These constraints mean most governments will likely adopt a tiered approach rather than blanket encryption, said Gogia. “Highly confidential content, including classified documents, legal investigations, and state security dossiers, can be wrapped in true end-to-end encryption and segregated into specialized tenants or sovereign environments,” he said. Broader government operations, including administrative records and citizen services, will continue to use mainstream cloud platforms with controlled encryption and enhanced auditability.
A shift in cloud computing power
If the Swiss approach gains momentum internationally, hyperscalers will need to strengthen technical sovereignty controls rather than relying primarily on contractual or regional assurances, Kaur said. “The required adaptations are already visible, particularly from Microsoft, which has begun rolling out more stringent models around customer-controlled encryption and jurisdictional access restrictions.”
The shift challenges fundamental assumptions in how cloud providers have approached government customers, according to Gogia. “This invalidates large portions of the existing government cloud playbooks that depend on data center residency, regional support, and contractual segmentation as the primary guarantees,” he said. “Client-side encryption, confidential computing, and external key management are no longer optional capabilities but baseline requirements for public sector contracts in high-compliance markets.”
