Sovereignty is more than where data is stored. This guide helps you assess strategic dependency across data, cloud, identity, cryptography, AI, infrastructure and technology supply chains, one material system at a time.
A documented dependency chain for each material system is the foundation for every sovereignty decision.
For each material system, identify which countries' laws apply to the provider, its parent company and its subcontractors. A service can store data in Canada and still be subject to foreign legal orders through the company that operates it.
Questions to ask
The control plane is the administrative layer that manages a service: consoles, APIs, updates and support access. If it is run from elsewhere, local hosting provides limited control.
Questions to ask
Encryption only protects sovereignty if you control the keys. Establish who generates, stores and can use each key, and whether the provider can decrypt your data.
Questions to ask
Identity providers and cloud platforms sit underneath almost everything. Dependence on one provider for both creates a single point of failure and control.
Questions to ask
Examine the ownership, subcontractors and software components behind each critical supplier, and where AI services process your prompts, data and outputs.
Questions to ask
For each material system, set out realistic options, from contractual protections and customer-managed keys to migration to a sovereign provider, and document the trade-offs.
Questions to ask
Last reviewed September 24, 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Print or save this page to use it as a workshop handout or pre-engagement checklist.
C3SA can help validate the current state, identify material gaps, define the target state and support implementation, testing and readiness.
