The rise of cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) is a big benefit for business, but it has also brought the issue of data sovereignty into sharp focus.

Historically, regulation in this area has focused mainly on ‘data at rest’, with sensitive information stored in a single location, usually within a company’s physical footprint. Regulations dictated how this data was generated, stored, used and disposed of.

The laws have continually evolved from country to country, and organisations followed best practice principles to varying degrees until the advent of GDPR set the standard for data regulations. This became well established and understood, especially in places like the European Union.

But in the last decade, with the move to the cloud, it’s been a different story. Data is no longer sedentary and easy to manage, it is changeable and moveable across territories, companies and national borders. The scale, speed and cadence of this movement presents challenges for organisations and regulators alike.

‘Data in transit’ needs special protection and control as it moves, something that is gaining relevance in real time as the world wakes up to the emerging data-heavy applications offered by AI and the cloud.

In the future, we expect that data in transit will also need to meet sovereignty requirements as information travels around different networks and across jurisdictions. This is innately a greater challenge than doing the same job for data at rest because of the dynamic and less predictable nature of internet and private network routing.

The varying laws and regulations of different jurisdictions create a complex picture, as does the fact that underlying network technology is rarely able to report through which countries an organisation’s data has traversed.

Businesses need fit-for-purpose solutions to address digital challenges like these now and in the future. One such solution is BT’s Global Fabric, which features end-to-end path control capability, allowing you to create your own course for your information to remove uncertainty about where it will pass and to meet future data in transit sovereignty requirements.

The advanced, high-capacity, fully programmable network is equipped with cutting-edge technology, enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and resilience.

The digital orchestration and e-commerce-style interface allows businesses to easily ‘shop’ for connectivity. It is integrated with more than 630 digital service providers and 700 data centres, encompassing the world’s largest public cloud providers, private clouds, software-as-a-service options, and secure access service edge solutions – all accessible at the click of a button.

Speaking about the network, BT CEO Bas Burger, said: “Organisations are facing a new wave of digital revolution with AI, IoT and automation driving demand for simplicity and better multi-cloud connectivity”.

He added: “Businesses can achieve better total costs, boost app performance and user experience, all while complying with regulations and mitigating cyber threats”.

There is an extra energy burden layered on by new digital technologies, from computing sophisticated algorithms and processing hardware in data centres, to the networks themselves transmitting the data, all of which is energy-intensive work.

Research by the World Economic Forum (WEF) suggests that AI uses one third more energy than non-AI computing, meaning organisations must offset this elsewhere within their wider networks if they plan to reduce their carbon footprint.

A major contributing factor to this energy expenditure is the duplication and retransmission – or ‘shuffling’ – of data. Organisations can reduce the impact of this by integrating their network’s reference architecture into their data governance framework.

In doing so, businesses ensure they can access data quickly and reliably. Using software-defined technology to optimise network routes allows data to be transmitted efficiently, reducing retransmissions and data-shuffling.

Implementing green routes lowers climate impact, by directing traffic through routes drawing from renewable energy sources and energy efficient infrastructure.

NaaS solutions can deliver excellent environmental credentials, despite their power. BT expects that its Global Fabric  solution will consume 79% less electricity than existing global networks. As a result, customers on the new network will have the opportunity to lower their Scope 3 carbon emissions. Its software defined core, provides guaranteed green routes further reducing environmental impact of organisations IT estates.

By integrating best practice processes like these into their data governance framework, and by adopting the best and fastest network infrastructure, organisations can make the most of AI while continuing to reduce their impact on the planet.

Whether it’s securing your data in transit or hitting your carbon reduction targets, keeping on the right side of the regulators is easier with the right platforms in place. Beginning with a truly interconnected  network, businesses can work smarter and faster, enjoying all the benefits new technologies bring.