Organizations everywhere face the same challenge: how to build modern data stack without losing control of their data. Regulations are tightening. Sovereignty matters more than ever. Hyperscalers don’t solve the trust gap.
That’s why Valanor has partnered with Iomete, an open source lakehouse platform that runs entirely in your environment. It combines Apache Spark for compute and Apache Iceberg for storage, all managed on Kubernetes. The result is a cloud-like data lakehouse that you control, free from lock-in or hidden cross-border transfers.
What is an Open Source Lakehouse?
An open-source lakehouse combines the flexibility of a data lake with the reliability of a data warehouse. You get low-cost storage, ACID transactions, and SQL support in one system, without proprietary formats or black-box SaaS.
Key Characteristics of an Open Source Lakehouse
- Built on open standards like Apache Iceberg and Apache Spark.
- Portable across environments—on-prem, private cloud, or sovereign cloud.
- Governance-ready with access controls, masking, and audit logs.
- Future-proof against vendor lock-in or forced migrations.
IOMETE is one of the few open source lakehouse platforms designed to be fully self-hosted. That means sovereignty and compliance without giving up speed or scale.
Why Data Sovereignty Needs an Open Source Lakehouse
Data sovereignty is not just a European issue. It’s now a global concern.
In Europe, the Schrems II ruling showed that relying on U.S. hyperscalers carries legal risks. India’s new privacy law gives its government direct power over data flows. China’s laws restrict the flow of data out of the country. Brazil and Saudi Arabia enforce strict rules on international transfers.
Each country has its own approach. However, the direction remains the same: control over data location, movement, and access is becoming non-negotiable.
An open source lakehouse helps organizations adapt. By building on open standards and deploying inside the borders that matter, companies keep ownership of their most critical asset: data. They stay compliant with evolving rules while avoiding costly rebuilds. And they can operate globally while respecting the legal boundaries that increasingly shape digital business.
In short, the open source lakehouse is both a technology strategy and a sovereignty strategy. It creates systems that bend with policy changes instead of breaking under them.
How IOMETE Delivers on the Promise
Kubernetes-Native Deployment
IOMETE turns these principles into practice. Running natively on Kubernetes, it fits into existing enterprise setups, whether on-premises, in a private EU cloud, or on a sovereign cloud elsewhere. All data, metadata, and logs stay where you deploy them, reducing exposure to outside jurisdictions.
Apache Iceberg and Open Standards
At the storage layer, IOMETE uses Apache Iceberg. This ensures reliable ACID transactions, schema evolution, and time travel without binding you to a proprietary table format. If your regulatory or cloud strategy changes, your data moves with you.
Compute Performance Close to the Data
For compute, IOMETE integrates Apache Spark so workloads run close to the data. That delivers scale and performance without cross-border data egress. Engineers can use Jupyter notebooks or a Git-backed SQL editor, ensuring high productivity while maintaining data security.
Governance and Security by Design
Governance is built in from the start. Fine-grained access control, row and column security, dynamic masking, and enterprise SSO make sure sensitive data is appropriately handled. These controls are critical not only for compliance but also for establishing trust across teams.
IOMETE, in short, offers the power of the cloud with the control of a self-hosted system. It is an open-source lakehouse built for sovereignty.
The Takeaway
If you work in a regulated industry or any environment where data location matters, the open source lakehouse is no longer optional. It is a necessary foundation for compliance, flexibility, and long-term resilience.
Our partnership with IOMETE means you can run modern data platforms entirely within your borders, stay aligned with evolving regulations, and avoid the lock-in that slows innovation. You get sovereignty, scale, and simplicity, delivered together.
Want to know how this applies to you?
👉 Book a call with Aleks Basara. In 30 minutes, I’ll review your current stack, highlight sovereignty risks, and show where an open source lakehouse could give you more control.
No sales pitch, just a straightforward, engineering-led overview you can act on.