We are increasingly seeing news out of EU Member States that they are starting to move (at least some) of their digital services away from US tech giants - focusing on Open Source solutions such as Linux, LibreOffice and NextCloud (to name just a few).
This is refreshing to see and something I have been arguing for for almost 30 years, but it is still a slow movement and partially (if not entirely) down to the Trump Administration throwing the entire world into turmoil, destroying long term relationships and eradicating trust in the US as an ally and service provider.
I have run my companies entirely on Open Source solutions for over three decades - I make a point of not using giant tech companies and find alternative ways to run my company (including my AI stack) without giving up my integrity as a privacy advocate (and at significantly lower cost).
I don't take any shortcuts (not even for email) and take pride in showing others that you can comply with EU law and still run a successful business.
But it is not only Member States who are considering alternative solutions during these unpredictable times. Over the past 15 months or so, I have increasingly heard the same story from companies - they need to find a way to stability and they are not seeing stability from US suppliers anymore, they are concerned about their data, they are concerned about their compliance stance and they are concerned about competition.
I increasingly hear people claiming they are kept awake at night worrying about their business data and whether or not their business secrets are safe with US service providers.
Given that Trump's push for power and profit goes far beyond legal boundaries, there is a growing concern (especially in light of DOGE controversy) that the US will use the data from non-US companies in order to create competing products, through corporate espionage (a concern traditionally reserved for China).
It seems the rule of law and a rules based world, no longer apply in the US and so it is right for business owners, compliance officers and Member States to be concerned; but being concerned is not enough - actions speak louder than words.
No-one is saying it is going to be easy, especially for larger organisations which have been built on a foundation of dependence on US service providers, but that pain will seem insignificant should the EU relationship with the US continue to deteriorate and you have not prepared for it.
I have encouraged start-ups to focus on open source solutions for decades and build their stack on technology they control - but sadly convenience always seems to win over common sense.
You can run your own tech stack (we always used to) the EU is well prepared and has alternative solutions for all US tech services - but there needs to be a will for change (not just a change of tech but a change of behaviour) - I am living evidence that is can work.
As an IT or infrastructure decision maker, you can choose to either self-host or be dependent on an increasingly undependable partner. You can choose to nurture knowledge and skills internally, or outsource them to an increasingly undependable partner. You can choose to give all your data to giant US AI companies and risk those companies and the US abusing that trust for their own gain, or self host open models.
But the choice you make may well come with consequences that you cannot survive long term, so make you choose wisely.
I am always available to help organisations take control of their data - all you need to do is ask.