Cloud Storage
Object Storage
all object storage services
How to Evaluate Object Storage Services for a Sovereign Data Strategy
Most EU enterprises report that over two-thirds of their cloud spending is not properly utilized. This guide outlines how to select sovereign, S3-compatible object storage that eliminates unpredictable costs and meets stringent 2025 EU regulations.
Key Takeaways
Prioritize EU-based object storage services with geofencing to ensure compliance with GDPR and avoid CLOUD Act exposure.
Select providers with a transparent pricing model—no egress fees or API call costs—to achieve predictable cloud budgets and eliminate vendor lock-in.
Use Immutable Storage (Object Lock) as a core defense against ransomware, ensuring your backups are protected from malicious deletion or encryption.
In 2025, European IT leaders face a dual challenge: managing explosive data growth while navigating a complex web of regulations like GDPR, NIS-2, and the EU Data Act. Traditional hyperscale storage often introduces unpredictable costs, with 67% of EMEA businesses expecting their cloud expenses to rise. Furthermore, reliance on non-EU providers creates significant data sovereignty risks under laws like the CLOUD Act. This article provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating all object storage services, focusing on the critical capabilities your enterprise needs: true EU data sovereignty, predictable economics, full S3 compatibility, and robust ransomware protection. It is a practical guide to building a resilient, compliant, and cost-effective data strategy for the years ahead.
Establish a Baseline for Enterprise-Ready Storage
The European cloud market is projected to reach USD 746.96 billion by 2033, yet many businesses struggle with legacy choices. A strong majority of EU decision-makers now demand European solutions, prioritizing data security and cost transparency. True enterprise-readiness in 2025 means moving beyond basic storage to platforms that are sovereign by design. This requires a shift in focus to providers with EU-only data centers to mitigate CLOUD Act exposure.
Evaluating all object storage services starts with S3 compatibility, but must go deeper. It requires assessing support for advanced features like versioning, lifecycle management, and object locking without code rewrites. This protects your investment in existing tools and reduces migration risk by at least 50%. This foundational compatibility ensures your data pipelines continue to operate seamlessly, setting the stage for more advanced architectural benefits.
Prioritize Architecture Built for Sovereignty and Resilience
True data sovereignty is more than just data residency; it means data is subject to the laws of the country where it is stored. For businesses in regulated sectors like finance, storing data within the EU is a primary requirement to comply with GDPR. Impossible Cloud operates exclusively in certified European data centers, offering country-level geofencing to guarantee data remains within predefined regions under EU law. This design provides 100% legal certainty and avoidance of foreign jurisdiction.
Resilience is achieved through an architecture that eliminates single points of failure and ensures strong read/write consistency. We utilize an “Always-Hot” object storage model, making 100% of your data immediately accessible without the tier-restore delays common in other systems. This approach simplifies operations for UK object storage, avoids API timeouts, and keeps critical third-party backup tools stable during a recovery event.
Demand Predictable Economics to Eliminate Bill Shock
Unpredictable costs are a primary pain point, with businesses spending 35% more on cloud resources than necessary. Many providers of object storage services complicate budgets with hidden egress fees and API call charges. A transparent economic model is essential for effective financial planning and for MSPs needing to secure predictable margins. Impossible Cloud eliminates this risk with zero egress fees, zero API call costs, and no minimum storage duration.
This predictable-by-design model allows for accurate budget forecasting, removing the financial penalties for accessing your own data. For channel partners, this translates directly into stable, defensible margins for Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) and archiving solutions. This clear economic advantage is a key driver for the 46% of European organizations that have already adopted FinOps to better manage cloud spend.
Ensure Security and Compliance Readiness for 2025
Forthcoming EU regulations demand a proactive approach to compliance from all object storage services. The EU Data Act, fully applicable from 12 September 2025, mandates data portability to prevent vendor lock-in, requiring that data be transferable within 30 days. Our platform is built for this interoperability, ensuring you can exit without penalty. This aligns with the core principle of reducing dependency on a narrow set of providers.
The NIS-2 Directive also raises the bar for cybersecurity, requiring robust risk management and supply-chain assurance. We address this with multi-layer encryption and Immutable Storage via Object Lock, a key defense against ransomware. This feature makes backup data unchangeable for a set period, providing a critical safeguard for the 75% of businesses that suffered a ransomware attack last year. These built-in capabilities help you meet regulatory demands as a competitive advantage.
Verify Seamless S3 API Compatibility and Ecosystem Integration
Full S3 API compatibility is non-negotiable for modernizing IT infrastructure without disruption. It ensures that your existing applications, scripts, and automation tools continue to work flawlessly, protecting years of investment. Our platform guarantees 100% S3 API compatibility, enabling seamless integration with leading backup tools and data management platforms. This is crucial for the 70% of European enterprises that now rely on cloud solutions for operational efficiency.
A robust partner ecosystem extends this value. We highlight our collaboration with backup ISVs like NovaBackup to deliver compliant, high-performance solutions for MSPs. For developers, our support for standard API/CLI/SDKs ensures that building and managing storage is straightforward. This focus on interoperability is why S3 compatibility remains a top requirement for S3-compatible storage solutions across Germany and the UK.
Empower MSPs and Channel Partners with a Growth-Oriented Platform
A successful channel strategy requires a platform built for partners. Our multi-tenant partner console provides the tools MSPs need for efficient client management, including granular role-based access control (RBAC) and MFA. Automation via a comprehensive API and CLI allows for streamlined onboarding and reporting, reducing administrative overhead by up to 40%.
Our commercial model is designed for partner profitability. The absence of egress and API fees creates predictable, defensible margins for BaaS, DR, and archiving services. We are expanding our reach to better serve local partners, as evidenced by our 2025 distribution agreements with api in Germany and Northamber plc in the UK. This growing network provides resellers and system integrators with dedicated local support and simplified access to our sovereign storage solutions.
Implement a Practical, Resilient Data Protection Strategy
Choose a Partner for Your Sovereign Cloud Future
Selecting from all object storage services in 2025 is a strategic decision that impacts your budget, compliance posture, and operational resilience for the next 5 years. The right choice moves your organization away from vendor lock-in and toward digital sovereignty. By prioritizing a European provider with a predictable cost model, full S3 compatibility, and built-in compliance features, you build a future-proof foundation for your data.
Ready to build a resilient, sovereign data strategy with predictable costs? Talk to an expert at Impossible Cloud to understand how our EU-based object storage can protect your business. Start a free trial to experience the performance and simplicity of our platform firsthand. Get a demo to see our partner-ready features in action.
More Links
Data Protection Conference offers insights into Cloud Computing.
Wikipedia provides a comprehensive overview of Data Sovereignty.
eco (Association of the Internet Industry) provides information on Cloud Computing.
FAQ
Is your object storage service fully compliant with GDPR?
Yes. We are a European company and operate exclusively out of certified data centers within the EU. Our service is sovereign by design, offering country-level geofencing to ensure your data storage and processing adhere to all GDPR requirements.
Are there any hidden costs like API requests or egress fees?
No. Our pricing is transparent and predictable. We do not charge egress fees for data retrieval or fees for API calls. You only pay for the storage you use, with no minimum duration, allowing for clear and manageable budgeting.
Can I use my existing backup software with your storage?
Absolutely. Our platform is fully S3-compatible, which means it integrates out-of-the-box with leading backup and archiving solutions that use the S3 API. This includes tools from Veeam, NovaBackup, and many others, requiring no changes to your existing workflows.
How does your 'Always-Hot' architecture benefit me?
Our 'Always-Hot' model ensures all your data is immediately accessible at all times, with no delays or fees for restoring from an archive tier. This simplifies operations, provides predictable performance for applications, and is critical for meeting fast recovery time objectives (RTOs) in a disaster recovery scenario.
What tools do you provide for MSPs and channel partners?
We offer a partner-ready platform featuring a multi-tenant console for managing multiple clients, role-based access control (RBAC) with MFA for security, and a full-featured API/CLI for automation and reporting. Our commercial model with no egress fees is designed to deliver predictable margins for our partners.
How does your service help me comply with the EU Data Act?
The EU Data Act requires data portability to prevent vendor lock-in. Our service is built on open standards with full S3 API compatibility, ensuring you can easily migrate your data, including metadata and versions, to another provider or on-premises at any time, in line with the regulation's requirements from September 2025.
