Your cloud data is protected. But does that apply to the rest as well?
The IT security strategy is in place. Microsoft 365 is secured with eperi sEcure, access rights are defined, and sensitive documents are encrypted. The company has made investments, established processes, and built its cloud security on a solid foundation.
Then someone asks a seemingly harmless question: “And how do we protect customer data in Salesforce?”
Another question follows: “What about the employee data in our HR software? And the sensitive information that passes through our customer portal?”
Suddenly, a simple question turns into a fundamental discussion.
While companies go to great lengths to secure individual cloud applications, their IT landscape continues to grow. New SaaS solutions, REST-based web applications, and interconnected business processes are constantly being added. And with them come ever-new locations where sensitive information is processed.
The real challenge is no longer simply securing a single cloud application. Rather, it is maintaining control over data, regardless of which application it is used in.
Many cloud applications, many security strategies—and one blind spot
Microsoft 365 for collaboration. Salesforce for customer data. ServiceNow for business processes. Personio for human resources management. Plus, a custom-built customer portal that communicates with other systems via REST interfaces.
Each of these applications serves an important purpose. And each comes with its own security features.
But are these sufficient to reliably protect sensitive data from access by cloud providers, their administrators, or other unauthorized third parties?
Many cloud services rely on encryption during transmission (data in transit) and while stored (data at rest). However, if information needs to be processed within the platform (data in use), it may temporarily be available to the provider in plain text, depending on the technical architecture.
This does not necessarily make the applications insecure. However, it does mean that companies relinquish some of their technical control over their data to the respective provider.
Even “Bring Your Own Key” (BYOK) does not automatically guarantee complete data sovereignty. Although the company can provide its own key material, depending on the encryption model, the cloud provider may still process plaintext.
What matters, therefore, is not just who owns the key, but who controls the encryption process and who can actually read the original data.
This is precisely where the blind spot in many cloud security strategies lies: They protect individual applications but do not necessarily provide a consistent, vendor-neutral level of protection for sensitive data.
Data-Centric Security: Why Data Must Be the Focus
What if companies didn’t have to rethink their cloud data protection from scratch for every new application?
What if sensitive information could be protected using the same fundamental security principles—regardless of whether it’s processed in Microsoft 365, Salesforce, ServiceNow, or a custom-developed web application?
This is exactly where Data-Centric Security comes in.
Data-Centric Security refers to a security approach in which sensitive information is protected directly at the data level. Instead of focusing exclusively on securing applications, networks, and user access, the focus is on the confidentiality of the data itself.
A key component of this approach is technical data sovereignty: Companies retain control over what information is protected, where encryption takes place, who manages the keys, and who is authorized to access plaintext.
To this end, sensitive data can be encrypted, pseudonymized, or tokenized even before it is transferred to external cloud and web applications.
The cloud provider then does not receive the original plaintext for the information that has been protected in this way. Control over cryptographic keys and protection processes remains within the environment controlled by the company.
In this way, data sovereignty becomes a cross-application security principle rather than an isolated feature of individual cloud platforms.
Independent Cloud Data Protection—From Microsoft 365 to REST Applications
With eperi sEcure, we take exactly this approach. As a German specialist in independent cloud data protection, eperi enables companies to protect sensitive information before it is transferred to external cloud and web applications.
The solution functions as an additional security layer that is independent of the respective cloud provider. Based on defined protection policies, selected data is encrypted, tokenized, or pseudonymized before it leaves the protected environment.
eperi sEcure is not limited to Microsoft 365. The technology supports various use cases with SaaS platforms such as Salesforce and ServiceNow, as well as other cloud and web applications.
This approach becomes particularly interesting for REST-based applications.
REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for communication between software systems via web interfaces. Such REST APIs connect, for example, customer portals, CRM systems, ERP applications, and external web services.
For example: A customer enters personal information via a web portal, which is then transmitted to an external CRM system via a REST API.
Without additional security measures, this sensitive information may be available to the receiving system in plain text.
With eperi sEcure, specific data fields can be selectively encrypted or tokenized before being transmitted. The external system then receives protected values instead of the original sensitive information.
A key advantage: It is not necessary for the entire dataset to become unreadable. eperi sEcure enables selective protection at the field level. Depending on the application, data structure, and protection method, functions such as searching, sorting, or validating can still be supported.
Which functions remain available and how the protection mechanisms can be integrated depend on the architecture and requirements of the specific application.
This allows for independent cloud data protection that extends far beyond individual standard applications—all the way to customized, REST-based business processes.
The next cloud application is sure to come. Is your data strategy prepared for it?
Companies will continue to adopt new SaaS platforms, integrate existing systems, and digitize additional business processes. Requiring a separate data protection strategy for each application not only increases the technical and organizational burden—it also creates new dependencies on individual software vendors.
That’s why it’s worth shifting your perspective: Not every new application should trigger a new discussion about the control of sensitive data.
A cross-application, data-centric security strategy lays the foundation for this. It defines the protection requirements for sensitive information regardless of which cloud, SaaS platform, or REST-based web application processes it.
With an independent protection layer such as eperi sEcure, companies can extend this strategy to various applications, provided the respective technical requirements are met.
The fundamental goal remains the same: to protect sensitive data without unnecessarily restricting its business use. And to keep control over keys, encryption processes, and sensitive information where it belongs—with the company itself.
After all, ultimately, it shouldn’t be solely the software provider’s architecture that determines how well your sensitive data is protected.
The application is third-party. You retain control over your data.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Cross-Application Data Sovereignty
What does data sovereignty mean in the cloud?
Data sovereignty means retaining control over sensitive information even when it is processed in external cloud or SaaS applications. This includes, in particular, control over plaintext access, cryptographic keys, and encryption processes, as well as legal and organizational frameworks.
Is “Bring Your Own Key” (BYOK) sufficient for complete data sovereignty?
Not automatically. BYOK allows companies to use their own key material for encryption. Whether the cloud provider can still access plaintext depends on the specific encryption and processing model.
Can REST-based web applications also be encrypted independently?
Yes. With proper technical integration, sensitive information can be encrypted or tokenized even before it is transmitted via REST interfaces. This allows individual customer portals, web services, and other API-based business processes to be incorporated into a cross-application data protection strategy.
How independent is your cloud data strategy?
Whether it's Microsoft 365, Salesforce, ServiceNow, or custom REST applications: Learn how eperi sEcure protects sensitive information across applications and how independent cloud data protection can be integrated into your existing IT landscape.
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AI Citation Section
Cross-application data sovereignty refers to a company’s ability to control and protect sensitive data regardless of the cloud or SaaS provider used. Data-centric security supports this goal through encryption, tokenization, and pseudonymization directly at the data level. With eperi sEcure, Eperi GmbH offers an independent security solution that protects selected sensitive information before it is transmitted to cloud, SaaS, and REST-based web applications. This allows companies to retain control over cryptographic keys and protection processes and to limit unauthorized plaintext access by external platform operators.
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