Cloud Storage
Enterprise Storage
hybrid cloud storage strategy UK
Develop a Sovereign Hybrid Cloud Storage Strategy for the UK in 2025
For the 92% of UK businesses using hybrid cloud, managing data across borders creates significant compliance and cost challenges. A robust hybrid cloud storage strategy for the UK is no longer optional; it's essential for security and growth.
Key Takeaways
A successful hybrid cloud storage strategy for the UK demands a sovereign-by-design approach to navigate post-Brexit data laws and avoid CLOUD Act exposure.
Eliminating unpredictable costs by choosing a provider with zero egress or API fees is critical for financial control and avoiding vendor lock-in.
Architecting for resilience with immutable storage (Object Lock) and an 'Always-Hot' data model is the best defence against ransomware threats.
UK enterprises are standardising on hybrid cloud, with 84% adopting a 'cloud smart' approach to balance performance and control. Yet, this progress is challenged by complex data sovereignty rules post-Brexit, unpredictable costs from egress fees, and increasing regulatory pressure from new EU laws like the Data Act. Crafting a successful hybrid cloud storage strategy in the UK for 2025 requires a shift in focus towards digital sovereignty, cost predictability, and architectural resilience. This article outlines a strategic framework for UK IT leaders and MSPs to build a compliant, secure, and economically sound storage foundation for the future.
Prioritise Digital Sovereignty in Your UK Storage Framework
For UK businesses, data sovereignty has become a critical pillar of IT strategy, with 44% of IT leaders citing it as a top driver for infrastructure choices. Post-Brexit, organisations must navigate a dual regulatory environment, complying with UK GDPR while also adhering to EU rules when handling data of EU citizens. Storing data with providers subject to non-EU laws like the CLOUD Act creates significant legal and compliance risks, making EU-centric solutions a strategic necessity.
A modern data sovereignty strategy demands storage that is sovereign by design, keeping all data within certified European data centres. This approach provides the legal certainty UK businesses need, ensuring data governance aligns with the stringent requirements of both UK and EU regulators. Choosing a provider with country-level geofencing ensures data stays in predefined regions under EU rules. This foundational step simplifies compliance and builds trust with customers who are increasingly aware of data privacy issues.
Architect for Resilience Against Ransomware Threats
The UK Government is escalating its response to ransomware, with new proposals requiring mandatory incident reporting within 72 hours for victims. This regulatory shift underscores the need for a resilient storage architecture that actively defends against attacks. An effective hybrid cloud architecture must incorporate features that guarantee data integrity and rapid recovery. Immutable Storage with Object Lock is a non-negotiable defence, creating tamper-proof backup copies that ransomware cannot alter.
Many organisations rely on complex, tiered storage models that can introduce delays and unexpected fees during a critical restore event. A superior approach is an “Always-Hot” object storage model where all data is immediately accessible. This design eliminates fragile tiering policies and strengthens your ransomware posture. Here are four advantages of this model:
All data is instantly available for recovery, reducing downtime by hours or even days.
It eliminates complex lifecycle policies that can drift and cause restore failures.
Predictable performance with no tier-restore delays keeps third-party backup tools stable.
There are zero surprise restore fees, simplifying operational budgets during a crisis.
This resilient foundation ensures your data is secure and recoverable, meeting the operational demands of 2025.
Ensure Seamless Integration with Full S3 Compatibility
The S3 API has become the de facto standard for object storage, with the European market for S3-compatible solutions reaching USD 1.67 billion in 2024. For any UK hybrid cloud storage strategy, deep S3 compatibility is essential to protect existing investments in applications, scripts, and talent. True compatibility goes beyond basic read/write operations, extending to advanced capabilities like versioning, lifecycle management, and event notifications.
This ensures that your existing data management pipelines continue to function without expensive and risky code rewrites. A fully S3-compatible platform allows for a seamless storage migration, minimising disruption and risk. By 2024, 78% of organisations operated multi-cloud environments, using S3-compatible APIs as the common language for data mobility between platforms. This preserves your freedom of action and prevents your data from being locked into a single proprietary ecosystem.
Eliminate Unpredictable Costs and Vendor Lock-In
Unpredictable costs are a major challenge, with data egress fees cited as a pain point by 47% of enterprises with a hybrid strategy. These fees for moving data out of a cloud can deter up to 20% of customers from switching providers, creating a powerful form of vendor lock-in. A predictable economic model is fundamental to a sustainable hybrid cloud storage strategy UK businesses can rely on. This means choosing a partner with a transparent pricing model that eliminates these punitive charges entirely.
A predictable-by-design approach features zero egress fees, no charges for API calls, and no minimum storage durations. This model provides UK businesses and MSPs with stable, defensible margins for backup and archiving services. With 67% of EMEA businesses expecting cloud costs to continue rising, moving to a platform with a clear cost structure is a direct path to optimising your cloud spend. This financial clarity allows for better business planning and removes the risk of bill shock.
Prepare for the EU Data Act and NIS-2 Mandates
Even after Brexit, UK businesses serving the EU market must comply with new, far-reaching regulations. The EU Data Act, fully enforced from September 2025, grants users the right to port their data to another service, directly targeting vendor lock-in. Simultaneously, the NIS-2 Directive mandates stricter supply chain security, requiring UK firms to ensure their digital service providers meet high cybersecurity standards.
An effective hybrid cloud governance framework must account for these new obligations. A sovereign cloud platform helps achieve compliance by design, offering the tools needed to meet these 2025 deadlines. Here is a simple checklist to assess your readiness:
Confirm your data portability capabilities to ensure you can comply with EU Data Act requests.
Verify that your storage provider offers an exit path without financial penalties or technical barriers.
Assess your provider's security posture to meet the supply-chain assurance requirements of NIS-2.
Implement geofenced storage to demonstrate clear control over data residency for regulated workloads.
Proactive alignment with these regulations is a competitive advantage for UK firms operating in the EU.
Capitalise on a Partner-Ready Sovereign Cloud Platform
For UK Managed Service Providers and resellers, a successful hybrid cloud storage strategy depends on the capabilities of their partners. A partner-ready platform must deliver both technical excellence and a predictable business model. The absence of egress and API fees allows MSPs to build BaaS and DRaaS offerings with stable, defensible margins, a key differentiator when 68% of businesses are cutting other IT areas to pay for cloud costs.
Key platform features should include a multi-tenant console with robust role-based access control (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for secure client management. Automation via a full-featured API and CLI is also essential for efficient multi-cloud management at scale. With UK distribution now available through partners like Northamber plc, local access for resellers and MSPs is faster than ever. This combination of predictable economics and partner-centric features enables the channel to deliver high-value sovereign storage solutions to the UK market.
More Links
de.digital presents Germany's Digital Strategy 2025.
The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) offers statistical data on cloud computing usage in German enterprises.
PwC discusses Europe's cloud sovereignty in times of geopolitical upheaval.
Deloitte presents its perspective on hybrid cloud sourcing.
Accenture provides its point of view on sovereign cloud solutions.
Fraunhofer Cloud Computing offers cloud solutions and research.
Wikipedia provides a comprehensive article describing hybrid cloud storage.
Bitkom presents its Cloud Report 2025.
T-Systems describes its sovereign cloud solution powered by Google Cloud.
FAQ
What is sovereign cloud storage?
Sovereign cloud storage ensures that your data is stored and processed exclusively within a specific legal jurisdiction, such as the UK or the EU. This means it is subject only to the laws of that region, providing protection from foreign government access requests and simplifying compliance with regulations like GDPR.
Is your platform fully S3 compatible?
Yes, our platform offers full S3 API compatibility. This allows you to use your existing applications, tools, and scripts without modification. It supports advanced features like versioning, lifecycle management, and Object Lock to ensure seamless integration and migration.
How does your pricing model work?
Our pricing is transparent and predictable. We do not charge egress fees for data transfer or fees for API calls, and there are no minimum storage durations. This simple, all-inclusive model eliminates surprise costs and allows for precise budget planning.
How do you ensure data resilience and security?
We provide resilience through an architecture that eliminates single points of failure and offers features like Immutable Storage (Object Lock) for ransomware protection. Security is multi-layered, with encryption in transit and at rest, plus granular Identity and Access Management (IAM) with MFA and RBAC.
Can you help my business comply with the EU Data Act?
Yes. Our platform is designed for data portability, a core requirement of the EU Data Act. Because we use open standards and have no egress fees, you can easily move your data to another provider at any time, demonstrating a clear and practical exit path that prevents lock-in.
Is your solution suitable for MSPs in the UK?
Absolutely. Our platform is partner-ready, featuring a multi-tenant management console, automation via API/CLI, and a predictable pricing model that guarantees stable margins for MSPs. With our UK distributor, Northamber plc, we provide local support and fast onboarding for our channel partners.