Stories
Microsoft Unveils Advanced Sovereign Cloud Features to Boost Data Security
- •Microsoft announced new capabilities across its Sovereign Cloud in Paris to expand control and security for sensitive workloads.
- •The Sovereign Public Cloud introduces new features like the Sovereign Control Panel, Data Guardian, and Production Touch Ledger for enhanced transparency.
- •Sovereign Private Cloud, built on Azure Local, extends cloud capabilities into customer-operated environments with new storage and database options.
- •Confidential Virtual Machines on Azure Local are now generally available, offering hardware-encrypted memory and isolation to protect data during processing.
Key Questions Answered
Microsoft introduced the Sovereign Control Panel to monitor sovereignty posture and compliance. Other new features include Data Guardian and Production Touch Ledger for engineer access oversight in the EU and EFTA, external key management with Azure Managed HSM, and the limited preview of Azure Confidential Clean Rooms.
Data Guardian provides oversight by a trusted European Union partner for qualifying remote access by Microsoft engineers to covered production systems in the EU and EFTA. Meanwhile, Production Touch Ledger creates tamper-evident records of access and related actions in those regions.
Built on Azure Local, the Sovereign Private Cloud extends cloud capabilities to customer-operated environments. SQL Server on Azure Local is generally available for connected and disconnected deployments, while DocumentDB and Blob storage on Azure Local are entering public preview.
