Sana Kliniken and STACKIT conclude framework agreement for sovereign cloud infrastructure

• Sana Kliniken and STACKIT have agreed on a strategic partnership to build an independent cloud infrastructure in order to reduce dependence on global hyperscalers.
• The partnership enables the highest possible level of security for sensitive patient data according to European standards.
• The cooperation creates a scalable platform for future AI-supported applications and data-driven services within Sana.

Ismaning/Neckarsulm, January 15, 2026 – Sana Kliniken and STACKIT, the cloud provider of Schwarz Digits, the IT and digital division of Schwarz Group, have signed a framework agreement for the use of the STACKIT Cloud. The aim of the collaboration is the gradual development of an independent, highly secure cloud environment for Sana and the reduction of its dependence on global hyperscalers.

The focus of this step is on protecting patients – and thus on the security of their particularly sensitive health data. At the same time, Sana is responding to changing political, economic and regulatory frameworks, as well as the growing demand for digital sovereignty in the European healthcare system. Likewise the increasing dependence on individual manufacturers and international hyperscalers will be reduced. As one of Germany's largest private healthcare providers with a broad network of clinics and care facilities, Sana has been consistently investing in the modernization of its IT landscape for years – with a clear focus on data security, high availability and the reliable protection of sensitive health data.

Building a self-sufficient cloud landing zone

The first step involves setting up a self-contained "landing zone" in the STACKIT Cloud. This standardized target environment forms the basis for deploying and operating selected IT services and applications from Sana IT Services within STACKIT. Based on this foundation, initial projects will be successively migrated to the STACKIT infrastructure and implemented there. The goal is to establish operational and security standards, to plan the expansion with additional functions and services and to gather experience.

With the modular hospital platform Avelios Medical, which will replace several different hospital information systems (HIS) in the Group in the future, and OmniConnect, an interface software for secure communication between HIS and the telematics infrastructure, Sana is already moving two central components of its digital transformation to the STACKIT Cloud during the first phase - initially used by selected facilities.
After a trial phase in 2026, the Group-wide rollout to all hospitals and facilities and the transfer of further services to the cloud will take place from 2027.

STACKIT operates data centers in Germany and Austria and consistently aligns its services with European data protection and security standards. This makes the cloud provider a high-performance, European alternative to non-European hyperscalers. Furthermore, the  companies of Schwarz Group are driving the development of a robust AI ecosystem at their Heilbronn location – a development that will also benefit future joint projects in the field of data-driven and AI-supported applications.

Voices on the partnership

“With STACKIT, we are taking another important step towards greater digital sovereignty in healthcare,” says Stefanie Kemp, Member of the Executive Board and Chief Transformation Officer of Sana Kliniken AG. “The geopolitical situation and new regulatory requirements make it clear that we must align our digital infrastructure in such a way that data sovereignty, security and availability remain in our hands in the long term. A high-performance European cloud alternative is a key component in this.”

Bernd Wagner, CEO of STACKIT and Executive Vice President of Schwarz Digits, adds: “Digitalization is providing enormous support to the healthcare sector, for example with AI-assisted analysis of findings. Data sovereignty and the security of patient data are literally vital in this context. With STACKIT, we offer a cloud solution that combines modern technology with maximum sovereignty. We are delighted to accompany Sana as a pioneer and to jointly set new standards for secure and future-proof healthcare IT.”

A building block of Sana's digitalization strategy

The cooperation with STACKIT is part of the comprehensive transformation and digitalization strategy of Sana Kliniken AG. Sana IT Services, the central IT service provider of Sana Kliniken, is consolidating formerly decentralized IT units into a central, group-wide IT organization and driving the standardization of IT infrastructure and application landscape. The goal is to provide modern digital technologies uniformly, simplify treatment processes, better support workflows and enable new, data-driven services.

Building a sovereign cloud infrastructure lays the foundation for operating future applications – such as those in data analytics, AI-supported processes or networked healthcare services – securely and scalably. At the same time, this partnership strengthens Sana's resilience to global market and regulatory influences.