About SovereignSky
SovereignSky is a helpers.no initiative to strengthen digital sovereignty and resilience in Nordic organizations.
The Crisis We Face Today#
81% of Norwegian cloud infrastructure runs on US platforms. Hospitals, government agencies, schools, and businesses all depend on Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud — services subject to the US CLOUD Act. A single political decision, a trade conflict, or a cyberattack could make these services unavailable overnight.
Norway is investing billions in military defence — F-35 fighter jets, new submarines, expanded conscription. But while we prepare for physical threats, our digital infrastructure remains dangerously dependent on foreign powers. Organizations that can’t operate without their cloud provider will simply stop functioning.
NSM Director Sofie Nystrøm warned: “We are more vulnerable than we have been in a long time.”
That was before the US threatened to take Greenland by force. Before the US and Israel attacked Iran. Before the US invaded Panama and captured the president of Venezuela. The geopolitical landscape has shifted dramatically — and our digital dependency on US platforms has not.
SovereignSky is a sovereign cloud platform that ensures organizations can operate — with or without the cloud.
What We Provide#
SovereignSky is both a knowledge platform and a set of open-source tools:
Knowledge & Data#
| Resource | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Laws Database | 41 data sovereignty laws — understand your legal exposure |
| Datacenter Map | 87 cloud locations — see where your data actually lives |
| Jurisdiction Profiles | 66 legal frameworks — know the rules that apply |
| Software Database | Sovereignty risk assessments for common tools |
| NDSI Framework | Self-assessment tool for organizations |
| Blog | Analysis and news on digital sovereignty |
Tools & Infrastructure#
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| DevContainer Toolbox | Consistent development environment across all platforms |
| Urbalurba Infrastructure Stack | Complete datacenter on your laptop — Kubernetes, databases, AI |
| Dev Templates | Production-ready project starters |
| Client Provisioning | Automated Rancher Desktop deployment for managed machines |
| sovdev-logger | Structured logging with OpenTelemetry |
All tools are open source and available on GitHub.
Who Is This For#
SovereignSky serves anyone responsible for digital decisions in Norwegian organizations:
- IT Leaders and CIOs — Understanding strategic risks and alternatives
- Security Professionals — Mapping dependencies and compliance requirements
- Developers and Architects — Building sovereign systems
- Policy Makers — Evidence for informed regulation
- Concerned Citizens — Understanding how digital infrastructure affects society
Our Approach#
Open and Transparent#
All content on SovereignSky is freely available. We believe sovereignty requires shared knowledge, not proprietary gatekeeping.
Practical, Not Political#
We focus on concrete actions organizations can take today. We’re not advocating for any political position — we’re providing tools for informed decisions.
Norwegian and Nordic Focus#
While digital sovereignty is a global issue, we focus on the Norwegian and Nordic context. Local alternatives, local regulations, local risks.
Evidence-Based#
Our databases draw from official sources, legal documents, and verifiable data. We cite our sources and welcome corrections.
Get Involved#
SovereignSky is a work in progress. We welcome:
- Corrections and updates — Help us keep the databases accurate
- Case studies — Share your organization’s sovereignty journey
- Expertise — Legal, technical, or policy knowledge we should include
- Feedback — What would make this resource more useful?
Contact us at terje@helpers.no
A helpers.no Initiative#
SovereignSky is built by helpers.no — an organization born from a refugee camp, now grown into a team of developers, sysadmins, and volunteers building the tools that were missing.
The approach is the same whether you joined at the border or yesterday: see a problem, build a solution, share it openly.
Where It Started#
In March 2022, 5,000 refugees arrived daily at the Tesco Centre transit camp near the Polish-Ukrainian border.
No IT systems. No volunteer screening. No logistics tracking. No donation management. No big NGOs. No government funding. Just people who showed up. Ordinary people. Some were nerds. That experience led to a decision: this must never happen again — the people who show up must get the tools they need to help people in need. That became the mission: helping the helpers.
Everything was improvised. The nightmare: children and women disappearing to human traffickers posing as drivers or aid workers. With the help of SINTEF, a QR-based wristband identification system was built to distinguish legitimate helpers from traffickers. This work was featured in Dagens Næringsliv.
Start exploring: