OpenText to use AWS European Sovereign Cloud

OpenText is making some of its AI and enterprise data solutions available on AWS’s new Sovereign European cloud. This cloud keeps data inside the EU by design, as cloud vendors react to demands from the EU that data does not leave the region. For EU customers and organisations with EU offices, this will help them meet strict rules on data control and management.

Shannon Bell, Chief Digital Officer and Chief Information Officer, said, “OpenText has spent years building trusted, secure content solutions for the world’s most regulated industries and regions including FedRAMP-authorized, IRAP-assessed, and Protected B-aligned deployments.

“Making our solution available on the AWS European Sovereign Cloud brings that expertise to a sovereign cloud purpose-built for the European Union. Together with AWS, we are giving customers the confidence to innovate at scale without compromising on control.”

Why does this matter?

Europe’s rules are getting stricter. Firms can’t just say data stays in Europe. They must prove it. The large cloud providers are having to find a way that does not mean data can be accessed from outside the region. Microsoft’s admission to the French Senate last year that it could not guarantee that for healthcare data, despite previous promises, created a storm.

AWS has built this cloud to demonstrate that it can keep data in Europe. OpenText has taken advantage of it and plugged its tools into it. It lets them sell to places that were saying no due to regulatory concerns. German banks, French hospitals, and EU agencies all want to use the cloud and AI, but only if the tools follow local laws. That is what OpenText now offers.

This is also about getting out ahead of legislation and fines. The EU Data Act entered into force on January 11, 2024. General applicability started on September 12, 2025, and by September 12, 2026, products must allow direct access to user data.

Additionally, despite concerns over the GDPR omnibus, regulators are issuing more and bigger fines. This is forcing companies to react to local government demands, such as in France, for EU-based apps that will meet requirements.

When will OpenText launch?

That is unclear from the announcement. It lists four solutions that will be available on the AWS European Sovereign Cloud:

• OpenText Content Management
• OpenText Documentum Content Management
• OpenText Core Application Security
• OpenText Core Service Management

What it doesn’t say is when they will be available or what the costs will be. That raises some questions. For example, will customers be able to use existing cloud licenses? That seems unlikely as there will have to be European-specific terms and conditions.

If they have to buy new licenses, how will this impact the sizing of their other licenses? Organisations are getting smarter about the number of licenses they pay for. Ironically, AI is helping with that by identifying usage and costs. Will customers want to lower plans in some regions to deploy inside the AWS European Sovereign Cloud?

A more important question is one of support. The level of support and how it accesses data is also subject to data sovereignty rules. This announcement makes no mention of future investment in support and sales services across the region.

This is a smart move by OpenText and extends its relationship with AWS. But will this be its only play into the European Sovereign Cloud market? It has a long-standing relationship with Microsoft for its products on Azure. Will we see an announcement there soon?

Enterprise Times: What does this mean

OpenText is reading the room in Europe and responding. The timing of this announcement, just ahead of its European conference, is important. It will be a key talking point for many customers, and the sales team will be looking to address any questions.

There is a wider question here that OpenText is kicking off. How many other large US companies will now move their products to sovereign clouds? How will they then reassure customers that they can meet requirements? That’s a complex question, and nobody wants a repeat of the Microsoft situation. It makes major European companies and governments nervous.

The next few months will show how well OpenText customers react to this and how it will affect their licenses. Until then, this is good news, and we wait to see the first customer study based on this.

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