Umbraco Cloud adds Canadian hosting to aid data sovereignty

Umbraco has announced the addition of a Canadian hosting option for its Umbraco Cloud platform, enabling organisations to store data within Canada and comply with local privacy laws.

The new hosting site, located in Microsoft Azure's Central Canada region in Toronto, is now available as an option for digital agencies and businesses using Umbraco Cloud to build websites and applications for Canadian clients. This move aims to assist organisations whose data cannot leave Canada due to legal requirements.

Mats Persson, Chief Executive Officer at Umbraco, explained the reasoning behind the investment in Canadian hosting. He said, "Companies operating in Canada are bound by strict federal, provincial, and public sector privacy laws governing the handling and processing of citizens' personal information. We want to support partners building websites on Umbraco for Canadian businesses, and enterprise customers operating in Canada, so that they can comply with local laws and provide the best user experience to Canadians."

Canadian privacy legislation comprises federal laws such as the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and The Health Privacy Act. Bill C-27, proposed in 2022, also introduced the Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA), the Personal Information and Data Protection Tribunal Act, and the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act. Organisations must additionally comply with provincial regulations, including Quebec Bill 64, British Columbia Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) in Ontario, and Health Information Act (HIA) in Alberta. Indigenous Data Sovereignty regulations, aligned with the First Nations' OCAP principles, add further requirements for data handling.

The expanded regional options in Umbraco Cloud now allow customers to select whether projects are hosted in Canada, Western Europe, the UK, Australia, or the US. The company said that Canadian hosting provides reassurance for organisations that their data will remain within the country's jurisdiction, supporting compliance with privacy requirements.

Umbraco Cloud's platform offers managed hosting, around-the-clock service monitoring, automatic patching, and single-click upgrades. These features are designed to let development teams prioritise their work on CMS projects, rather than infrastructure management.

Users creating new projects in Umbraco Cloud will see Central Canada as a selectable hosting region, alongside West Europe, East US, South UK, and East Australia.

Amy Yu, President of Kickbyte Digital, a digital agency based in Edmonton, Alberta, welcomed the new regional option. She said, "The availability of Canadian regional hosting for Umbraco Cloud is a game changer for Canadian organizations and is particularly vital for public sector clients seeking solutions securely hosted in Canada. As an Umbraco Gold Partner, we are excited Canadian clients can now leverage the power of Umbraco Cloud while maintaining data sovereignty, enhancing local website performance, and reinforcing a strong commitment to Canadian data privacy and regulatory compliance."

Hosting content closer to end users results in data travelling shorter distances, which can have environmental benefits through reduced electricity usage and can improve website performance by reducing latency.

David Taylor, Partner at Toronto-based digital agency Versive, commented on the impact for his clients, which include several Canadian healthcare organisations. He said, "Canada has strong privacy laws, particularly around healthcare data. We are really pleased to be able to offer Canadian hosting to our clients, providing them with assurance that their information will be stored on servers located within Canada's borders with a provider that is compliant with federal and provincial data legislation. Storing and serving web content within Canada will also support faster web page load times for users on both sides of the border."

Filip Bech-Larsen, Chief Technology Officer at Umbraco, emphasised the technical benefits. He said, "By offering the Canadian hosting option, Umbraco Cloud websites can operate even faster for our customers in Canada. This helps our partners accelerate development, shorten time-to-market for new digital experiences, and deliver a better user experience."