Digital sovereignty is about keeping ownership and authority over your digital assets such as code, data, and infrastructure firmly in your own hands. It ensures your organisation decides how and where its information is stored, who can access it, and under which laws it falls.
It’s becoming a top priority for governments, universities, and enterprises as global events highlight the risks of losing control over critical digital systems.
When it comes to technology choices, there’s an assumption that proprietary platforms offer more control. In practice, open source - and Drupal in particular - gives organisations greater flexibility and authority over their systems, allowing them to adapt and govern their digital environments on their own terms.
The question of trust
Concerns often come from comparing open source to proprietary cloud services. Proprietary models can lock organisations into a single vendor’s infrastructure and commercial terms. Moving away can be technically difficult and financially costly.
For those needing to comply with regional security standards - such as Australia’s Information Security Manual (ISM) or the Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) - these limitations are more than an inconvenience; they can directly affect compliance.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, government agencies are increasingly aware of the cultural and legal dimensions of sovereignty. Sanjay D’Souza, Head of WebCMS at Catalyst, explained that “many now understand the importance of data as a treasure, or to use the Te Ao Māori term, data as a taonga.” This shift brings new responsibilities: ensuring data is kept locally, governed appropriately, and managed in partnership with iwi (tribes) and Māori organisations.
At the same time, agencies are facing practical constraints. Budgets are tight, and it can sometimes feel easier to default to overseas hosting providers. Sanjay noted that the commitment to data sovereignty is growing stronger.
“The government over the last few years have made massive efforts to connect with iwi and local Māori groups to ensure that they have a say in how their data is being managed. Because it's clear that, particularly in the Te Ao Māori world, there's a real emphasis on treating that data they have of their users as a treasure,” he said.
“It’s a responsibility that agencies take very seriously - we are seeing government agencies really responding to that change in viewpoint.”
Drupal’s flexibility
Open source software like Drupal gives you the freedom to host your site wherever makes the most sense - on-premise, in a sovereign cloud, or via a hybrid model. That freedom extends beyond hosting: you own the code, can inspect it, and adapt it to meet changing requirements.
For Sanjay, the distinction between open source and proprietary models comes down to one word: freedom.
“Rather than being dictated to by the software, clients like the sense that they can dictate how the software works for them,” he said.
This allows organisations to adapt digital services to their needs instead of reshaping their operations to fit a fixed product.
Drupal’s modular architecture means it can act as “the heart and soul” of a digital platform while integrating with other specialised tools - from complex workflow engines to interactive 3D visualisations. It can also be tuned to run efficiently on different hosting environments, giving you full control over performance, resource use, and scalability.
Digital sovereignty at work
Across Australia and New Zealand, Drupal is the backbone of public-sector platforms where sovereignty is non-negotiable.
Because Drupal is open source, every line of its code can be audited. This transparency supports compliance with security and privacy standards such as:
- Australia’s ISM and IRAP
- New Zealand’s Information Security Manual and Privacy Act
- Europe’s GDPR
Sanjay highlighted that this isn’t just a box-ticking exercise.
“We take data privacy really seriously, and that’s why Drupal and the open-source community have been successful for so long - we don’t take these things lightly. We really invest a lot of time in ensuring the solutions we put forward are fit for purpose,” he said.
For organisations that need sovereignty at scale, Drupal supports:
- Reliability – ensuring systems are accessible when needed, even under heavy load.
- Scalability – handling spikes in demand automatically, without manual intervention.
- Modularity – adding or replacing components as needs evolve, without overhauling the entire system.
Drupal’s edge
Drupal enables full stack ownership, giving you the ability to migrate, audit, and secure your platform on your own terms.
Sanjay noted that this independence is becoming a competitive advantage.
“There’s a clear distinction between an onshore presence but based overseas, versus actually being based locally. People are appreciating that difference more and more,” he said.
With Drupal, the choice of truly local hosting - governed entirely under local law - remains firmly in the hands of the organisation.
Owning the digital future
Digital sovereignty is no longer a distant ideal - it’s a practical necessity. Drupal empowers organisations to retain ownership of their data, adapt technology to their needs, and meet the compliance standards that matter in their region.
By choosing Drupal, organisations take back control of their digital assets, ensuring they remain secure, auditable, and under the jurisdiction they choose.
If you’re ready to explore how Drupal can put control back in your hands, connect with a Drupal expert today.