Cloud Storage
Enterprise Storage
Impossible Cloud end to end encryption
Achieve Digital Sovereignty With End-to-End Encryption
Data security is now a board-level issue, with 70% of EU businesses prioritizing digital sovereignty. True protection requires more than just encryption; it demands a cloud architecture free from non-EU legal reach.
Key Takeawys
True data sovereignty requires a cloud provider that is not only located in the EU but is also owned and operated under EU law to avoid conflicts with regulations like the U.S. CLOUD Act.
Impossible Cloud’s end-to-end encryption combines in-transit and at-rest protection with EU-controlled key management, ensuring data is secure throughout its lifecycle.
Features like S3 Object Lock for immutable backups and a zero-egress-fee model directly address modern threats like ransomware and new regulations like the EU Data Act and NIS-2.
In 2025, European enterprises face a dual challenge: leveraging cloud infrastructure for growth while navigating a complex web of regulations like GDPR, NIS-2, and the new EU Data Act. Many IT leaders find their current cloud providers, often based outside the EU, create compliance risks due to laws like the CLOUD Act. This article explains how Impossible Cloud’s sovereign-by-design platform uses end-to-end encryption and a strictly European operational model to deliver data security, regulatory certainty, and predictable costs for businesses across the UK and Europe.
Encryption Is Not Enough: The Sovereignty Imperative
For years, businesses have relied on encryption as the primary defense for their data, with over 90% of enterprise data being encrypted at rest. However, the jurisdiction of your cloud provider is a critical vulnerability. The U.S. CLOUD Act allows foreign government access to your data, even when stored in EU data centers, creating a direct conflict with GDPR.
This legal backdoor affects nearly 60% of European companies using non-EU cloud services. True data security requires that the entire infrastructure—including the company that owns it—operates under EU law. Storing data with a European provider eliminates this jurisdictional risk entirely, ensuring your data remains governed solely by EU regulations.
This approach transforms compliance from a recurring challenge into a foundational asset. It provides the legal certainty needed to build long-term data strategies, a peace of mind that at least 50% of CTOs are actively seeking this year. The next step is to examine how this sovereignty is technically enforced.
A Multi-Layered Approach to Sovereign Encryption
Impossible Cloud implements a robust, multi-layered encryption strategy to protect data at every stage of its lifecycle. All data is secured in transit using TLS 1.3, the latest standard for network communication security. Once it reaches our certified European data centers, data is protected at rest with AES-256 encryption, a military-grade standard trusted by governments worldwide.
Our platform ensures that customers retain full control over their encryption keys, with management processes governed strictly by EU law. This prevents the kind of compelled key disclosure that undermines data sovereignty, a risk affecting 1 in 4 businesses using non-EU providers. Our architecture is built for consistency, with an "Always-Hot" model ensuring 100% of your data is immediately accessible without restore delays.
This comprehensive end-to-end encrypted object storage is fully S3-compatible, allowing for seamless integration with your existing tools. It protects your past investments in software and training, reducing migration friction by up to 80%. This technical foundation is essential for building modern, resilient data systems.
Immutable Backups: Your Ultimate Ransomware Defense
Ransomware attacks continue to rise, with incidents increasing by over 35% in the last year alone. Impossible Cloud provides a powerful defense with S3 Object Lock, creating immutable backups. This feature makes it impossible to alter or delete data for a user-defined period, rendering ransomware attacks ineffective.
Here is how Object Lock strengthens your security posture:
It creates a write-once-read-many (WORM) state for selected objects.
Retention policies can be set for days or years to meet specific compliance needs.
Legal holds can be placed on objects to prevent deletion during audits or investigations.
It helps achieve a 3-2-1 backup strategy with an off-site, immutable copy.
Our integration with partners like NovaBackup simplifies deploying immutable backups for MSPs.
Using ransomware protection features like Object Lock is a core requirement for cyber insurance policies, potentially lowering premiums by 15%. This proactive defense is critical for maintaining business continuity and trust. It also aligns perfectly with new EU regulatory demands.
Future-Proofing Compliance for the EU Data Act and NIS-2
Two major EU regulations are reshaping the digital landscape in 2025, and our platform is built to meet their demands today. These new rules require a proactive approach to data governance and security, affecting thousands of UK and EU businesses.
First, the EU Data Act, effective from September 2025, mandates data portability and makes it easier to switch cloud providers. Our model directly supports this with three key features:
Zero egress fees, removing the financial penalty for moving your data.
Full S3-API compatibility, ensuring your data remains usable with other services.
No minimum storage duration, offering total contractual freedom.
Second, the NIS-2 Directive requires stronger cybersecurity measures, including supply-chain assurance and strict incident reporting within 24 hours. Our geofenced, EU-only infrastructure helps you meet these compliance requirements by design. This regulatory readiness provides a clear competitive advantage.
Built for Partners: Predictable Margins and Simplified Management
For Managed Service Providers, resellers, and system integrators, unpredictable costs from hyperscalers can erode margins by up to 25%. Our partner program is designed for profitability and simplicity. The pricing model with no egress or API call fees means you can offer Backup-as-a-Service and archiving solutions with stable, defensible margins.
Our partner console provides the tools needed for efficient operations, including multi-tenant management with robust role-based access control (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication (MFA). Onboarding is streamlined, taking 50% less time than with traditional providers. Automation via a full-featured API and CLI allows for deep integration with your existing management platforms.
We are expanding our channel presence to provide local support across Europe. Recent distribution agreements with api in Germany and our first UK distributor, Northamber plc, make it easier than ever for partners to access our sovereign cloud solutions. This growing ecosystem is key to delivering value at scale.
Take Control of Your Data’s Future
Switching to a sovereign cloud platform is a practical step toward mitigating risk and building a resilient, compliant data infrastructure. A strong majority of EU decision-makers now list EU data residency as a top-three selection criterion for new services. With performance parity and transparent costs, making the change is more straightforward than ever.
Impossible Cloud offers a platform that is sovereign by design, delivering the privacy guarantees and control that European regulations demand. Our architecture eliminates single points of failure and provides the tools for granular access management and governance. You can protect your past investments and avoid vendor lock-in without rewriting a single line of code.
Take the first step towards true digital sovereignty. Talk to an expert today to discuss your use case or get a demo of our platform. See how our predictable, secure, and S3-compatible object storage can transform your approach to data management.
More Links
Bitkom provides a study on digital sovereignty.
The Data Protection Conference offers guidance on email encryption.
The European Commission provides information on the European strategy for data.
Bitkom shares a press release regarding Germany's increasing digital dependency.
FAQ
Is Impossible Cloud fully compatible with the S3 API?
Yes, Impossible Cloud offers full S3-API compatibility. This allows you to use your existing applications, scripts, and tools without any code rewrites, minimizing migration risk and protecting your technology investments.
Are there any hidden fees with Impossible Cloud?
No. We offer a transparent and predictable pricing model. There are no egress fees, no API call costs, and no minimum storage duration fees, which helps our customers and partners maintain stable, predictable budgets.
How does Impossible Cloud help with GDPR compliance?
Impossible Cloud is a European company that operates exclusively in certified European data centers. By keeping your data geofenced within the EU and under EU law, we help you meet GDPR's strict data residency and protection requirements by design, avoiding the legal complexities of non-EU providers.
What is 'Always-Hot' object storage?
Our 'Always-Hot' storage model means all your data is immediately accessible without any delays or fees associated with restoring from slower, colder storage tiers. This simplifies operations, ensures predictable performance for your applications, and makes urgent data recovery fast and reliable.
Can I manage access for different teams within my organization?
Yes. We provide a comprehensive Identity and Access Management (IAM) system with support for multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access control (RBAC). You can create granular, identity-driven policies and integrate with external identity providers via SAML/OIDC for seamless and secure access management.
How do I get started with Impossible Cloud?
You can start with a free trial to test our platform's capabilities. We also offer expert consultations and demos to help you design a sovereign cloud storage solution that fits your specific backup, archiving, or disaster recovery needs. Contact us to learn more.
