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Secure a Sovereign Cloud Alternative With Transparent Pricing
Feeling locked in by complex cloud storage bills and worried about data compliance? A majority of EU decision-makers now prioritize European solutions, yet many are unaware of viable, high-performance alternatives. Discover a practical, enterprise-ready EU alternative that offers predictable costs without sacrificing performance.
Key Takeawys
Choose a sovereign, EU-based cloud provider to ensure GDPR compliance and eliminate risks from foreign laws like the CLOUD Act.
Adopt a transparent pricing model with zero egress fees, no API call costs, and no minimum duration to achieve predictable cloud budgets.
Demand full S3 compatibility and an "Always-Hot" architecture to ensure seamless migration and high-performance access to all data without hidden fees.
In 2025, European businesses are prioritizing digital sovereignty, with over 70% of decision-makers demanding EU-based solutions for critical data. However, reliance on non-EU providers creates significant risks, from unpredictable egress fees to exposure under regulations like the CLOUD Act. This article outlines how to find viable cloud alternatives with transparent pricing, focusing on a sovereign, S3-compatible object storage model. We will explore an approach that guarantees GDPR compliance, eliminates hidden API and egress fees, and provides an enterprise-grade architecture built for resilience and easy migration. It's a blueprint for achieving data control and cost predictability.
Prioritize Digital Sovereignty to Mitigate Regulatory Risk
A significant majority of European businesses now demand data residency within the EU, driven by regulations like GDPR. Storing data with non-EU providers creates exposure to foreign laws, such as the U.S. CLOUD Act, which can compel access to data regardless of where it is stored. This directly conflicts with GDPR's strict data transfer and privacy rules, creating a serious compliance gap for many organizations.
Choosing a sovereign cloud solution built exclusively in certified European data centers is the only way to ensure EU legal certainty. This approach eliminates the risks associated with non-EU legal jurisdictions entirely. An EU-only provider guarantees your data remains governed by EU rules, a foundational requirement for true S3-compatible object storage. This strategy is no longer optional for the 46% of European companies storing all their data in the cloud. This focus on sovereignty prepares your organization for total compliance and control.
Adopt Transparent Pricing to Eliminate Unpredictable Cloud Costs
Many businesses feel locked into their cloud providers due to complex contracts and unpredictable costs. A transparent pricing model is one of the most effective cloud alternatives, eliminating the primary sources of budget overruns. Look for providers who guarantee zero egress fees, zero API call costs, and no minimum storage duration fees. This model ensures your bill reflects only the storage you use, making costs 100% predictable.
This predictability provides stable, defensible margins, especially for MSPs offering Backup-as-a-Service. A pay-as-you-go approach allows businesses to shift from CapEx to OpEx without fear of hidden charges, a key driver for 51% of IT spending moving to the public cloud. For more details on this model, you can review our transparent pricing. This financial clarity allows for better long-term planning and resource allocation.
Demand Enterprise-Ready S3 Compatibility and Performance
True enterprise-readiness goes beyond basic S3 compatibility; it requires an architecture built for resilience and scale. An "Always-Hot" object storage model ensures all data is immediately accessible without the delays and hidden costs of complex tiering. This design avoids the API timeouts and restore fees that often plague tiered systems, which can impact operations for the 60% of organizations with over half their workloads in the cloud.
An effective S3 alternative should offer these key features:
Full S3 API compatibility to ensure existing tools and scripts work without modification.
Advanced capabilities like versioning, lifecycle management, and object lock.
Strong read/write consistency and predictable latencies for mixed workloads.
Multi-AZ replication to eliminate single points of failure and ensure high availability.
This robust architecture protects past investments and minimizes migration risk, a core component of secure object storage. Such a foundation ensures your storage can handle demanding enterprise workloads from day one.
Implement Advanced Security for Ransomware Protection and Compliance
With ransomware threats constantly evolving, robust security features are non-negotiable. Immutable Storage with Object Lock is a critical defense, making backups unchangeable for a set period and securing them against malicious encryption. This capability is a cornerstone of modern data protection, especially since only 54% of sensitive data in the cloud is properly encrypted.
A comprehensive security posture also requires multiple layers of protection. Look for these essential security and governance controls:
Multi-layer encryption for data in transit and at rest.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).
Support for external Identity Providers via SAML/OIDC for streamlined, secure access.
Country-level geofencing to enforce strict data residency rules aligned with GDPR.
These features, combined with a user-friendly console for management, provide the tools needed to build a resilient and compliant storage environment. This proactive security stance is essential for protecting critical business assets.
Ensure Future-Readiness with EU Data Act and NIS-2 Alignment
Upcoming EU regulations will reshape the digital landscape, and your cloud provider must be prepared. The EU Data Act, applying from September 2025, mandates data portability and interoperability to prevent vendor lock-in. It requires providers to offer a clear exit path, including metadata and versions, and will ban egress fees by 2027.
Simultaneously, the NIS-2 Directive imposes stricter cybersecurity duties on cloud providers, including supply-chain assurance and continuous security processes. Choosing a provider whose operations are already aligned with these regulations offers a distinct competitive advantage. A forward-looking partner builds these requirements into their core architecture, not as an afterthought. This alignment with emerging standards is a key benefit of transparent cloud pricing models that already eliminate exit fees. This regulatory readiness ensures your business remains compliant as the legal framework evolves.
Leverage a Partner-Ready Platform for Channel Growth
For MSPs, resellers, and system integrators, a partner-centric cloud platform is essential for growth. Predictable margins, driven by a zero-egress-fee model, are the foundation of a profitable partnership. A platform designed for the channel should offer a multi-tenant management console with robust RBAC and MFA, API/CLI for automation, and clear reporting tools.
Fast onboarding and strong local support are also critical. Recent distribution agreements with partners like api in Germany and Northamber plc in the UK demonstrate a commitment to expanding local access for resellers. This momentum provides partners with the resources and credibility to serve their clients effectively. A strong partner program simplifies compliance and operations, enabling you to focus on delivering value. Ready to explore the benefits? You can learn more about our cost structure. This partner focus creates a clear path to success.
Take Practical Steps Toward a Sovereign and Predictable Cloud Strategy
More Links
German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action describes Gaia-X, a project for a European data infrastructure.
Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) presents statistical tables on cloud computing usage in enterprises.
Bitkom provides insights into cloud adoption and trends through charts from its Cloud Report 2024.
European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) offers a report on cloud computing.
Data Protection Conference discusses cloud computing from a data protection perspective.
European Commission outlines its policies on cloud computing as part of its digital strategy.
FAQ
What makes your pricing model different from hyperscalers?
Our pricing model is designed for predictability and transparency. Unlike hyperscalers, we charge no egress fees, no fees for API calls, and have no minimum storage duration. This means you can access and manage your data as needed without incurring unexpected costs, leading to a lower and more predictable total cost of ownership.
How do you ensure my data stays within the EU?
We are a European company that operates exclusively in certified European data centers. We offer country-level geofencing, allowing you to restrict your data to predefined regions to comply with GDPR and other EU data residency requirements. This sovereign-by-design approach guarantees your data is governed solely by EU law.
Is it difficult to migrate to your S3-compatible storage?
No, migration is straightforward. Because we offer full S3 API compatibility, your existing applications, backup tools (like Veeam or NovaBackup), and scripts will work without modification. You only need to change the endpoint, access key, and secret key to begin using our service.
How does Immutable Storage protect against ransomware?
Our Immutable Storage, which uses S3 Object Lock, allows you to make data unchangeable for a specified period. This means that once written, data cannot be altered or deleted by anyone—not even an administrator. This creates a secure, tamper-proof copy of your data that can be used to recover from a ransomware attack.
What support do you offer for MSPs and channel partners?
We provide a partner-ready platform with a multi-tenant console, role-based access control (RBAC), and automation via API/CLI. Our predictable pricing model with no egress fees ensures stable margins for our partners. We also have growing distribution channels, including api in Germany and Northamber plc in the UK, to provide local support.
What does an "Always-Hot" storage model mean?
An "Always-Hot" model means all your data is immediately accessible at high performance, without any delays or restore fees associated with tiered storage (e.g., hot, cool, archive tiers). This simplifies operations, makes restores faster and more predictable, and ensures your applications run consistently.
