Technological sovereignty, beyond rhetoric, a strategic emergency

At Waarp, we have a clear idea of sovereignty: it is the ability of a country, France, to master the critical technologies of its digital infrastructure, without depending on foreign suppliers, particularly non-European powers.

Independence is not decreed, it is built.

In our field of Managed File Transfer (MFT) solutions, the major players are almost exclusively American. Their solutions, often powerful and well-integrated, also come with closed, proprietary models, technological barriers, and aggressive sales strategies.

We see it regularly: a company or an administration chooses a global player, attracted by an attractive short-term offer, a few years later, costs explode, room for maneuver melts away and any attempt at reversibility becomes painful, even impossible.

This is what we call a loss of sovereignty.

An alternative exists. It's French. It's open source.

Open source, in its serious and industrial sense, is today one of the best vectors of digital sovereignty. Not only because the code is open, but also because it relies on living ecosystems, local skills, and structural transparency.

Contrary to popular belief, open source doesn't necessarily mean a lack of a business model. At Waarp, like other French software companies, we have chosen a hybrid model: our core software is open source, but we support it with services, expertise, and professional support. We pay French engineers, we contribute to the local economy, and, above all, we guarantee that our clients' strategic data does not depend on any player outside the European Union.

Open source does not mean amateurism: a model to defend

We must put an end to the idea that open source is limited to unstructured community systems. In critical infrastructure layers (transfers, security, middleware, etc.), open source solutions are often supported by committed, innovative, and structured companies.

But this ecosystem is fragile. If it isn't supported concretely by public and private economic actors, it risks disappearing. And with it, the only credible alternative to the digital giants.

Make no mistake: by focusing on the short term and ready-made solutions, we are preparing for a massive dependence on proprietary tools. And in a few years, the same people who refused to invest in sovereign solutions will come and complain about price increases, the lack of options, and the loss of control.

It's time to choose: the alternative exists

We are not calling for an ideological rejection of proprietary solutions. They have their place, their usefulness, their logic. But they must not be the only ones.

Faced with unbalanced digital globalization, Europe, and France in particular, must make a strategic choice. And this choice cannot be limited to declarations of principle. It must involve concrete commitments in favor of open source, transparency, and the local economic fabric.

At Waarp, we've made that choice. Now it's time for others to join us.