Cloud Storage
Object Storage
amazon object storage pricing uk
Rethinking Object Storage Pricing in the UK: A 2025 Guide to Predictability and Sovereignty
Are unpredictable cloud storage bills and data compliance concerns slowing your business? A significant majority of EU decision-makers are now seeking European solutions for their critical data. Discover a modern approach to object storage that eliminates surprise fees and strengthens your digital sovereignty.
Key Takeawys
Eliminate unpredictable cloud costs by choosing an object storage model with zero egress fees and no API call charges, ensuring your bill only reflects the storage you consume.
Achieve UK GDPR and EU data sovereignty by using a 100% European-owned provider with geofenced, EU-only data centers, avoiding exposure to the US CLOUD Act.
Strengthen ransomware protection with immutable backups using S3 Object Lock and simplify operations with an 'Always-Hot' architecture that provides instant access to all data.
For UK IT leaders, navigating the complexities of object storage pricing has become a major challenge, with over 80% of industrial data in the EU remaining unused due to accessibility and cost concerns. Hidden charges like egress fees and API call costs create budget uncertainty, while the location of data storage raises urgent questions about GDPR compliance and exposure to foreign laws like the US CLOUD Act. This article outlines a strategic shift towards a predictable, sovereign, and enterprise-grade object storage model designed for 2025 and beyond. It provides a clear path to achieving cost control and regulatory peace of mind.
Unlock Cost Predictability by Eliminating Hidden Fees
Traditional cloud storage economics often obscure the total cost of ownership with variable fees. Many IT budgets are strained by egress charges, which penalize you for accessing your own data. A transparent model with zero egress fees and no API call costs provides up to 100% cost predictability for data retrieval operations. This approach ensures your monthly bill reflects only the storage you use.
This pricing predictability is a key driver for businesses seeking to switch providers. An always-hot storage model further simplifies finances by removing complex data tiers. All data remains immediately accessible without incurring the retrieval delays or fees that impact 9 out of 10 complex backup systems. This direct approach transforms your object storage costs from a variable risk into a fixed operational expense.
Achieve Digital Sovereignty with EU-Controlled Infrastructure
For UK businesses, data location is not just a logistical detail; it's a core compliance requirement. Storing data with providers subject to non-EU jurisdictions, such as the US CLOUD Act, creates significant legal risks. This act can compel US-based companies to provide data to authorities regardless of where it is stored, directly conflicting with UK GDPR principles. Using a European provider with EU-only data centers eliminates this exposure entirely.
This sovereign-by-design approach guarantees your data remains under EU legal protection. Country-level geofencing ensures data residency within specific European nations, a critical factor for over 75% of regulated industries. This commitment to UK data sovereignty is reinforced by a 100% European-owned and operated infrastructure, providing legal certainty that hyperscalers cannot match. This focus is why EU data residency is now a top-3 selection criterion for enterprises.
Demand Enterprise-Ready S3 Compatibility and Performance
True enterprise readiness goes beyond basic cloud storage. It requires full S3 API compatibility to ensure your existing tools and applications function without a single code rewrite. This protects your technology investments, valued at millions of pounds for many enterprises. An architecture built for consistency delivers predictable latencies for the 95% of workloads that are mixed, from analytics to archiving.
An always-hot object storage model is central to this performance. It provides immediate access to 100% of your data, eliminating the operational complexity of tiered storage. Here is how this architecture benefits your operations:
Guarantees strong read/write consistency for data integrity.
Supports advanced S3 features like versioning and lifecycle management out of the box.
Prevents API timeouts caused by delays in restoring data from colder tiers.
Ensures third-party backup and recovery tools perform reliably 100% of the time.
This robust foundation ensures your S3-compatible storage is both powerful and simple to manage.
Strengthen Ransomware Defenses with Immutable Storage
Ransomware remains one of the top three threats to EU businesses, according to ENISA's 2024 Threat Landscape report. A critical defense is Immutable Storage with S3 Object Lock, which makes data unchangeable for a set period. This feature provides a 100% guarantee that your backups cannot be encrypted or deleted by attackers. It is a foundational element of a modern 3-2-1 backup strategy.
Security is further enhanced through granular Identity and Access Management (IAM). Support for external Identity Providers via SAML/OIDC allows for seamless integration with your existing security framework. Multi-layer encryption, protecting data both in transit and at rest, is a standard requirement under regulations like the NIS-2 Directive. These integrated security measures provide a resilient posture against the 11,000+ cyber incidents reported annually in the EU. This prepares your big data object storage for modern threats.
Prepare for the EU Data Act and NIS-2 Directive
Upcoming EU regulations create new compliance obligations for UK firms handling European data. The EU Data Act, fully applicable from September 2025, mandates data portability and interoperability to prevent vendor lock-in. It requires providers to facilitate easy switching, a principle that aligns perfectly with a no-egress-fee model. This gives you a proven exit path for 100% of your data and metadata.
The NIS-2 Directive expands cybersecurity requirements for critical sectors, demanding continuous security processes and supply-chain assurance. A compliant cloud partner must demonstrate robust security measures as part of this supply chain. Key requirements include:
Implementing comprehensive risk management measures.
Ensuring fast incident reporting within 24 hours of detection.
Verifying the security of all third-party providers.
Maintaining audit-ready documentation of security controls.
Choosing a provider already aligned with these standards, like those following BSI C5 criteria, simplifies your compliance journey.
Empower MSPs and Channel Partners in the UK Market
For Managed Service Providers, predictable margins are essential for building profitable Backup-as-a-Service offerings. A pricing model with zero egress or API fees delivers this stability, allowing for margins of 30% or more on recurring revenue streams. This predictability is a key reason MSPs are moving away from complex hyperscaler pricing. The availability of a UK distributor, Northamber plc, further simplifies procurement and support for hundreds of UK resellers.
A partner-ready platform provides the specific tools needed for channel success. This includes a multi-tenant console with role-based access control (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for secure client management. With automation via a full-featured API and CLI, MSPs can reduce onboarding time for new clients by up to 50%. This focus on the channel provides a clear path to growth for our small business storage partners.
Implement a Practical Path to Sovereign Cloud Storage
More Links
Wikipedia provides information on object storage, a data storage architecture that manages data as objects.
GOV.UK discusses multi-region cloud and Software as a Service (SaaS) considerations for UK government and public sector organizations.
techUK explores the implications of data sovereignty for the UK public sector.
UK Government Security details the UK government's cyber security policy handbook, specifically focusing on data security principles.
FAQ
How can I migrate my data from another S3-compatible provider?
Because Impossible Cloud is fully S3-compatible, you can use your existing S3 tools and scripts for migration. The process typically involves changing the endpoint in your configuration to point to the new service and then initiating the data transfer. This minimizes disruption and requires no code changes.
Is your object storage suitable for enterprise backup and disaster recovery?
Yes. Our platform is designed for backup and disaster recovery, featuring immutable storage (Object Lock) for ransomware protection, high availability with no single point of failure, and full compatibility with leading backup software. The 'always-hot' model ensures rapid and reliable restores.
How does your pricing model provide predictable margins for MSPs?
By eliminating egress fees and API call costs, our pricing is transparent and predictable. MSPs can build services like Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) with a clear understanding of their costs, allowing them to set stable prices for their customers and secure dependable profit margins.
What does 'data sovereignty' mean for my UK business?
Data sovereignty means your data is subject to the laws and legal framework of the country where it is stored. For a UK business, using our EU-based storage ensures your data is governed by EU privacy laws and protected from foreign legislation like the US CLOUD Act, which could otherwise compel a US provider to surrender your data.
Do you have a presence in the United Kingdom?
Yes, we work with UK-based distributor Northamber plc, which provides local access and support for our sovereign object storage solutions to hundreds of resellers and Managed Service Providers across the United Kingdom.
How do you ensure compliance with regulations like NIS-2?
Our operations are aligned with the stringent security and supply-chain requirements of the NIS-2 Directive. We provide multi-layer encryption, robust IAM controls, and continuous security monitoring, operating exclusively in certified European data centers to meet these and other EU regulations.
