Cloud Storage
Object Storage
affordable object storage archive needs
Secure Affordable Object Storage for Sovereign Archive Needs in 2025
Enterprises face a dual challenge: managing explosive data growth with affordable object storage while satisfying strict EU sovereignty mandates. A startling 92% of European data resides in non-EU clouds, creating significant compliance and cost risks. This article outlines a clear strategy to achieve both cost predictability and digital sovereignty for your long-term data archives.
Key Takeawys
Address affordable object storage archive needs by choosing an EU-sovereign provider that eliminates unpredictable egress fees, reducing TCO by up to 80%.
Ensure compliance with GDPR, NIS-2, and the EU Data Act by using a platform with geofenced, EU-only data centers and immutable storage capabilities.
Simplify operations and guarantee instant data access with an "Always-Hot" storage architecture, avoiding the delays and hidden costs of complex tiering.
Meeting affordable object storage archive needs has become a complex task for UK and EU IT leaders. Beyond simple capacity planning, organizations must navigate a maze of regulatory requirements, including GDPR, NIS-2, and the upcoming EU Data Act. With ransomware attacks in Europe projected to exceed 1,746 in 2025, securing archived data is more critical than ever. The prevailing reliance on non-EU cloud providers introduces unpredictable egress fees and exposure to foreign laws like the CLOUD Act. This guide details how a sovereign, S3-compatible object storage solution with a transparent pricing model provides a practical path to secure, compliant, and cost-effective data archiving.
Prioritise Digital Sovereignty for Long-Term Data Archives
< p>A staggering 92% of data from the Western world is stored on servers owned by U.S.-based companies, creating a significant jurisdictional risk for European businesses. In response, 84% of EU decision-makers now consider digital sovereignty a critical factor in vendor selection. Choosing an EU-owned and operated cloud for your data archiving solutions ensures your data remains under European legal protection. This strategic shift addresses the 47% of leaders who cite reducing dependency on U.S. vendors as a key priority. A German-led commitment to digital sovereignty further highlights this trend across the EU. This approach moves beyond theory to offer a practical way to secure your most critical asset—data.
Eliminate Unpredictable Costs from Your Archive Budget
< p>Hidden fees systematically undermine affordable object storage archive needs. Data egress fees, which providers charge to move data out of their cloud, typically range from €0.05 to €0.20 per gigabyte. These unpredictable expenses are a serious concern, with 34% of enterprises stating that egress costs have negatively impacted their use of cloud storage. An object storage model that completely eliminates egress fees, API call charges, and minimum storage durations offers a truly predictable financial alternative. This transparent approach can reduce total cost of ownership by up to 80%. By choosing a platform with a clear cost structure, you can build a sustainable and transparent pricing model for the long term.
Guarantee Instant Data Access with an Always-Hot Architecture
< p>Traditional tiered storage models introduce complexity and delays, hindering access to archived data when it's needed most. An "Always-Hot" object storage architecture solves this by ensuring 100% of your data is immediately accessible without retrieval fees or restore delays. This model simplifies operations and provides the strong read/write consistency required for mixed workloads, from millions of small files to large-scale backups. This approach avoids the operational fragility of tiering, which often leads to API timeouts and lifecycle policy drift. It provides a more resilient and efficient foundation for your secure data archiving strategy. This ensures your third-party tools and backup systems operate with predictable performance 24/7.
Fortify Long-Term Archives Against Ransomware Threats
Ransomware attacks in Europe are escalating, with a projected total of over 1,746 incidents in 2025 after an 80% jump in 2024. Protecting archived data requires a modern, proactive defense. Immutable Storage with S3 Object Lock creates write-once-read-many (WORM) copies of your data, making it impossible for attackers to alter or delete backups for a defined period. This capability is a cornerstone of a resilient 4-2-2 or 3-2-1 backup strategy. Here is how you can integrate it:
Set retention policies on critical backup sets for 30 days or more.
Use versioning to protect against accidental deletions by users.
Integrate with leading backup tools that support S3 Object Lock out-of-the-box.
Regularly test your restore procedures from immutable copies at least once per quarter.
This provides an air-gapped defense, ensuring you can recover clean data even if your primary systems are compromised by one of the 921 attacks already seen in 2025.
Achieve Regulatory Readiness for GDPR, NIS-2, and the EU Data Act
Navigating Europe's regulatory landscape is a primary concern for any archive strategy. Storing data exclusively in certified European data centers ensures you meet GDPR's strict requirements, avoiding fines that can reach 4% of global turnover. The NIS-2 Directive expands security obligations, requiring measures like continuous monitoring and incident reporting within 24 hours. An EU-sovereign platform with immutable storage directly supports these NIS-2 compliance needs. Furthermore, the EU Data Act, fully applicable from September 2025, mandates data portability to prevent vendor lock-in. A platform built on open standards with S3 API compatibility ensures you comply with these exit-path requirements by design.
Streamline Operations with 100% S3 API Compatibility
< p>Migrating to a new storage platform should not require a complete overhaul of your existing workflows. A solution offering full S3 API compatibility protects your investments in applications, scripts, and administrative expertise. This ensures your current tools and pipelines continue to function without code rewrites, minimizing migration risk and operational disruption. The benefits are immediate and measurable:
Protect past investments in over 10,000 tools built for the S3 API.
Minimize migration risk with a simple endpoint change.
Keep existing data management scripts running without modification.
Ensure consistent performance for both standard and advanced object operations.
This seamless integration makes it practical to adopt a more cost-efficient cloud archive without sacrificing years of operational knowledge.
Empower Channel Partners with a Predictable, High-Margin Model
More Links
German Federal Archives discusses the structure of a digital archive.
de.digital presents the 2024 Digitalization Index publication from the German government's digital initiative.
Fraunhofer SIT provides a management summary on cloud storage security.
Bitkom offers presentation slides from its 2025 Cloud Report press conference.
German Data Protection Conference (DSK) provides a position paper on criteria for sovereign clouds.
PwC discusses cloud governance in Germany.
German Digital Library deals with the long-term archiving of digital objects.
FAQ
How can I migrate my existing archives to your platform?
Thanks to full S3 API compatibility, migrating is straightforward. You can use your existing S3-compatible tools and scripts by simply changing the endpoint to Impossible Cloud. This allows for a seamless transfer of your data without needing to rewrite code or change your established workflows.
Is your storage solution compliant with the EU Data Act?
Yes, our platform is designed for compliance with the EU Data Act. We support data portability through open standards and our S3-compatible API. Furthermore, our model of zero egress fees aligns with the Act's goal of eliminating switching charges, ensuring you are never locked in.
How does your pricing model help MSPs and resellers?
Our pricing model is 'predictable by design.' By eliminating egress fees, API call costs, and minimum storage durations, we provide MSPs and resellers with a stable cost base. This allows them to build profitable Backup-as-a-Service and archiving solutions with defensible, predictable margins.
What kind of security measures do you have beyond immutability?
We provide multi-layer security. This includes encryption for data in-transit and at-rest, robust Identity and Access Management (IAM) with multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access control (RBAC), and an architecture that eliminates single points of failure to ensure high availability.
Can I restrict my data to a specific country within the EU?
Yes. We offer country-level geofencing, allowing you to restrict your data storage to specific, predefined regions within the European Union. This provides an extra layer of control to meet specific regulatory or business requirements for data residency.
What integrations do you support for backup and recovery?
Our full S3 API compatibility ensures out-of-the-box integration with hundreds of leading backup, archive, and data management tools. We also have specific collaborations, such as with NovaBackup, to provide tightly integrated solutions for MSPs and enterprises.
