For GDPR-compliant use: Oracle brings Fusion Applications to the EU cloud

The US software company Oracle has released its business software collection Fusion Cloud Applications Suite for its EU Sovereign Cloud. By connecting Fusion Applications to Oracle's dedicated Euro Cloud, European organizations will be able to use the cloud-based applications in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). “This is particularly important for public administrations and regulated industries that need to assure their customers that the data will not leave the country or region,” explains Steve Miranda, Executive Vice President of Application Development at Oracle.

As part of the business suite, the Fusion Applications Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Human Capital Management (HCM), Supply Chain & Manufacturing (SCM) and Customer Experience (CX) can be run in the European cloud. Oracle promises that European companies will operate the EU Sovereign Cloud, that it will be isolated from the servers of other regions and that Oracle will manage customer access separately. The cloud platform is divided into two regions within the EU, each comprising three fault domains. This is intended to distribute the workload and limit disruptions due to maintenance or hardware failures to the affected domain of a region.

Oracle responds to the desire for digital sovereignty

With the integration of Fusion Applications into the European cloud, Oracle is responding to data protection and artificial intelligence laws and the increasing need for digital independence on the European market. “This trend goes beyond mere compliance with regulations,” explains Ashok Patel, Research Manager at International Data Corporation. Instead, it is about companies' desire to retain control over their data and build trust in an increasingly AI-driven IT world.

Other providers are also currently working on independent cloud infrastructures in the EU. Amazon plans to invest almost eight billion euros in the German region of a sovereign Euro Cloud by 2040. The AWS data center in Brandenburg is scheduled to go into operation at the end of the year. In addition to commercial service providers, there are also public initiatives that promote the expansion of sovereign cloud offerings. These include the European Gaia-X research project to establish a competitive data infrastructure in Europe. Although sovereign clouds are also aimed at public administrations, six German federal states are currently using a customized version of the Microsoft cloud.

(sfe)