Safeguarding digital sovereignty across the product lifecycle

From a PLM perspective, sovereignty means —

• Choosing where data is hosted and under which jurisdiction,
• Defining clear access and governance models across internal and external parties,
• Avoiding irreversible technical or contractual lock-in, and
• Remaining adaptable as regulations, markets, and technologies evolve.

PLM platforms like Siemens Teamcenter already act as the system of record for product structures, configurations, and changes. With the right architecture and operating model, they can also become a sovereign control layer for product development.

But software alone is not enough.

The power of Atos: Sovereignty by design, not by promise

What differentiates a sovereign PLM setup from a theoretical one is execution. This is where Atos brings tangible value.

European cloud and hosting options
Atos operates its own cloud infrastructure in Europe and complements it through partnerships with European cloud providers. This enables PLM deployments that meet data residency, jurisdictional, and regulatory requirements without forcing customers into a single hyperscaler model.

For PLM application owners, this translates into choices:

• Dedicated European hosting
• Hybrid and multi-cloud PLM architectures
• Clear contractual and operational boundaries

Sovereign PLM operations
Beyond infrastructure, sovereignty depends on how systems are run. Atos provides PLM operations and support through European delivery organizations, combined with globally distributed capabilities where appropriate.

This ensures the following benefits:

• Transparency in operational responsibilities
• Compliance with European data protection expectations
• Long-term continuity and resilience

Trusted software and ecosystem partnership
Sovereignty is not about building everything yourself. It is about working with partners whose technology and governance models align with your requirements.

Atos maintains long-standing partnerships with European and global software vendors in PLM, CAD, ERP, and engineering ecosystems, while consciously designing architectures that prevent single-vendor dependency. This includes sovereign-friendly integration approaches and clear exit strategies.

PLM architecture as the foundation of sovereignty

In many organizations, sovereignty is lost not through lack of strategic decisions, but through years of nontactical ones — especially in integrations and customizations.

Atos helps customers regain control by focusing on:

• Clean PLM core architectures with controlled extensions
• Decoupled integration patterns instead of point-to-point dependencies
• Explicit ownership of interfaces, data models, and transformation logic

This architectural discipline builds PLM landscapes that can evolve without rework every time a regulation changes, a supplier is replaced, or a cloud strategy is adjusted.

Organizational sovereignty: Enabling informed decisions

A frequently underestimated aspect of sovereignty is organizational capability. PLM application owners are often expected to answer complex questions from business leadership:

• Can we move this system to the cloud without losing control?
• What does “sovereign” really mean in our setup?
• Which risks are technical, which are contractual, which are organizational?

Atos supports this by providing —

• PLM architecture and sovereignty assessments,
• Clear target operating models for sovereign PLM, and
• Decision frameworks that make trade-offs explicit.

This creates a shared understanding between IT, engineering, and business, thereby turning sovereignty from a vague demand into an actionable roadmap.

Integrations: The real sovereignty stress test

If there is one place where sovereignty succeeds or fails, it is at integrations.

PLM systems are deeply connected to ERP, MES, ALM, supplier platforms, and analytics tools. Over time, undocumented logic, tool-specific dependencies, and hard-coded assumptions accumulate.

Atos addresses this by treating integrations as first-class architectural assets:

• Clearly defined interfaces and ownership
• Technology choices that avoid unnecessary lock-in
• Replaceability as a design principle

This does not reduce functionality; it increases freedom.

Taking the pragmatic path

Most organizations do not need a radical transformation. What they need is clarity.

A typical starting point is a focused assessment to understand the following:

• Where sovereignty-relevant PLM data resides
• Which dependencies limit future options
• How well current operations support control and resilience

From there, sovereignty becomes a continuous capability, not a one-off project.

Sovereignty as an enabler of resilient product development