Cloud Storage
Object Storage
block vs object storage UK
Block vs Object Storage UK: Why Object Storage Is the Strategic Choice for Sovereign Data
Choosing the right data storage architecture is a critical decision for any UK enterprise. While block storage has its place, object storage delivers the scalability, security, and sovereignty required for today’s data-heavy workloads like backup and archiving. This article breaks down the key differences in the block vs object storage UK debate and explains why a sovereign, S3-compatible object storage solution offers a decisive advantage.
Key Takeaways
Object storage is built for unstructured data, offering the scalability and cost-efficiency required for modern UK enterprise workloads like backup, disaster recovery, and archiving.
For UK businesses, choosing a European, GDPR-compliant object storage provider with geofencing ensures data sovereignty and avoids exposure to foreign laws like the US CLOUD Act.
A storage model with no egress fees, no API call costs, and no minimum storage duration provides the cost predictability needed to align with the EU Data Act and enables MSPs to build profitable services.
In the UK's complex regulatory landscape, the choice between block and object storage has implications far beyond technical performance. Block storage, the traditional choice for structured data, serves high-speed transactional systems well, handling millions of IOPS for databases. However, it often introduces significant cost and management overhead when scaling. Object storage, designed for vast quantities of unstructured data, now supports over 80% of modern enterprise data types, including backups, archives, and media. For UK IT leaders and MSPs, understanding this distinction is the first step toward building a resilient, compliant, and cost-predictable infrastructure that aligns with modern data sovereignty requirements.
Defining the Architectures: Block vs Object Storage
Block storage organizes data into fixed-size blocks, each with a unique identifier, making it ideal for high-performance databases that require low-latency access. Object storage, in contrast, bundles data with rich, customizable metadata into a single object, accessed via an API, which is perfect for the 80% of data that is unstructured. This fundamental difference in architecture directly impacts scalability and cost for UK businesses.
A key limitation of block storage is its management complexity at scale; adding capacity often requires manual provisioning of new volumes. Object storage offers virtually limitless scalability in a single, flat namespace, capable of handling petabytes of data with 1 simple management interface. For UK companies managing massive backup repositories, this scalability is a primary operational advantage. This structural simplicity is why object storage has become the standard for modern, large-scale data needs.
Sovereignty and Compliance: The Decisive Factor in the UK
Post-Brexit, data sovereignty is a strategic priority, with 61% of UK SMEs expressing concern over where their data is stored. Storing data with non-EU providers can expose it to foreign jurisdictions like the US CLOUD Act, creating significant compliance risks under UK GDPR. A sovereign object storage solution, operated exclusively in certified European data centers, eliminates this risk entirely.
Impossible Cloud provides country-level geofencing, ensuring data remains within predefined regions under strict EU rules, a feature used by 100% of our regulated customers. This capability is critical for financial services and healthcare clients who must prove data residency for audits. Choosing a provider with a strictly EU-centric governance model is the only way to guarantee true digital sovereignty. These compliance guarantees are now being reinforced by new EU-wide regulations.
Aligning with EU Regulations: The Data Act and NIS-2
The EU Data Act, fully applicable from September 2025, is designed to prevent vendor lock-in by making it easier for customers to switch providers. A central provision of the act is the phasing out of data egress fees, which can inflate cloud TCO by 20-40%. By offering a storage model with zero egress fees from day one, Impossible Cloud already aligns with this core principle of data freedom.
The NIS-2 Directive further raises the bar, requiring robust cybersecurity measures across the entire supply chain for critical sectors. This includes implementing immutable storage for ransomware protection and ensuring continuous security processes are baked into operations. Our platform’s integrated Immutable Storage (Object Lock) feature directly addresses these heightened security demands. These regulatory drivers make cost predictability and transparent operations more important than ever.
Achieving Predictable Costs with an "Always-Hot" Model
Many storage providers use complex tiering models that move data between hot, cool, and archive layers, often leading to unexpected restore delays and retrieval fees. An "Always-Hot" object storage model ensures all data is immediately accessible with predictable performance, reducing operational complexity for IT teams by at least 30%. This approach eliminates the hidden API call costs and minimum storage duration fees that plague traditional models.
The financial impact is significant; egress fees alone can cost a company transferring 50TB per month over £50,000 annually. Impossible Cloud’s pricing is predictable by design: no egress fees, no API charges, and no minimum durations. This transparent economic model allows UK MSPs to build services with stable, defensible margins of 25% or more. This financial clarity, combined with technical excellence, makes it an enterprise-ready solution.
Enterprise-Ready: S3 Compatibility and Performance
Full S3 API compatibility is essential for a seamless transition to a new object storage platform, protecting investments in existing tools and scripts. Our platform ensures not just basic S3 operations but also advanced capabilities like versioning and lifecycle management work out-of-the-box, reducing migration risk for 100% of our customers. This allows UK businesses to connect their existing backup tools, like Veeam and NovaBackup, without any code rewrites.
Beyond compatibility, performance must be consistent. Our architecture is built for strong read/write consistency and predictable latencies, ensuring that even mixed workloads with millions of small files are handled efficiently. This reliability is crucial for use cases like Backup and Disaster Recovery, where slow restores can impact business continuity for hours. This robust feature set is designed to empower our partners.
Empowering UK Partners and MSPs
For UK MSPs and resellers, predictable margins are a primary business driver. The zero-egress-fee model is a key enabler, allowing partners to offer competitive Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) and archiving solutions. With UK distribution now available through Northamber plc, local access for hundreds of UK resellers is streamlined.
Our partner console is designed for the channel, offering key features for efficient operations. Here are some of the tools available:
Multi-tenant management for overseeing multiple client accounts from 1 central dashboard.
Granular role-based access control (RBAC) and MFA for enhanced security.
Full automation capabilities via a comprehensive API and CLI.
Detailed reporting for billing and compliance purposes.
This partner-ready platform simplifies onboarding, which can be completed in under 1 hour. With these tools, partners can confidently build sovereign cloud services for their clients.
Making the Switch: Practical Steps to Sovereign Storage
More Links
The German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) offers statistical data, potentially on cloud adoption or related topics.
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) provides a document outlining a code of conduct for cloud service providers.
techUK explores the implications of data sovereignty for the UK public sector.
The European Commission details its policies related to cloud computing.
The IT-Planungsrat presents Germany's government cloud strategy and target architecture framework.
The ifo Institute provides insights into cloud computing usage by companies in Germany.
FAQ
What are the primary use cases for Impossible Cloud's object storage?
Our primary use cases are Backup & Disaster Recovery, tape-to-cloud transitions, long-term archiving, and ransomware protection. Our platform is engineered to provide a secure, sovereign, and cost-predictable solution for these data-heavy workloads.
How does Impossible Cloud ensure data sovereignty?
We are a European company operating exclusively in certified European data centers. We offer country-level geofencing to keep your data within specific regions, ensuring it is governed by EU law and protected from foreign legal jurisdictions like the US CLOUD Act.
Are there any hidden costs like egress or API fees?
No. Our pricing model is transparent and predictable. We have zero egress fees, zero API call costs, and no minimum storage duration charges. You only pay for the storage you use.
Is your platform compatible with my existing backup software?
Yes. We offer full S3-API compatibility, which means our storage works out-of-the-box with leading backup and data management tools that use the S3 protocol. This includes integrations with partners like NovaBackup and Veeam.
How does Immutable Storage protect against ransomware?
Our Immutable Storage feature, also known as Object Lock, allows you to make data unchangeable and undeletable for a specified period. If a ransomware attack occurs, your immutable backups cannot be encrypted or deleted, guaranteeing you have a clean copy for recovery.
How can UK MSPs partner with Impossible Cloud?
UK MSPs and resellers can work with us through our distributor, Northamber plc. We provide a multi-tenant partner console, full automation via API/CLI, and a predictable pricing model to help you build profitable and compliant cloud services for your clients. Contact us to get started.
