The UK’s Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) is the lifeblood of the nation – from healthcare and transport to energy, higher education and defence.
As the digital landscape evolves, organisations tasked with managing CNI face an increasing array of challenges. They must remain secure, resilient, and compliant amidst rising cyber threats, complex regulations, and the urgent need for operational excellence.
SovereignOps has emerged as a key solution to ensure these critical services can adapt and thrive in this environment.
The growing need for sovereign operations
Sovereign operations are essential to the integrity and security of the UK’s national infrastructure.
At the core of this concept is data sovereignty and data residency, ensuring that critical data remains within national borders, subject to the UK’s stringent laws and regulations. In an era when global data flows are common, this approach is not merely a technical necessity: it is a matter of national security.
With cyber threats on the rise and the geopolitical landscape becoming increasingly complex, maintaining control over sensitive data has never been more critical.
The UK government’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has reported a significant increase in cyber incidents targeting CNI sectors, with the most severe incidents tripling between 2023 and 2024.1 This highlights the pressing need for robust, locally governed IT operations that safeguard against such threats and keep national infrastructure secure.
Data sovereignty and residency: trust, compliance, and security
Data sovereignty and residency ensures that organisations supporting CNI can confidently protect sensitive information.
By keeping critical data within the UK’s jurisdiction, organisations pledge that their data is subject to the highest local security standards and compliance frameworks, including GDPR. This provides much-needed assurance that information is handled in line with national laws, particularly for sectors like healthcare, transport, higher education and energy.
Moreover, as cyber threats grow in sophistication, it is vital to ensure that all aspects of an organisation’s data, from system to metadata, are securely managed. Sovereign operations extend beyond just technology to include the people managing and maintaining the systems. By ensuring that the workforce is governed under the same legal framework, the risk of vulnerabilities is significantly reduced.
However, while data sovereignty and residency are essential, they must be complemented with the scalability and flexibility offered by global IT solutions. The challenge for CNI organisations lies in striking the right balance between sovereign operations that ensure security, and global platforms that provide innovation, scalability, and access to advanced tools.
Resilience through proactive technology
In CNI operations, it is not enough for systems to simply function; they must be resilient, adaptable, and always operational. Disruptions, even those of small scale, can have far-reaching consequences, so it is essential to adopt a proactive approach to supporting the digital landscape.
Advanced technologies like AIOps (artificial intelligence for IT operations) are transforming how IT systems are monitored, managed, and optimised. By leveraging real-time data analytics and automation, AIOps can predict and resolve potential issues before they escalate into significant disruptions.
For CNI organisations, this means enhanced system stability and reduced downtime, ensuring that critical services remain operational even during unforeseen circumstances.
The integration of infrastructure management and application support is also driving greater efficiency. Observability tools which allow organisations to monitor both systems and applications simultaneously, are crucial in helping teams identify the root causes of issues faster. This unified approach leads to improved communication, faster issue resolution, and more agile IT environments.
Local talent and innovation: building resilient infrastructure
At the heart of any successful sovereign approach lies local talent.
Building a skilled, knowledgeable workforce is essential for ensuring that the UK’s CNI remains secure, resilient, and adaptive. By investing in homegrown talent, organisations can better address the unique challenges of the UK’s infrastructure while fostering innovation and expertise.
CGI’s SovereignOps model combines the power of sovereign operations with local delivery hubs and strong academic partnerships. Through locations like our Digital Command Centre in Wales and collaborations with UK universities, we are creating a talent pipeline that is equipped to meet the demands of today’s CNI landscape.
This ensures that the UK is not only protecting its critical services but also fostering a culture of innovation that will drive future growth and resilience.
Looking ahead: preparing for the future of IT operations
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so too will the demands on the UK’s CNI. The future of IT operations hinges on creating systems that are resilient, adaptable, and future-proof.
By combining technologies like AIOps, predictive analytics, and advanced monitoring, organisations can stay ahead of emerging threats, ensuring their systems remain secure and operational in an ever-changing world.
The key to this future-proofing is balancing data sovereignty with global capabilities. Sovereign operations provide the security and compliance needed to protect critical infrastructure, while global solutions offer the scale, flexibility, and advanced capabilities that modern businesses require.
Achieving the right mix of local and global solutions will allow CNI organisations to stay secure, agile, and competitive in a fast-changing digital landscape.
Partnering for a resilient future
The need for secure, resilient, and efficient operations is more pressing than ever for organisations supporting the UK’s CNI.
Data sovereignty provides a critical foundation for these efforts, but organisations must also recognise the value of global solutions in today’s interconnected world. The key is to create a flexible strategy that balances sovereign and global approaches, maintaining both security and operational efficiency.
CGI’s approach to SovereignOps combines the best of both worlds – integrating sovereign operations with global innovations to help UK organisations manage and protect their critical infrastructure over the long term. By providing the right tools, at the right time, for the right purpose, we ensure that the UK’s critical infrastructure not only survives but thrives in an increasingly complex world.
If you’d like to learn more about our SovereignOps offering or engage in further discussions on the topic, feel free to reach out on LinkedIn.
And tune into our next Talking Transformation podcast episode, where we’ll delve deeper into how our SovereignOps model is making an impact in real-world scenarios.
Sources
1 National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Annual Review 2024
About this author
Adrian Chiffi
Senior Vice President and BU Leader, UK Global Technology Operations
Adrian Chiffi is the Senior Vice President leading Global Technology Operations at CGI, where he oversees a team of 1,900 professionals delivering high-quality Business Consulting, Advisory Services and Managed IT.
