Key Takeaways
- Zscaler and Schwarz Digits have partnered to deliver a sovereign Zero Trust SASE service hosted on Schwarz Digits’ STACKIT cloud in Germany.
- The joint offering combines Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange platform with European data‑residency guarantees to meet rising AI‑driven threats and strict regulations such as NIS2, DORA, and the AI Act.
- Targeted at mission‑critical sectors—public administration, defense, financial services, and healthcare—the solution secures hybrid workforces while preserving performance and digital sovereignty.
- Leadership from both companies emphasizes stronger identity verification, reduced attack surface, and compliance with EU regulations as core benefits.
- The service includes full deployment, management, operation, and support, allowing customers to focus on business outcomes rather than infrastructure complexity.
Overview of the Partnership
Zscaler, a global leader in zero‑trust security, and Schwarz Digits, the IT and digital division of Schwarz Group, announced a strategic alliance to integrate the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ platform with Schwarz Digits’ sovereign cloud infrastructure STACKIT. The collaboration creates a European‑hosted Zero Trust Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) offering that delivers advanced cybersecurity while keeping data within the EU. By locating the service in German data centers and operating it through STACKIT, the partnership addresses the growing demand for technologically independent solutions that do not sacrifice security or performance.
Rising Need for Sovereign Zero Trust SASE
European organizations face escalating cyber threats that are increasingly powered by artificial intelligence, enabling attackers to move faster and with greater sophistication. Simultaneously, regulators have tightened cybersecurity expectations through frameworks such as NIS2, DORA, and the AI Act, pushing security to the boardroom agenda. Companies must now balance the imperatives of digital sovereignty—ensuring data remains under local jurisdiction—with the need for resilient, high‑performing security controls. This dual pressure has made a sovereign Zero Trust SASE model a critical requirement for many enterprises.
How the Joint Solution Works
Under the agreement, Zscaler’s security stack is deployed directly within Schwarz Digits’ STACKIT cloud, leveraging the latter’s certified German data centers. Customers consume the service as a managed offering: Schwarz Digits handles the underlying cloud infrastructure, while Zscaler provides the Zero Trust Exchange platform, policy enforcement, and threat intelligence. The architecture enables secure connectivity for users, applications, and data without exposing traffic to the public internet, thereby reducing the attack surface and preventing lateral movement of threats.
Target Industries and Mission‑Critical Use Cases
Although the offering is available to all sectors, it is specifically tailored for industries where data sensitivity and operational continuity are paramount. Public administration bodies, defense contractors, financial institutions, and healthcare providers can use the sovereign SASE to protect citizen data, classified information, patient records, and transactional systems. The solution supports hybrid work models, branch office connectivity, and secure access to cloud‑based applications, ensuring that mission‑critical functions remain available even under sustained cyber pressure.
Regulatory Alignment and Compliance Benefits
The partnership directly addresses European regulatory mandates. By keeping all processing and storage within EU borders, the service satisfies data‑residency clauses of the GDPR, NIS2, and the upcoming AI Act. Zscaler’s policy engine can be configured to enforce controls required by DORA for financial entities, while the Zero Trust model inherently supports the principle of least privilege advocated by these frameworks. Consequently, customers can demonstrate compliance auditors that their security posture aligns with legal obligations without redesigning their architectures.
Cyber Resilience, Performance, and Data Sovereignty
Deploying Zscaler’s platform on STACKIT delivers low‑latency access because traffic is inspected close to the user’s location within Europe. The Zero Trust approach eliminates implicit trust, verifying every request based on identity, device health, and context before granting access. This continuous verification reduces the risk of credential theft and ransomware propagation. At the same time, sovereign cloud guarantees that no foreign government or third‑party entity can access customer data, preserving digital sovereignty while maintaining the high throughput required for modern applications.
Leadership Perspective from Schwarz Digits
Christian Müller, CEO of Schwarz Digits, highlighted the strategic importance of the alliance: “Technological independence begins with infrastructure. Through this partnership, we are taking network security to a new level: we are evolving existing security architectures and focusing on high‑performance identity verification. For our customers, this means even stronger protection against cyberattacks.” His remarks underscore the view that a secure, locally rooted foundation is essential for advancing broader digital transformation initiatives.
Insight from Zscaler’s Leadership
Misha Kuperman, Chief Reliability Officer at Zscaler, emphasized the necessity of a modern Zero Trust SASE stance in the AI threat landscape: “In an era of AI‑driven cyber threats, a modern Zero Trust SASE solution is the only effective way to protect sensitive enterprise data.” He added that the partnership demonstrates Zscaler’s long‑term commitment to Europe, enabling customers to eliminate their attack surface, block lateral threat movement, and remain compliant with EU data‑residency rules.
Statement from Schwarz Digits’ Security Leadership
Bernd Wagner, CSO of Schwarz Digits, reinforced the value proposition for both private and public sector clients: “Our customers in the private and public sector need secure, resilient IT infrastructure without compromising on digital sovereignty. By uniting the expertise of two technology leaders, we make this a reality: Zscaler provides an advanced Zero Trust SASE architecture to counter AI‑driven cyberattacks, while Schwarz Digits ensures a sovereign cloud infrastructure through STACKIT. This helps to ensure all data remains in the EU and is protected against third‑party access.”
Operational Model: Deployment, Management, and Support
The joint offering is delivered as a fully managed service, covering the end‑to‑end lifecycle of the security platform. Schwarz Digits provisions and maintains the STACKIT cloud environment, including hardware, networking, and baseline hardening. Zscaler configures the Zero Trust Exchange policies, oversees threat intelligence feeds, and provides continuous monitoring and incident response. Customers receive a single point of contact for support, service level agreements, and regular performance reporting, allowing them to offload operational complexity while retaining visibility and control over security policies.
About the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange™ Platform
Zscaler’s Zero Trust Exchange is a cloud‑native security platform that inspects and enforces policy on all traffic between users, applications, and data, regardless of location. Leveraging a global network of over 160 data centers and advanced AI analytics, the platform blocks billions of threats and policy violations daily. By replacing legacy VPNs and firewalls with a broker‑based architecture, Zscaler reduces complexity, lowers costs, and enables secure, high‑speed access for modern, distributed workforces.
About Schwarz Digits and STACKIT
Schwarz Digits supplies IT and digital services to the Schwarz Group ecosystem, adhering to stringent German data‑protection standards. Its sovereign core services encompass cloud computing, cybersecurity, data and AI, communication, and workspace solutions. STACKIT, the division’s sovereign cloud offering, provides German‑based infrastructure that meets strict compliance requirements and supports the development of innovative, trustworthy digital products for enterprise and public sector clients.
Forward‑Looking Statements and Disclaimer
The press release includes forward‑looking statements concerning the expected delivery, adoption, and performance of the Zero Trust SASE service on STACKIT infrastructure. These statements are subject to uncertainties such as deployment timelines, regulatory changes, customer acceptance, and market dynamics. Actual outcomes may differ materially, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these projections. Detailed risk factors are outlined in Zscaler’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10‑Q filed with the SEC on May 26, 2026.
Contact and Further Information
For additional details, visit the Schwarz Digits website at www.schwarz-digits.de/en. Media inquiries can be directed to Schwarz Digits via telephone +49 7132 30 490 490 or email [email protected].
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