Public cloud uses infrastructure and services provided by an external cloud provider, while private cloud provides a dedicated environment for one organisation. Hybrid cloud combines different environments, allowing workloads and data to be placed where they fit best.

The right approach depends on factors such as security, scalability, data requirements, existing infrastructure and the level of control your organisation needs.

A hybrid cloud combines private or on-premises infrastructure with public cloud services. This allows organisations to use different environments for different workloads rather than moving everything to a single cloud platform.

Hybrid cloud can be particularly useful when some systems require greater control or specific data residency while others benefit from the scalability and services available in public cloud.

There is no single cloud model that is right for every workload. The choice should consider your applications, data, security and compliance requirements, performance, scalability, costs and existing technical dependencies.

For many organisations, the result is a combination of environments rather than one provider or platform for everything.

A successful cloud migration starts with understanding your existing applications, data, infrastructure and dependencies. From there, workloads can be assessed and a migration strategy created based on business requirements, security, compliance and technical complexity.

Migration does not have to mean moving everything at once. Workloads can be migrated gradually to public, private or hybrid cloud environments, followed by optimisation once they are running in the new environment.

Cloud sovereignty is about maintaining control over your data, infrastructure and digital operations. It goes beyond where a data centre is physically located and can include questions about jurisdiction, who can access data, who operates the infrastructure and how dependent your organisation is on a particular provider or technology.

Data residency refers primarily to where data is stored or processed geographically. Data sovereignty is broader and considers the laws and jurisdictions that may apply, who controls or can access the data, and the organisation's ability to maintain control over its digital environment.

This means that storing data in Europe does not by itself answer every sovereignty question.