Cloud Technologies Central for Defense Sovereignty
Discover the frontline of defense sovereignty as cloud technology
unlocks secure storage of extensive data on one collaborative platform,
readily accessible to all.
Deploying Cloud Solutions in Defense Programs
The defense industry’s working environment is becoming increasingly distributed as software providers are moving their tools and application to the Cloud. This revolution is pushing the industry to adopt new ways of working. All actors in the defense industry are thus undergoing a process of digital transformation in which engineering, project management, manufacturing and support processes are increasingly addressed through collaborative digital tools on the Cloud. With this evolution, keeping activities on premise, instead of on the Cloud, are becoming more and more expensive.
Insights from Dassault Aviation
Watch our exclusive interview with Dassault Aviation CIO, Laurent Bendavid, to uncover how Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud fuels the development of next-generation fighters.
Dassault Aviation and Dassault Systèmes Partner to Bring Secure, Sovereign Collaboration on the Cloud
The cloud transformation within the aerospace and defense sector is however extremely challenging. This is due to different national standards for data classification, complex security user-access requirements and justified localization obligations for data infrastructures, typically grounded in public security concerns.
In addition to working environment digital transformations, defense programs are becoming more collaborative cross-border and complex. The aerospace and defense industry is moving from single-system platform development to the development of an evolving platform of interconnected and interoperable systems. This transition toward a ’systems of systems’ approach involves a complex value chain that includes the armed forces, contracting agencies, prime contractors, federal agencies, partners and suppliers — as seen in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) ecosystem, for instance.
These organizations must operate within a Common Work Environment (CWE), tailored to the specific program but interoperable across national and corporate boundaries. Currently, each new program requires participating partners to invest significant time and resources into designing a bespoke CWE, defining collaborative spaces, tools, and workflows from scratch. This repetitive effort delays the actual launch of program activities and creates inefficiencies across the defense value chain. Yet many core elements of CWEs—such as key actors, collaboration structures, activities, infrastructure, and enabling technologies—are common across programs. Failing to address this foundational need undermines efforts to simplify cooperation, control costs, and speed up delivery. Ultimately, it is a structural barrier to Europe’s defense competitiveness and strategic autonomy.
As a result, there is a crucial need to develop a highly secure, collaborative cloud platform tailored specifically for the aerospace and defense industry. Dassault Systèmes is participating in a key initiative to support the European Defense Cloud priorities through the European Alliance for Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud in the AEROSEC project to develop such a platform
Sovereignty at the Speed of Cloud
Despite the challenges of switching from on premises to cloud technologies, defense companies are becoming more digital and are leveraging cloud technology. The defense cloud environment enables improved communication and cooperation in the operations and maintenance of existing programs, as well as scalability, cost savings and enhanced security. This enhancement is achieved by leveraging the existing programs’ huge data repository, accelerating program development with new collaborative architecture.
In addition, with 3DS OUTSCALE, the first French sovereign cloud certified SecNumCloud, Dassault Systèmes is proud to deploy sovereign and dedicated cloud offers for trusted and sovereign collaboration, either in a common legal and fiscal space or within a customer’s space, ensuring the sovereignty of data stored in the cloud. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform can be used for the development of key defense programs on the roadmap. For example, in Europe, it supports programs constituting a major advancement in the consecution of European strategic autonomy, consolidating the European defense industry sector and reinforcing its military operations and capabilities.
The 3D Experience Cloud Platform offers an all-in-one solution with new capabilities:
Always up-to-date
This solution focuses on the speed of relevance to support the fast-changing needs of programs. This easily accessible platform enables continuous innovation through permanent upgrades to deploy new capabilities.
Eliminate silos
The platform enables seamless information sharing on a single source of truth. It improves collaboration on program and project planning execution, particularly when managing large, complex programs involving stakeholders from different countries and companies.
Highly scalable
The platform is easily deployable with immediate access and offers an optimal user experience. It provides flexible applications that can be adjusted instantly based on customer needs, designed for optimal cost of ownership and scalability to accommodate users and usage levels.
Highly secured
This platform complies with the highest levels of legal protection. It takes into account security regulations specific and unique to each defense program, with cybersecurity, intellectual property (IP) protection and quality embedded at the heart of our solution.
With the 3DEXPERIENCE Cloud platform, provisioning, installation, updates, monitoring and operations are under Dassault Systèmes’ responsibility.