Cloud Usage And Digital Sovereignty: Strategic Options For Swiss Authorities

Cloud services form an integral part of modern adminis trative work. At the same time, when federal, cantonal and municipal authorities outsource data processing, they must comply with data protection requirements, confi dentiality obligations such as official secrecy and infor mation security regulations, while ensuring long-term op erational capacity. In the public debate – which has gained additional momentum due to current political develop ments in the US – the focus is currently on the use of US cloud services by Swiss authorities in the context of digital sovereignty¹.² This debate was intensified by the resolu tion published in November 2025 by privatim, the Confer ence of Swiss Data Protection Commissioners, which can be read as a de facto ban on the use of hyperscalers in pub lic administration. This thrust is also already becoming concrete in procurement: for example, the FOPH’s tender for the SwissHDS infrastructure (February 2026) stipu lates that all infrastructure