estonia data center

Estonia Creates World’s First-Ever ‘Data Embassy’ to Improve Information Security

The high-tech country’s decision to move highly sensitive databases to another country could be a model for other nations hoping to maintain their data security.

Nearly all embassies are staffed with an ambassador and other diplomatic officials focused on building relationships and serving their citizens in foreign countries.

That’s why Estonia’s choice to establish an embassy in Luxembourg populated with databases rather than people is so unusual. In June, the country began moving core servers holding sensitive records, including land and business registries, to one of Luxembourg’s highly secure data centers, NBC News reported. The new “data embassy” is believed to be the first of its kind.

The rationale in moving the servers lies in Estonia’s desire to ensure that its citizens’ most sensitive data is not threatened by Russia, which the Estonian government believes was responsible for a series of 2007 cyberattacks that paralyzed the country’s internet services. Now, even if Estonia suffers a military attack and its main servers are shut down, the government should be able to keep its core services running, according to the NBC report.

The move is even more crucial given the fact that Estonia is one of the most Internet-savvy countries in the world. The government assigns each citizen a digital ID that allows them to do their taxes, bank, vote and complete other tasks online. In turn, Estonians share a higher-than-usual amount of sensitive information with the government -- all of which could be vulnerable if the country was attacked.

Estonia’s agreement with Luxembourg, which gives Estonia full jurisdiction over the data and prevents Luxembourg officials from entering unless they have permission, could set a precedent for other countries concerned about data security. Monaco is already planning a similar move, having signed an agreement with Luxembourg in December, according to NBC.

“Our government provided data center services along with immunity. This is the innovative part of it,” Patrick Houtsch, the director of Luxembourg’s government information technology center, told NBC. “Of course, they could have stored their data in some public cloud or service provider, but they would not have the same guarantees in terms of being able to completely protect and know where the information is.”

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • IoT Saves the Day

    IoT Saves the Day

    Today, creating a safe environment across schools, hotels, office buildings, housing complexes and other facilities has become a necessity. There are so many dangers lurking in buildings of all sizes and shapes from fire hazards, vaping issues, chemical/air quality issues, intruders and so much more. Read Now

  • One Pane, Less Pain

    One Pane, Less Pain

    Just because a solution is built on an open-standards platform doesn’t ensure that all the vendors’ systems will work together as promised. Some features may not be supported, or not supported to their fullest potential. Read Now

  • Revamping Wrigley Field

    Revamping Wrigley Field

    When talking about baseball in the United States, it’s hard not to think of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field. With a history spanning more than 100 years, the Chicago Cubs are one of the most recognized teams in professional sports. Read Now

  • Enhancing Situational Awareness

    Enhancing Situational Awareness

    In an era marked by technological advancements and increasing security concerns, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into video surveillance systems has revolutionized situational awareness and critical infrastructure protection. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

New Products

  • Camden Door Controls ‘SER” Surface Boxes and Extension Rings

    Camden Door Controls ‘SER” Surface Boxes and Extension Rings

    Camden Door Controls has introduced new ‘SER” surface boxes and extension rings that provide a complete solution for new construction. In addition, they provide a simple and robust solution when replacing round wired and manual push plate switches with either Camden’s wired or wireless SureWave™ no-touch switches or Kinetic™ no-battery wireless switches. 3

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge. 3

  • Videoloft Cloud Video Surveillance VSaaS Solution

    Videoloft Cloud Video Surveillance VSaaS Solution

    Videoloft focuses on transforming traditional professional surveillance systems into cloud connected solutions via the Videoloft Cloud Adapter. 3