Dialog Enterprise, the corporate ICT solution arm of Dialog Axiata PLC, announced it has become a VMware Sovereign Cloud Provider in South Asia. The announcement was made at a recent event held at Shangri-La Colombo, which was attended by many ICT professionals from major corporations across various industries that fuel Sri Lanka’s economy.

 A sovereign cloud ensures jurisdictional control, data access, integrity, security, compliance, independence, and mobility for customers. It distinguishes itself from hyper-scale cloud providers that host data outside the borders of Sri Lanka by guaranteeing that data remains subject to the laws, controls, and authority of the region where it is collected and stored.

“We are primed for delivering a national capability for the digital economy that we envision in the country. Our sovereign cloud offering helps secure data with audited security controls in compliance with data privacy laws here in Sri Lanka, thereby improving control of data by providing both data residency and data sovereignty with full jurisdictional control,” stated Navin Pieris, Group Chief Officer – Dialog Enterprise, Dialog Axiata PLC.

“Dialog Enterprise’s attainment of VMware Sovereign Cloud Provider status brings significant benefits to Sri Lankan industries amidst the country’s dollar crisis. This achievement enables businesses to rely on a world-class cloud infrastructure certified with sovereign cloud status, ensuring data sovereignty, security, and compliance with local regulations,” he said.

 “With the rise of multi-cloud comes the increasing importance of sovereign cloud, especially for businesses in highly regulated industries,” said Venkatesh Murali, General Manager and Country Leader, Nascent Markets & Vietnam, VMware. “We look forward to working closely with Dialog Enterprise to deliver critical sovereign capabilities to enable Sri Lankan enterprises to unlock the full benefits and potential of the cloud while ensuring their data is protected, compliant and resident within Sri Lanka.”

The highlight of the event was a panel discussion that emphasized the importance of sovereign cloud status for local cloud service providers like Dialog Enterprise. The panel featured industry experts, including Jayantha Fernando, Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Sri Lanka Personal Data Protection Act and Digital Law Specialist; Channa De Silva, CEO of LankaPay; Harsha Wanigatunga, CIO of Seylan Bank; and Trinesh Fernando, General Counsel/Vice President, Group Legal and Regulatory of Dialog Axiata PLC. They shed light on how sovereign cloud status enables better control over sensitive data and creates a conducive environment for digitization across various industries.