English 
Français ARCAN - WHY DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY IS NO LONGER OPTIONAL, BUT VITAL
In a world where data leaks are rife, protecting your data is becoming a necessity, not a choice.
By 2026, cybersecurity will no longer be the sole concern of governments, banks or multinational corporations. Every entrepreneur, doctor, lawyer, industrialist, investor, business leader or private individual now possesses a significant digital asset portfolio: personal data, financial information, contracts, medical records, industrial projects, family archives and intellectual property.
Yet most of this data still relies on a fragile model:
the cloud, third-party servers, ongoing subscriptions, centralised infrastructure and systems that depend on intermediaries.
In other words, extremely valuable data stored in environments that, by their very nature, remain vulnerable.
The IT landscape of 2026 is unforgiving.
AI-assisted attacks are skyrocketing, ransomware is becoming more sophisticated, deepfakes are facilitating social engineering, and cybercriminals are now automating the search for vulnerabilities on a massive scale.
Experts are sounding the alarm about an emerging threat:
the ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ principle, which involves stealing encrypted data today to decrypt it tomorrow using the power of quantum computers.
Faced with this shift in digital risk, one question stands out:
How can truly sensitive data be protected without relying on a third party?
ARCAN’s answer: off-network sovereign cryptography
Developed by the teams at ARIEL IA, ARCAN takes a radically different approach to traditional cybersecurity: eliminating points of compromise rather than attempting to monitor them.
Unlike most current digital solutions, ARCAN is based on a simple yet fundamental principle:
What is not exposed cannot be attacked.
- No cloud
- No remote server
- No subscription
- No centralised infrastructure
- No reliance on a third-party platform
- No keys stored with an external provider
The user remains in sole control of their data.
In practical terms, ARCAN functions as a sovereign cryptography suite designed for organisations, businesses and individuals who wish to ensure maximum confidentiality of their strategic information.
The aim is not simply to protect a document: it is to eliminate the most common attack vectors currently exploited by cybercriminals.
AES-256-GCM cryptographic engine
In terms of technology and the ultimate level of security, it is important to understand that ARCAN is an AES-256-GCM cryptographic engine
The AES 256 GCM engine is the global standard for banks, government agencies and military forces, enabling ARCAN to be classified as: 5D002.c.1
The PBKDF2-HMAC (SHA-256) key derivation ensures absolute integrity, fully offline operation, no telemetry and no backdoors.
Why traditional models are becoming vulnerable
For years, the cloud has been touted as a revolution. It undeniably was.
But it has also created a major paradox: the massive centralisation of data.
Today, a company can have the best passwords in the world and still be compromised:
- Through a hacked third-party provider
- Through an exposed API
- Via a compromised cloud account
- Through human error
- Through an AI-assisted phishing attack
- Or simply through a configuration error
Cybersecurity experts also identify cloud environments, APIs and digital identity systems as some of the biggest attack surfaces of 2026.
The problem is therefore no longer just the strength of the encryption.
The problem is the constant exposure of data.
ARCAN completely reverses the logic
ARCAN does not seek to make the fortress higher. ARCAN seeks to make the fortress invisible.
The principle is inspired by the most stringent security protocols: drastically minimising the number of available attack vectors.
When a sensitive document is not hosted on any server, no keys are stored remotely, no cloud is involved in the process and no SaaS subscription creates external dependencies, the attack surface is significantly reduced.
- For businesses, this means in particular:
- Greater control over confidentiality
- A reduced risk of strategic leaks
- Stronger protection of trade secrets
- Greater control over sensitive data
- Less dependence on foreign technology providers
For individuals, this offers the opportunity to provide long-term protection for:
- Family documents
- Family archives
- Medical records
- Digital assets
- Confidential contracts
- Sensitive personal data
A Swiss approach to security: autonomy, discretion, control
In a technological world dominated by platforms, ARCAN takes a philosophy that goes almost against the grain:
- Taking back control
- Truly owning your tool
- Buying a perpetual licence rather than a monthly subscription
- Keeping your data under your sole responsibility
- Avoiding architectures that create more vulnerabilities than they resolve
This approach responds to a major global trend: the return of digital sovereignty as a key strategic issue for governments, businesses and individuals.
The most underrated investment of the decade
A business protects its offices. It insures its vehicles. It secures its bank accounts.
But paradoxically, it often continues to store its critical data in exposed, outsourced infrastructures that are dependent on third parties.
The question is no longer whether a cyberattack will happen.
The question is how prepared you will be when it does.
In this context, investing in a solution such as ARCAN is no longer a technological luxury. It is a strategic choice for safeguarding your business.
Because in the digital age, losing sensitive data can sometimes mean losing your business, your reputation... or your most valuable information assets.
And to perfectly illustrate this point, I encourage you to read the excellent LinkedIn post by Naïm Aouaichia, one of the world’s leading cybersecurity experts.
1,500 organizations and companies hacked in France by “Dumpsec,” a group of young adults and minors
Sources:
https://novusvia.ch/en/ariel-ia/arcan
https://www.ariel-ia.ch/arcan/en/
https://www.splashtop.com/fr/blog/top-it-security-risks-2026
https://www.globaz.ch/panorama-des-menaces-cyber-2026/
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/02/2026-cyberthreats-to-watch-and-other-cybersecurity-news/
https://www.nist.gov/cyberframework
