Cloud Sovereignty in Practice: MicroHack with Azure, Azure Local, and Azure Arc

About the Masterclass

Digital sovereignty is moving from strategy decks into real architecture decisions. Public sector organizations, financial services, healthcare, energy, and other regulated industries are being asked to prove where data lives, who can access and operate it, how workloads are governed, and how cloud platforms can support national and European sovereignty requirements. 

This pre-conference masterclass gives architects, infrastructure professionals, security specialists, and technical decision-makers a practical introduction to building for digital sovereignty with Microsoft cloud technologies. Based on the Microsoft Sovereign Cloud MicroHack and adapted for NIC, the session combines expert framing with hands-on learning and real-world discussion. 

Participants will explore how Microsoft Azure, Azure Local, Azure Arc, policy, identity, encryption, confidential computing, and hybrid operating models can be used to design cloud environments that support sovereignty, compliance, and operational resilience. The exact lab flow will be adapted toward the conference, but the focus will remain practical: fewer slides, more architecture, demos, and hands-on experience. 

The masterclass is planned with expert perspectives from Microsoft specialists working closely with sovereign cloud, Azure Local, and hybrid cloud technologies. Jan Egil Ring will be responsible for content and delivery, supported by Microsoft subject matter experts and lab proctors. 

If your organization is asking what sovereign cloud means beyond the buzzword, this is the session that turns the conversation into something concrete.

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Who should attend 

• Cloud architects and infrastructure engineers designing regulated cloud environments 
• Security, compliance, and governance professionals working with cloud controls 
• Platform and operations teams responsible for hybrid or distributed infrastructure 
• Technical decision-makers who need to understand what sovereign cloud means in practice 
• Consultants and advisors supporting public sector, healthcare, finance, energy, or other regulated customers 
  

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What attendees will take away 

• A clearer understanding of digital sovereignty and sovereign cloud in a Microsoft context 
• Practical patterns for using Azure platform controls to support governance and compliance 
• Insight into how Azure Local and Azure Arc fit into sovereign and hybrid cloud strategies 
• A hands-on view of identity, policy, encryption, confidential computing, and operational controls 
• Better questions to ask when evaluating sovereign cloud requirements, architectures, and trade-offs 
  

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Tone and positioning guidance 

• Lead with practical architecture and sovereignty challenges, not product marketing. 
• Keep the copy flexible so the final lab flow can evolve before the conference. 
• Avoid promising a complete compliance solution; position the session as practical guidance and hands-on exploration. 
• Emphasize that this is a limited-capacity, pre-conference masterclass with direct access to subject matter experts. 

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‍About Jan Egil Ring‍

Jan Egil Ring is a Senior Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft, based in Oslo, Norway, where he helps customers design and modernize cloud architectures across Azure, Azure Local, and Azure Arc - with a particular focus on hybrid, distributed, and sovereignty-driven scenarios. He is a Core Maintainer on the Azure Arc Jumpstart team and contributes to the Microsoft Sovereign Cloud MicroHack on which this masterclass is based. With deep experience in automation, Infrastructure as Code, and PowerShell, Jan Egil was a multiple-year recipient of the Microsoft MVP Award (2011–2022) for his contributions to the PowerShell, Cloud & Datacenter Management, and Azure communities. He speaks regularly at conferences and community events, including a co-delivered pre-day workshop at Microsoft Ignite 2024, NIC, PowerShell Conference Europe, the PowerShell Summit, and numerous local Microsoft events.

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‍About the Team‍

Andre Frogner is a Senior Solution Engineer at Microsoft with deep expertise in Azure infrastructure, advanced networking, and hybrid/cloud‑edge architectures. He supports enterprise customers with complex migrations and mission‑critical workloads, focusing on performance, resilience, and compliance.

Harald Fianbakken is a Program Manager at Microsoft, based out of Redmond - currently building Azure Local disconnected operations and focusing on sovereign private cloud solutions. He is working closely with engineering, partners and customers to deliver secure, enterprise-ready platforms - with a strong focus on regulated industries. With a strong background in cloud architecture, development and automation, Harald combines deep technical expertise with product strategy to drive innovation and real-world adoption of Azure technologies.

Ingrid Finnøy is a Solution Architect at Sopra Steria, specializing in designing and building Azure environments based on Microsoft best practices. She is passionate about cloud platforms and modern IT infrastructure, with hands-on experience in Azure infrastructure, on-premises networking, and Kubernetes.

Robert Cazacu is a Senior Solution Engineer at Microsoft, where he is helping Norway’s largest organizations navigate complex cloud migrations and modernization projects on Azure. With a background in DevOps, he focuses on building automated, repeatable systems with security as a shared responsibility, bridging the gap between technical complexity and business strategy. At NIC, he explores the practical implementation of Cloud Sovereignty using Azure Arc and Azure Local.

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