Microsoft has introduced the Microsoft Cloud for Sovereignty, a significant development aimed at governments worldwide, to modernize their technology infrastructure securely while adhering to national data privacy and control policies. Announced for public preview today, with a planned general availability in December, this solution is designed to meet government compliance, security, and policy requirements, leveraging cloud technology to benefit citizens. This initiative comes in response to the evolving need for digital transformation within government sectors, hindered by the necessity for national and regional compliance, and is supported by policy decisions like the EU-U.S. Adequacy Decision by the European Commission in July 2023 under the GDPR. The Microsoft Cloud for Sovereignty offers data sovereignty and encryption controls tailored to regional and national needs, embodying Microsoft's commitment to transparency and data privacy. It aims to address the specific jurisdictional requirements around sensitive data for governments, providing industry-leading cybersecurity and compliance capabilities. The solution is being piloted by entities such as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in the Netherlands, aiming to establish a cloud center of excellence compliant with Dutch BIO regulation, and InSpark, working with the Municipality of Amsterdam, to deliver compliant cloud solutions for the Dutch public sector.