Macquarie Telecom Group (ASX: MAQ) became a member of the VMware Sovereign Cloud initiative, a reflection of the company’s decade-long commitment to sovereign IT capability.
The growing importance of data sovereignty, scrutiny of data access and control, and increasing geo-political friction is leading governments and regulated industries to closely analyse their cloud strategies and evaluate who may have access to their data. The VMware Sovereign Cloud initiative helps customers identify and engage with trusted national or regional cloud service providers to meet their unique sovereign cloud requirements.
What is the VMware Sovereign Cloud initiative?
VMware Sovereign Cloud initiative participants offer sovereign cloud solutions for customers in highly regulated industries, such as banking and finance, healthcare, energy, government services, public sector, and telecommunications. Macquarie’s designation as a VMware Sovereign Cloud Provider follows the organisation’s own rigorous assessment of its data centres and cloud services in accordance with the VMware Sovereign Cloud framework.
These include protecting critical data for private and public sector firms with audited security controls, ensuring compliance with data privacy laws, improving control of data by providing data residency and data sovereignty and delivering national capability for the digital economy.
Becoming a member of VMware’s Sovereign Cloud initiative is the latest in a string of sovereign credentials for Macquarie Telecom. In August 2021 it became one of the first data centre providers to be Certified Strategic by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA).
What were the executives’ thoughts on the milestone?
Last year Macquarie also surpassed the 200-mark for staff with the AGSVA NV1 security clearance – a key requirement for managing classified gov’t data – an increase of more than 66% of staff with this clearance between July-August 2021 alone. Managing Director of Macquarie Telecom Group Aidan Tudehope said the certification from VMware is important validation of the sovereign message his firm has been championing for more than a decade.
“Becoming a VMware Sovereign Cloud Provider is validation of Macquarie’s long-term position on the value of sovereign capability at a time when national resilience is more critical than ever. In the lead up to the election the Albanese Gov’t announced its commitment to building sovereign, domestic IT capability to cultivate local industry and keep our data safe,” he said.
“Increasing geo-political friction has elevated this conversation, with Gov’t and regulated industries casting a closer eye over their cloud strategies and who has access to their data.”
“We’ve walked the talk with data sovereignty for a long time, providing customers with not just data residency through our suite of onshore data centres, but complete sovereignty, with data managed onshore and safeguarded from the whims of foreign jurisdictions.”
Commenting on the integration, Senior Director of Cloud for VMware A/NZ, Mike Reddie said, “We’re very pleased Macquarie Telecom has joined the VMware Sovereign Cloud initiative.”
“The added value of data sovereignty, jurisdictional control, and data security and compliance means that Macquarie Telecom customers are preparing for changing regulations, increased security threats and geopolitical uncertainty – all of which are growing challenges.”
