The sovereignty of data is no longer debated solely in legal offices or compliance committees. By 2026, with ransomware becoming an operational risk and cloud serving as a structural element of most architectures, the question has become much more practical: who controls where data resides, who operates the environment, and who holds the encryption keys during a crisis? Based on this premise, Commvault has announced Commvault Geo Shield, an approach designed to protect and recover critical information while maintaining control over data localization, environment operation, and key custody.
The company —specialized in backup, recovery, and cyber resilience— positions Geo Shield as a response to an increasingly common pattern among enterprises and administrations: migrating workloads to the cloud without relinquishing requirements for data residency, operational control, cross-border support limitations, and, above all, encryption governance. In regulated sectors, the ability to recover is not enough if the design does not guarantee that the recovery process complies with the rules of the game.
Separating “who commands” from “where the data is”
At the core of the announcement is a technical concept that, simply put, aims to resolve classic tensions: Commvault bases Geo Shield on an architecture that separates the control plane from the data plane, enabling each organization to decide where information is stored, how it is protected, and who controls access within environments operated by the client or local partners.
For system and security managers, this separation targets a clear goal: avoiding unwanted operational dependencies. In certain frameworks — for example, environments with a “no call home” obligation or where operations are delegated to national partners — remote control and telemetry flows can become contractual or regulatory issues. Geo Shield explicitly incorporates such boundaries: operating “within borders,” with operational conditions managed by verified local partners.
Four deployment options: from regional SaaS to the “private” sovereign model
Commvault presents Geo Shield as an umbrella for different deployment patterns, tailored to sovereignty and compliance needs that vary between countries and sectors. The announcement details four approaches:
- Commvault Cloud SaaS in hyper-scale regional locations, where available, to meet residency requirements.
- Commvault Cloud SaaS in sovereign hyper-scale regions, with initial support for environments like AWS European Sovereign Cloud, and plans to expand to other sovereign regions.
- Sovereign offerings operated by partners, allowing qualified local providers to offer national or regional sovereign services using Commvault software and protected air-gapped (isolated) environments.
- Private sovereign deployments, operated by the client or designated partners in dedicated environments.
This approach reflects a market reality: sovereignty is not a simple “yes or no.” Many organizations manage data and workloads with varying sensitivity levels, resulting in a hybrid architecture by design.
Key controls managed by the client: BYOK, HYOK, and HSM
A recurring theme in cyber resilience conversations within regulated environments is encryption control. Geo Shield emphasizes models like Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) and Hold Your Own Key (HYOK), as well as integration with hardware security modules (HSMs) managed by the client or partners.
Practically, this aims to two outcomes: reducing provider dependency risks and aligning with internal policies where key custody cannot be delegated outside the organization (or can only be delegated under very specific schemes). In incident recovery scenarios, this distinction can determine whether a company can restore services normally or gets stuck between compliance requirements and operational urgency.
European fit: sovereign cloud and regulatory demands
Commvault openly acknowledges the context: demand for sovereign options is growing alongside cloud adoption acceleration. In Europe, this discussion has gained momentum with frameworks like NIS2 and DORA, which tighten expectations around risk management, resilience, and continuity across sectors. The company highlights that it already supports a broad list of standards and requirements, from FedRAMP High, FIPS 140-3, and GovRAMP to sector-specific frameworks like HIPAA or PCI DSS v4.0, as well as explicit references to DORA and NIS2.
The mention of AWS European Sovereign Cloud is equally significant in the timeline: AWS announced general availability of its European sovereign cloud as a physically and logically separate infrastructure within the EU, starting with a region in Brandenburg (Germany) and plans for expansion through “Local Zones” in Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and other regions emphasizing operational isolation. By December 2025, Commvault had already announced it would be a “launch partner” for this European sovereign cloud, aligning Geo Shield with that strategy.
Availability and next steps
Commvault has indicated that additional specific Geo Shield models will be announced separately, depending on deployment timelines with partners and key regions. For customers, this typically means a roadmap where the “what” (sovereignty patterns) is defined, but the “when” depends on operational and commercial landing in each country, as well as the maturity of the local ecosystem of providers.
In a market where ransomware forces realistic recovery planning (not just paper plans), Geo Shield aims to occupy a very specific space: organizations seeking cloud and innovation but requiring control over operation, residency, and encryption.
Frequently Asked Questions
What problem does Commvault Geo Shield aim to solve in regulated environments?
Enabling cyber resilience and recovery while maintaining control over where data is stored, how environments are operated, and who safeguards the encryption keys.
What does “no call home” mean, and why does it matter for data sovereignty?
It means operating without critical dependencies on telemetry or management services external to the environment. In certain sectors, it reduces exposure and facilitates compliance by keeping operations under local control.
Are BYOK and HYOK the same?
No. BYOK typically allows bring-your-own keys within a managed scheme; HYOK elevates control by keeping key custody with the client, usually supported by HSMs.
What types of organizations benefit most from an approach like Geo Shield?
Public administrations, financial institutions, healthcare, critical industries, and companies with strict data residency, operational control, and recovery audit requirements against cyber incidents.
via: commvault