Cost Optimization
No Egress
cost-efficient cloud archive storage no egress
Eliminate Cloud Archive Costs: A Guide to Cost-Efficient Cloud Archive Storage with No Egress Fees
Are unpredictable cloud bills and data transfer fees delaying your key projects? Over 55% of European IT leaders report that egress fees have stalled initiatives, creating a cycle of budget overruns and vendor lock-in. Discover a cost-efficient cloud archive storage solution with no egress fees, designed for performance, compliance, and sovereignty.
Key Takeawys
Eliminate unpredictable cloud costs with a storage model that has zero egress fees, API call charges, or minimum storage durations.
Ensure digital sovereignty and GDPR compliance by using a European cloud provider with geofenced storage in certified EU data centers.
Protect against ransomware by default with immutable backups using S3 Object Lock, making your archive data unchangeable.
For UK and EU enterprises, standard cloud storage has become a source of financial friction. A staggering 56% of European organizations exceeded their cloud storage budgets last year, with hidden charges for egress and API calls being primary culprits. This unpredictable spending environment directly impacts innovation and operational agility. The solution lies in a new approach: a sovereign, S3-compatible object storage architecture built on a transparent economic model. This article outlines how to achieve cost-efficient cloud archive storage with no egress fees, ensuring your data remains compliant, secure, and always accessible without financial penalties.
Escape Budget Overruns Driven by Hidden Fees
A majority of European businesses are struggling with cloud costs, as 56% reported overspending on their cloud storage budgets in the last year. In the United Kingdom, this figure stands at 51%, driven by complex fee structures beyond simple capacity charges. These bills often include unpredictable costs for data egress, API calls, and operations, which penalize companies for accessing their own data. This model creates a significant barrier to multi-cloud strategies and data mobility. The financial strain is substantial, forcing over 68% of firms to cut back on IT spending in other critical areas. This cycle of opaque pricing makes true cost-efficient cloud archive storage with no egress fees an urgent priority for any forward-looking enterprise.
Adopt a Predictable, No-Egress Financial Model
A transparent pricing model is the foundation of cost predictability and eliminates the primary source of budget overruns. Impossible Cloud offers a platform with zero egress fees, zero API call charges, and no minimum storage durations. This approach ensures your monthly bill reflects only the storage you use, making costs 100% predictable. For Managed Service Providers, this model allows for stable, defensible margins on backup-as-a-service offerings. Enterprises benefit by de-risking their cloud investment, as detailed in our transparent pricing guide. This shift to a predictable financial model is the first step toward breaking free from vendor lock-in.
Strengthen Sovereignty and Ensure GDPR Compliance
Data sovereignty is a top priority for EU businesses, with 84% of organizations planning to use sovereign cloud solutions. Storing data exclusively in European data centers ensures compliance with GDPR, which governs the transfer of personal data outside the EEA. Our platform is sovereign by design, using geofenced storage to guarantee data residency and avoid exposure to foreign jurisdictions like the CLOUD Act. This is a critical advantage for regulated industries like finance and healthcare. The following list outlines key benefits of an EU-only storage strategy:
Guarantees data is governed exclusively by EU laws, a core tenet of GDPR.
Eliminates the legal complexities of cross-border data transfer agreements.
Builds trust with customers, as provider origin is a top 3 selection criterion for enterprises.
Supports compliance with sector-specific regulations requiring local data handling.
Reduces risk from geopolitical instability affecting international data flows.
This focus on sovereignty prepares your organization for a future where data governance is paramount for long-term archiving .
Implement a Modern Defense Against Ransomware
Ransomware attacks increasingly target backup systems to prevent recovery, making immutable storage a critical layer of defense. Impossible Cloud provides Immutable Storage using S3 Object Lock, which makes data unchangeable for a defined period. Once written, data cannot be altered or deleted by anyone, including internal actors or malicious software. This feature ensures you always have a clean, uncorrupted copy of your data for recovery, rendering ransomware attacks on your backups ineffective. This turns your archive into a secure vault, ready for instant restoration. Adopting this strategy is a non-negotiable part of a modern 3-2-1 or 4-2-2 backup plan. This proactive security posture is essential for maintaining operational resilience.
Leverage Full S3 Compatibility for Zero Lock-In
Vendor lock-in is a major obstacle to cloud adoption, with over 76% of IT leaders unsure about standards that support data portability. Full S3 API compatibility eliminates this problem by ensuring your existing tools, scripts, and applications work without modification. Our “Always-Hot” storage architecture further reduces complexity by making all data immediately accessible without the delays or restore fees common with tiered storage models. This simplifies operations and protects your past investments in S3-based workflows. You can migrate data seamlessly and maintain the freedom to move, a core principle of affordable object storage. This technical alignment is the key to a flexible, multi-provider strategy.
Prepare for the EU Data Act and NIS-2 Directive
Upcoming EU regulations will reshape the digital landscape, and forward-thinking providers build these requirements in by design. The EU Data Act, fully applicable from September 2025, mandates data portability and will ban switching charges entirely by January 2027. Our no-egress model already aligns with this future state. The NIS-2 Directive, which EU members must transpose by October 2024, requires robust supply-chain security and risk management. Here is how a sovereign cloud provider helps you prepare:
Data Portability by Default: A no-egress-fee model and S3 compatibility fulfill the Data Act’s core goal of preventing lock-in.
Supply Chain Assurance: Using an EU-based provider reduces supply chain complexity under NIS-2.
Documented Security: Continuous security processes, including IAM with MFA and multi-layer encryption, align with NIS-2 risk management.
Incident Reporting Readiness: A resilient architecture with no single point of failure supports business continuity mandates.
Choosing a compliant platform today makes future regulatory transitions seamless.
Enable Channel Partners with a Predictable Growth Engine
Take Practical Steps to a Cost-Efficient Archive
Migrating to a cost-efficient cloud archive is a straightforward process when planned correctly. First, use our S3 compatibility to connect your existing backup software or data management tools. Second, configure your backup jobs to point to the new endpoint and begin migrating data without incurring exit fees from us. Third, implement Object Lock on critical backup sets to secure them against ransomware from day one. Finally, leverage our partner console to monitor usage and costs with 100% transparency. For a detailed plan, calculate your savings and speak with one of our experts. A successful migration begins with these simple, actionable steps.
More Links
Bitkom provides a comprehensive report on cloud adoption and trends in Germany.
Destatis offers statistical data on cloud computing usage by enterprises in Germany.
PwC discusses strategies for cloud cost optimization and FinOps in cloud transformation.
KPMG provides insights and analysis on the cloud market and future trends.
Eurostat presents statistics on cloud computing usage by enterprises across the European Union.
Fraunhofer showcases research and services related to cloud technologies.
FAQ
How can I migrate my existing archives to your platform?
Migration is straightforward due to our full S3 API compatibility. You can use your existing S3-compatible tools to transfer data. We offer migration support to ensure a smooth transition from your current provider without any data lock-in.
Is your storage suitable for enterprise backup and disaster recovery?
Yes. Our platform is designed for backup and disaster recovery. With features like immutable storage (Object Lock), an always-hot architecture for instant access, and high resilience with no single point of failure, it provides a secure and reliable solution for enterprise needs.
What makes your pricing model predictable?
Our pricing is predictable because we have eliminated variable fees. We do not charge for egress (data transfer out), API requests, or data retrieval. You pay a simple, transparent rate for the amount of data you store, with no minimum duration, which prevents surprise costs.
How do you ensure data sovereignty?
We are a European company and operate exclusively in certified European data centers. We offer country-level geofencing, allowing you to keep your data within a predefined region to comply with EU regulations like GDPR and avoid exposure to non-EU laws.
Is your platform ready for MSPs and channel partners?
Absolutely. We provide a partner-ready platform with a multi-tenant management console, role-based access control (RBAC), MFA, and full automation capabilities via API and CLI. The predictable, no-egress pricing model allows partners to build profitable services with defensible margins.
How does your 'Always-Hot' model differ from tiered storage?
Our 'Always-Hot' model ensures all your data is immediately accessible without any restore delays or retrieval fees. This simplifies operations and is more reliable than complex tiering policies, which can fail during urgent restores and lead to unexpected costs and application timeouts.
