and resiliency requirements.

This solution is best for governments, defense, and regulated industries where data residency, operational autonomy, and disconnected access are essential.

Why sovereign private cloud matters

Organizations operating in highly regulated or mission-critical environments face unique challenges:

  • Geopolitical risk and legal jurisdiction concerns
  • Strict data residency and compliance mandates
  • Need for continuity during connectivity outages or emergencies
  • Operational control over infrastructure and access

Sovereign Private Cloud addresses these challenges by enabling Azure-consistent services in customer-controlled environments, with no dependency on public cloud infrastructure.

Key Capabilities

Azure Local

Azure Local delivers core Azure services directly into customer infrastructure:

  • Compute, storage, networking, and virtualization
  • Azure Arc-enabled virtual machines and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) clusters
  • Software-defined networking and persistent storage
  • Policy enforcement and identity integration
  • Disconnected operations with local-first control plane

Microsoft 365 Local

Microsoft 365 Local enables sovereign productivity:

  • Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, Skype for Business Server
  • Runs entirely within customer-controlled environments
  • Supports hybrid and air-gapped scenarios
  • Commitment to support through at least 2035

Workload mobility

Sovereign Private Cloud supports bi-directional migration of workloads:

  • Move workloads from Azure to on-premises for sovereignty or continuity
  • Move workloads from on-premises to Azure for scalability or protection
  • Enable disaster recovery and failover between environments

Unified control and lifecycle management

  • Single control plane for provisioning and operations
  • Consistent developer and management experience
  • Policy-driven configuration and compliance enforcement

Deployment scenarios

Sovereign Private Cloud is suited for:

  • Defense and intelligence operations
  • Critical infrastructure providers
  • Healthcare and financial services
  • Remote or disconnected field deployments

Comparison: sovereign private cloud vs. market offerings

Feature Sovereign Private Cloud Market standard
Offering Infrastructure Environment Hybrid, disconnected, customer-controlled
Isolated regions or partner zones
Operational Autonomy Full control over infrastructure and access Limited autonomy, shared operations
Productivity Applications Microsoft 365 Local (Exchange, SharePoint, Skype) Varies, often limited to public cloud
Compliance and Security Designed for classified workloads Regional compliance
Workload Mobility Bi-directional migration supported Often one-way or limited

See also

Azure local