88% of Australia’s Executives Fear Data Sovereignty Failures Could Cost Them Their Jobs
New Everpure research reveals a "sovereignty gap" - 64% of enterprises globally and 74% in Australia - lack formal data sovereignty strategies to control their data and defend against geopolitical risks and AI exposure.
Melbourne – September 30, 2026 — Everpure (NYSE: P), the company revolutionising storage and data management, today released new global research revealing that 88% of large enterprise C-suite leaders, both globally and in Australia, believe a data sovereignty failure could cost them their jobs, while 91% (89% in Australia) worry about financial and reputational damage to their organisation. Despite these high stakes, 74% of Australian organisations, and 64% around the world, operate without a formal data sovereignty strategy in place—exposing a vulnerability in modern enterprise data management in today’s uncertain geopolitical environment.
Data sovereignty has evolved into a defining business risk—with challenges ranging from foreign-mandated data exfiltration to potential Denial of Service (DoS) incidents. Everpure’s Global Data Sovereignty Report 2026 surveyed 2,100 enterprise leaders across eight countries, including 300 in Australia, to evaluate strategic intent against real operational readiness. The results reveal a stark divide:
Data Sovereignty Concern is Real:
- 90% of organisations globally, and 85% in Australia, recognise data sovereignty as a business concern, with the overwhelming majority expecting severe financial or leadership consequences in the event of a failure.
- 85% (83% in Australia) are willing to compromise on advanced features and functionality to work with a local or sovereign provider.
- 40% (38% in Australia) are already limiting their use of SaaS providers reliant on non-domestic infrastructure.
Recognition without Readiness:
- Despite these revelations, 64% of all organisations - and as many as 74% of those based in Australia - operate without a formal data sovereignty strategy in place.
- 62% lack full visibility into who can access, control and manage their data, a figure which rises to 66% for Australian enterprises.
- 56% of all enterprises have no mitigation plans for geopolitical data exfiltration or service disruption, with 62% of Australian businesses admitting the same thing.
- 56% admit they lack the skills and capacity to deliver sovereignty initiatives, while 36% globally (37% in Australia) are facing challenges with executive buy-in.
Only 9% (10% in Australia) say protection from extraterritorial data access is a top priority.
The findings expose a clear “sovereignty gap” between executive recognition of risk and actual operational readiness. Many companies still treat sovereignty as a routine cybersecurity or compliance exercise. As a result, organisations fail to secure control of their data and cannot defend against geopolitical threats that could result in significant consequences.
Across most of the world, the topic has also rapidly become a baseline criteria in procurement. 32% of all respondents now classify data sovereignty as a significant consideration in their vendor selection/RFP processes (up from just 2% one year prior). Australia, however, sits at 16% - the lowest of any market surveyed.
“Our latest research shows Australian businesses are as concerned about data sovereignty as anyone in the world, yet 74% still have no formal strategy and two thirds lack full visibility into who can access their data. You cannot govern what you cannot see - and sovereignty is fast becoming a condition of doing business rather than a compliance exercise. As AI adoption accelerates, the organisations that build visibility and jurisdictional control in by design will find sovereignty becomes a commercial advantage rather than a constraint.”
Altay Ayyuce
Area Vice President, Everpure ANZ
“Digital sovereignty has moved from a compliance conversation to a critical board-level concern. The challenge for executives is not just about knowing where their data are hosted. It is about being in total control of all data access and transfers (including all metadata), guaranteed protection against extra-territorial data requests, and managing IT and vendor risks in the light of geopolitical uncertainties.” - Rahiel Nasir, Research Director and Lead Analyst, Worldwide Digital Sovereignty, IDC.
Everpure’s Recommendation: Sovereignty by Design
A successful sovereignty strategy requires moving from passive risk recognition to targeted operational execution. Organisations can follow a set of interconnected steps to become sovereign by design - a business-driven, risk-aware framework where sovereignty controls and governance are applied according to the risk of each data set, application and workload. The focus shifts from national sovereignty to corporate sovereignty, an approach based on an organisation’s specific risk appetite and view on regulation.
This model enables businesses to protect critical assets from key sovereignty risks without sacrificing the flexibility, innovation or scale of global SaaS and cloud providers. Everpure Data Intelligence supports this model by discovering, classifying and contextualising enterprise data across the Everpure Platform, public clouds, SaaS applications, and third-party storage. This facilitates sovereignty by providing total visibility of their data estate, enabling organisations to make informed decisions about how data should be governed and protected.
By focusing on data and mitigating against risks, organisations can become sovereign by design - transforming sovereignty from a barrier to innovation to a source of resilience and competitive advantage.
Notes to Editors
Everpure commissioned research company Vanson Bourne to examine the views of 2,100 C-suite and IT leaders from large enterprises across eight countries in June 2026.
The research covers the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and India – representing diverse regulatory and geopolitical landscapes where data sovereignty has become a defining factor for business outcomes.
Additional resources
- Access the full report: Global Data Sovereignty Report 2026
- Blog: Sovereignty's Data Imperative
- Read more: How to Achieve Sovereignty by Design
- Data sovereignty infographic
About Everpure
Everpure (NYSE: P) allows organizations to take control of their data with an industry-leading, ever-evolving storage and data management platform. We help companies unleash the power of their data by ensuring it is accessible, intelligent, and ready to perform in the AI era. We make data management effortless while simultaneously scaling performance and significantly reducing energy consumption. With one of the highest Net Promoter Scores for over a decade, Everpure is the choice of the world's most innovative organizations. For more information, visit www.everpuredata.com.
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