Case Study

UK Sovereign Cloud Setup and SAP Migration for an Aerospace and Defence Organisation

UK Sovereign Cloud Setup and SAP Migration for an Aerospace and Defence Organisation

Sunfish led the setup and transition to a UK Sovereign Cloud environment for an Aerospace and Defence client, enabling compliant hosting of core SAP applications while strengthening cyber security assurance and mitigating geopolitical risk.

Overview

Sunfish was engaged by an Aerospace and Defence organisation undertaking a functional and technical modernisation programme to support evolving business strategy and operating models. As part of this transformation, the organisation sought to establish enterprise-wide capabilities aligned with enhanced service delivery and regulatory compliance requirements.

Amid rising global information security threats and increasing mandatory cyber and data protection requirements from multiple government bodies, the organisation needed to reassess its cloud strategy.

Sunfish initiated and led a programme to establish Sovereign Cloud capability within the SAP UK data centre and migrate core applications to a compliant, secure environment.

The Challenge

The global information security threat landscape had intensified, with organisations required to adapt rapidly to published mandatory cyber and data protection requirements.

The client was mid-deployment of an enterprise cloud solution across more than 30 countries when new compliance requirements were introduced by multiple government bodies, highlighting significant risk exposure.

Key challenges included:

  • Ensuring compliance with evolving cyber security and data protection regulations
  • Mitigating geopolitical and data sovereignty risks
  • Conducting fit-gap analysis across functional and technical capabilities

  • Aligning with legal and regulatory stakeholders at both global and local levels

  • Maintaining continuity of service while redefining cloud architecture

As the first UK Sovereign Cloud client, the organisation also faced the complexity of shaping the provider’s evolving service model while ensuring downstream systems integration and policy compliance.

The Approach

Sunfish structured the programme across three defined phases to manage risk, governance and execution.

Impact Assessment

Sunfish defined the scope of work and high-level timeline with senior sponsors and stakeholders. Detailed capability reviews were conducted to compare Sovereign Cloud features against business and compliance requirements. Early engagement with the cloud provider and legal teams enabled contractual review and parallel progress on approvals.

Partner and SI Contracts

Contracts with key service integrators and partners were renegotiated to align with Sovereign Cloud requirements. Legal, operational and commercial considerations were addressed to ensure compliant service agreements and long-term scalability of cloud operations.

Migration Planning and Execution

A detailed RACI model and delivery framework were established. Sunfish coordinated technical and change management processes across multiple providers, ensuring structured execution. A robust governance model was implemented to maintain quality, compliance and adherence to project timelines throughout migration.

Internal cyber security assurance was embedded across global and local legal, data protection and compliance teams to validate readiness before go-live.

The Outcome

The client successfully established and transitioned to a UK Sovereign Cloud environment, hosting core SAP applications in compliance with enhanced cyber and data protection standards.

The migration was completed without disruption to ongoing deployment activities, enabling continued platform evolution within a secure and compliant framework.

Impact

  • Regulatory compliance
    Systems are now hosted within a UK Sovereign Cloud environment aligned to mandatory cyber and data protection requirements.
  • Geopolitical risk mitigation
    Data sovereignty risks were reduced through compliant localised hosting and governance alignment.
  • Strengthened cyber assurance
    Extensive internal reviews ensured alignment with client cyber security policies and downstream integration requirements.
  • Contractual and commercial clarity
    Renegotiated SI agreements created scalable and future-proofed cloud service arrangements.
  • Sustainable cloud foundation
    The programme established a robust governance and migration framework that can be replicated for future cloud transformations.

Client Testimonial

“The successful migration not only mitigated geopolitical and data protection risks but also allowed us to continue our global deployment with renewed confidence in our cloud strategy.”

Written by Ambar Chipalkatty

Ambar is a driven and experienced leader passionate about understanding business & employee needs and leveraging technology to deliver value to the organisation.

Written by Ambar Chipalkatty

Ambar is a driven and experienced leader passionate about understanding business & employee needs and leveraging technology to deliver value to the organisation.

At a glance

Client:
UK Aerospace and Defence organisation operating across multiple international jurisdictions

Engagement:
Setup and transition to a UK Sovereign Cloud environment with migration of core SAP applications

Services:
Cloud strategy and impact assessment
Sovereign Cloud capability setup
Cyber security and compliance assurance
Service integrator contract renegotiation
Migration governance and execution management

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