The MSP's Survival Guide to Cloud Nationalism

We have written on the topic of cloud nationalism before, and as we march onward with the global integration and adoption of GDPR, we see exactly how broad of an impact it is having on both the global business community as well as managed service providers.

Cloud nationalism, or the idea that different countries can control their data by regulating their cloud environments, did not start with the United States. GDPR is, in many ways, an example of cloud nationalism being implemented. GDPR is the European Union's attempt to manage data belonging to its citizens a protect it. While the law may not be a well written or contemplated legislation, it is nevertheless rooted in a valid principle of data governance, data privacy, and data security. GDPR is also, in many respects, a response to the global dominance of United States public cloud companies.

The concept of data governance and protection is not new. Data governance is, you could say, integral to the core purpose of managed services. Throughout the years, MSPs have offered their services in order to help clients better manage their IT infrastructure, and ultimately their data. Today, data management is the ultimate objective behind most managed services engagements. Protecting client data is one of the most important outcomes from engaging an MSP.