Secure your infrastructure, optimize your performance and ensure your digital autonomy with Kubernetes.
As data and digital infrastructure become the heart of the European economy, dependence on foreign suppliers poses a strategic risk. Between technological lock-ins, international legal constraints, and confidentiality issues, it is becoming essential for businesses and administrations to regain control of their information systems.
It is in this context that Kubernetes, an open source container orchestrator, is establishing itself as a key lever for building European digital sovereignty.
Kubernetes: an open source project serving independence
Originally developed by Google, Kubernetes is now managed by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). Kubernetes is distinguished by its neutral, collaborative, and transparent governance organization. This open governance allows for:
- to ensure the neutrality of the project;
- to benefit from the continued innovation of the global community;
- to build a reliable foundation for digital sovereignty.
This offers European organizations a solid technical and strategic lever to strengthen their digital autonomy.
Portability and flexibility: regain control of your infrastructure
Kubernetes is based on infrastructure abstraction, which means that an application can run identically:
- on a public cloud (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, etc.)
- on a European sovereign cloud
- in a private data center.
This portability is a real tool for limiting proprietary lock-in, while maintaining flexibility and control.
Security and compliance: an integrated foundation
Kubernetes integrates key features to meet European requirements:
- fine access management;
- encryption of communications;
- continuous monitoring;
These mechanisms make Kubernetes a natural tool for securing infrastructures while respecting regulations.
The case of Michelin: gaining autonomy thanks to Kubernetes
Many European players have chosen Kubernetes to strengthen their digital autonomy. Michelin is a perfect example of this approach. Following Broadcom's acquisition of VMware, the company decided to migrate to a Kubernetes platform based entirely on open source tools.
This migration reduced annual container costs by 44%. In addition, technical teams gained agility, control, and mastery over their environments. Michelin's case demonstrates how Kubernetes can help regain control of its infrastructure and data while optimizing costs.
Sovereign clouds based on Kubernetes
Some European providers have chosen to build their sovereign cloud offerings directly on Kubernetes. This is particularly the case for Outscale and Numspot, which offer solutions certified SecNumCloud 3.2, the highest level of security and compliance requirements.
These platforms allow organizations to:
- to benefit from the simplicity of a managed service, without having to bear the complexity of the daily operation of a Kubernetes cluster
- to guarantee the localization and protection of data within the European area
- to comply with European regulations such as the GDPR and national security standards
- to ensure interoperability between different environments, thus avoiding proprietary lock-in.
By choosing sovereign clouds built on Kubernetes, European businesses and administrations find an ideal compromise: they benefit from the agility and scalability of the native cloud, while maintaining a high level of trust, transparency and control over their environments.
These initiatives concretely illustrate that it is possible to reconcile the simplicity of a managed service with guarantees of sovereignty and data protection, by relying on an open and globally recognized technological base.
Alter Way: Kubernetes and managed cloud expertise from the Smile group
Within the Smile group, Alter Way focuses its expertise on Kubernetes and sovereign managed cloud environments. Its mission is to help organizations implement modern, high-performance, and secure cloud solutions based on Kubernetes.
This approach allows to:
- gain technological independence by freeing itself from proprietary lock-in;
- strengthen the security of their critical environments;
- improve the performance and resilience of their infrastructures.
Alter Way also support its customers in the adoption of sovereign cloud offerings based on Kubernetes, ensuring that each deployment meets regulatory compliance standards and the highest levels of data protection.
With this specialization, Alter Way establishes itself as the Kubernetes center of excellence of the Smile group, serving companies and institutions that wish to combine technological innovation and digital sovereignty.
Kubernetes: a strategic lever to strengthen digital sovereignty in Europe
Adopting Kubernetes is not a purely technological decision: it is a strategic issue that impacts IT governance, internal skills and data management.
There are two main options available to organizations:
- self-hosting, which offers total control of environments but requires strong internal expertise;
- the managed sovereign cloud, which simplifies operations while respecting European security and compliance requirements.
With the expertise of Alter Way, the Kubernetes division of the Smile group, you have a trusted partner to secure your digital journey and build high-performance, sovereign and sustainable cloud environments.
👉 Contact us today to explore how Kubernetes can become the foundation of your sovereign digital transformation.
