Capgemini and Orange announced their plan to set up a new company named “Bleu” that will intend to provide a ”Cloud de Confiance” service which will meet sovereignty requirements of the French State, public administrations and critical infrastructure companies with unique privacy, security and resiliency needs as determined by the French State. Bleu will aim to provide its customers with an independent, trusted cloud platform with a broad catalog of digital solutions and cutting-edge collaborative tools. The partnership provides a significant step forward in accelerating France’s digital transformation.

Capgemini and Orange will work with Microsoft to develop the Cloud de Confiance. Bleu will offer Microsoft’s secure cloud technology including the modern collaboration and productivity solutions of Microsoft 365 and the services available on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, delivered via an independent environment.

Bleu will be governed by key requirements regarding sensitive data to ensure that the unique needs of its French customers are met.

• Firstly, these include providing immunity from all extraterritorial legislation and economic independence – Capgemini and Orange will be the majority investors in Bleu.
• Secondly, these rely on meeting data transfer requirements and ensuring the full control of cloud-based applications from within an isolated infrastructure that uses data centers located in France. These data centers will thereforse be strictly separated from Microsoft’s global data center infrastructure, which guarantees operational autonomy.
• In addition, Bleu will be entirely operated by its own staff in France.

Capgemini and Orange expect that Bleu will be recognized as a ”Cloud de Confiance” by French authorities and receive the SecNumCloud label by the National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI).

Bleu will also ultimately join the Gaia-X initiative, of which Orange and Capgemini are members, in order to support the emergence of sovereign solutions on a European level.

Aiman Ezzat, CEO of Capgemini, said: “As a strategic partner to our clients, Capgemini is focused on building the services they need, based on leading technologies and the highest standards. The creation of a ”Cloud de Confiance” for France will provide French State and critical infrastructure organizations with the many benefits of flexible cloud services on a secure platform. Now is the right moment to launch this project which benefits from strong political will and very advanced technologies. We are excited to be partnering with Orange on this pioneering project.”

Stéphane Richard, Chairman and CEO of Orange, commented: “This ‘Cloud de Confiance’ meets a growing need in the digital world. The French State recently highlighted this in defining their ‘cloud au centre’ policy and setting out the standards required regarding data protection and sovereignty. Orange, as a trusted partner for the digital transformation of businesses, operates, integrates and manages a range of trusted infrastructure services for its customers, whether they are public or private entities. We are delighted to partner with Capgemini to create a trusted-cloud solution for our existing and future BtoB customers and public organizations that will provide a wide range of services, and in particular Microsoft 365, from within a sovereign infrastructure.”

“Establishing a new ‘Cloud de Confiance’ service, which should be recognized by French authorities, through a company founded and led by Capgemini and Orange, will help accelerate France’s digital transformation and meet the standards defined by the French government in its national policy,” said Jean-Philippe Courtois, EVP and President of Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing and Operations. “This announcement will contribute to France’s economic growth, benefit the national technology and services partner ecosystem, and support the country’s long-term success.”