Online collaboration is the new office – but who owns the digital space?

The traditional office is dissolving: teams now work interactively, across locations, and in the cloud. Meetings and brainstorming sessions increasingly take place on online platformssuch as Conceptboard, a virtual whiteboard that has become the central hub for innovative collaboration. Global teams are cooperating across borders – remotely, hybrid, or asynchronously. Today, this is where ideas are born, strategies are developed, and projects come to life.

But as the benefits of location-independent collaboration grow, so too does awareness of the challenges around handling sensitive data. Who owns all those sketches and notes created daily within digital platforms? Who guarantees that this information remains confidential and under the organisation’s control?

Caught between maximum productivity and the need for data control, companies and public institutions face a growing challenge in building future-proof collaboration: data sovereignty. Losing control over your data means risking more than just a compliance violation. It can undermine competitiveness, innovation and trust – the very foundation of any collaboration.

What does data sovereignty actually mean?

Data sovereignty goes far beyond traditional data protection. It means having full control over all data created, processed, and shared in the digital space – whether that’s confidential project sketches, brainstorming results, or usage statistics.

Unlike data protection, which focuses on defense against misuse, data sovereignty empowers users and organisations to make autonomous decisions about their data: who accesses it, for what purpose, and for how long.

A key concept here is controlled transparency – the ability to inspect and understand critical security processes through a sovereign code. For teams working with external partners – such as in clinical studies or confidential project work – data sovereignty becomes essential. You must be able to trust that your content won’t disappear into grey zones or be used without your knowledge and that partner and customer access is clearly regulated.

For example: In a virtual project workshop with an external agency, new product ideas and designs emerge on a digital whiteboard. Who decides if and how long these concepts are stored? Who gains access? Data-sovereign collaboration provides this transparency – and gives you and your team full control over your own content.

The EU Data Act: A signal for a new data ethic

The EU Data Act, which came into force on January 12, 2024, marks a major step toward a more ethical approach to (non-personal) data in Europe. It will become fully applicable on September 12, 2025. Its mission: to create a fairer, more transparent, and interoperable digital economy – with a focus on companies and B2B collaboration.

The three key pillars for collaborative tools are:

  • Portability: Users must be able to transfer their data easily between providers – no more data silos or vendor lock-ins.
  • Fairness: Transparent rules must prevent providers from making unilateral decisions about user data or building hidden hurdles for switching providers. Automated checks will flag unfair clauses or opaque practices.
  • Control rights: Organisations decide how their data is used and shared within collaborative tools, including whiteboard content, comments, usage statistics, and all joint outputs.

Terms of service must be comprehensible and fair. These principles apply not only to personal data in B2C contexts but even more so to B2B collaboration. Collaborative tools are now ethically and legally obligated to ensure data sovereignty for work-related information.

What this means for digital tools like Conceptboard

Digital collaboration tools carry significant responsibility for security, transparency, and sovereignty. Their technical architecture – from cloud infrastructure to API design – must be built with clear governance and transparent processes.

Conceptboard’s position is clear:

‘We believe that true digital collaboration is only possible when it’s built on trust – and trust starts with control over your own data. As a European company, we actively support data sovereignty and the goals of the EU Data Act: transparent data practices, easy portability, clear user rights, and no hidden dependencies. Our customers always retain full control over their boards, content, and collaboration data – and that’s already the case today.’ George Welz, CRO at Conceptboard

For Conceptboard, the legal requirements of the EU Data Act are nothing new – they’re part of the company DNA. Data sovereignty isn’t just a compliance feature; it’s built into the product. Conceptboard’s value-driven approach – backed by clear ethical guidelines – sets it apart from competitors, especially US platforms.

Conceptboard as a European trailblazer

Conceptboard offers full transparency: users can always see where and how their data is stored and can easily adjust their privacy settings. Thanks to straightforward data portability, boards and content including meeting results can be exported at any time. Even if you cancel or switch providers, your data remains accessible and usable.

Conceptboard deliberately avoids vendor lock-ins: instead of artificial barriers, its focus lies on quality and openness – making provider changes frictionless through sovereign code principles.

Conceptboard’s cloud infrastructure is hosted on certified European servers, fully aligned with GDPR and European data protection laws (ISO 27001, 27017, 27018). This ensures full compliance as well as protection from access by US authorities via the CLOUD Act.

By meeting EU Data Act standards today, Conceptboard proves that technological innovation and European values are not opposites. They are, in fact, the future.

Practical guidelines for companies moving forward

The EU Data Act is a turning point and a great reason to critically review your digital infrastructure. Acting now means gaining trust and legal clarity.

  • Check hosting transparency: Ask where and how your team’s data is stored. Is the hosting based in Europe?
  • Demand data portability: Are you able to access and export your data at any time via your SaaS tools?
  • Make ethical choices when selecting providers: Choose tools that clearly commit to European values, the EU Data Act, and the GDPR. Is their compliance credible? Are mobility and data ownership part of their promise?
  • Raise internal awareness: Train employees on the importance of data ownership. Make it a mandatory purchasing factor for all collaboration tools.
  • Avoid vendor lock-ins: Use solutions that don’t lock you in with technical limitations.

Switching to a provider like Conceptboard not only enhances data protection and compliance but also visibly strengthens your organisation’s agility, security and ethical responsibility – a clear competitive advantage, especially in sensitive sectors such as healthcare, public administration, and other regulated industries.

Best practice: How the city of Kiel is transforming collaboration in public administration.

Read the success story!

Conclusion: Collaboration that earns your trust

Data sovereignty is not a bureaucratic hurdle, it’s the very foundation for genuine collaboration on equal terms. In a connected work environment, collaboration can only earn trust if everyone involved remains in control of their data, now and in the future.

Conceptboard invites you to explore how digital sovereignty can work in your organisation. It stands for open, legally compliant, and transparent collaboration tools – built not just for performance, but for trust.

Data sovereignty is the basis for successful digital teams. Start building it with us.

Try Conceptboard for free!