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Technician inspecting server racks in a secure European data center, highlighting Object Lock for ransomware protection.

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Technician inspecting server racks in a secure European data center, highlighting Object Lock for ransomware protection.

on

(ex: Photo by

Technician inspecting server racks in a secure European data center, highlighting Object Lock for ransomware protection.

on

Strengthen Ransomware Defense with Impossible Cloud's Object Lock Backup Targets

14.09.2025

9

Minutes

Christian Kaul

Founder & COO Impossible Cloud

14.09.2025

14.09.2025

9

Minutes

Christian Kaul

Founder & COO Impossible Cloud

Ransomware attacks are growing over 50% annually, making immutable backups essential. Discover how to create truly secure, compliant, and cost-predictable Impossible Cloud Object Lock backup targets.

Key Takeawys

Impossible Cloud provides EU-based, S3-compatible storage with Object Lock, creating immutable backup targets to defend against ransomware.

A 'sovereign by design' approach with geofencing ensures GDPR compliance and avoids CLOUD Act exposure.

A predictable pricing model with no egress or API fees allows enterprises and MSPs to control costs and build profitable services.

In 2025, European businesses face dual threats: sophisticated ransomware and complex data regulations. A single breach can cost millions, while non-compliance with GDPR invites fines of up to 4% of global turnover. Traditional backup solutions often fail, compromised by the very attacks they should prevent. This article outlines a modern strategy using S3 Object Lock on a sovereign cloud platform. We will detail how to build a resilient, cost-effective defense. This approach ensures your backup targets are immutable, compliant by design, and free from unpredictable fees.

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Establish Digital Sovereignty with Geofenced Storage

Data sovereignty is no longer an option; it is a core business requirement for over 75% of EU enterprises. Storing data with non-EU providers creates exposure to foreign laws like the CLOUD Act, directly conflicting with GDPR. Impossible Cloud operates exclusively in certified European data centers, ensuring your data is governed solely by EU law. Our platform offers country-level geofencing to guarantee data residency. This provides 100% legal certainty for regulated workloads. This strict localization is the first step in building a truly sovereign backup strategy.

Create Immutable Backups with S3 Object Lock

The German BSI identifies offline, protected backups as the single most important defense against ransomware. S3 Object Lock makes your backup data immutable, meaning it cannot be altered or deleted for a user-defined period. This feature turns your storage into a write-once-read-many (WORM) vault. Even administrator credentials cannot override a lock, neutralizing threats from compromised accounts. Using Impossible Cloud Object Lock backup targets ensures your recovery data remains pristine after an attack. This capability is fundamental for a modern disaster recovery plan.

Implementing Object Lock follows a clear process:

  • Enable versioning on your S3 bucket, a prerequisite that keeps a full history of all objects.

  • Activate Object Lock during bucket creation; this setting is permanent for the bucket's lifetime.

  • Define a retention period (e.g., 90 days) for new objects written to the bucket.

  • Optionally, use a 'legal hold' to protect specific object versions indefinitely for compliance reasons.

This setup provides a verifiable, audit-ready defense against data destruction.

Maintain Business Continuity with Full S3 API Compatibility

Migrating to a new storage platform can cost thousands of engineering hours. Impossible Cloud eliminates this by providing 100% S3 API compatibility. Your existing applications, scripts, and backup tools work without a single code rewrite. Leading solutions like Veeam integrate out-of-the-box, recognizing our storage as a verified immutable target. This protects your past investments in software and training. You can switch your backup target endpoint in minutes, not months. This seamless transition accelerates your move to a more secure and sovereign architecture.

Accelerate Recovery with an 'Always-Hot' Architecture

Complex storage tiering introduces risk and delays, with restore times from archived tiers often exceeding 8 hours. Our 'Always-Hot' object storage model ensures every byte of your data is immediately accessible 100% of the time. This eliminates fragile lifecycle policies that can cause API timeouts and surprise restore fees. Immediate access reduces recovery time objectives (RTOs) by over 90%. When a ransomware attack occurs, you need your backups instantly, not after a lengthy and expensive restore process. This architectural choice simplifies operations and guarantees predictable performance under pressure.

Achieve Predictable Costs and Margins for Backup Services

Unpredictable egress fees from hyperscalers can inflate a monthly cloud bill by 200% or more during a large-scale recovery. Impossible Cloud is predictable by design, with zero egress fees, zero API call costs, and no minimum storage durations. This transparent model allows enterprises to budget with accuracy and enables MSPs to build profitable Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) offerings with defensible margins. Our multi-tenant partner console simplifies management for hundreds of clients. With new distribution partners like api in Germany and Northamber plc in the UK, local access for resellers is expanding across Europe. This economic clarity makes secure cloud backup financially sustainable.

Future-Proof Your Compliance with NIS-2 and the EU Data Act

New EU regulations demand higher standards for security and portability. The NIS-2 directive, effective from October 2024, mandates robust security processes and supply-chain assurance for critical service providers. Impossible Cloud's architecture is built on these principles of continuous security. Furthermore, the EU Data Act, applicable from September 2025, requires that users can easily switch cloud providers without technical or contractual lock-in. Our use of open standards ensures 100% data portability. This alignment proves our commitment to an open, secure, and competitive European digital market.

Implement Your Immutable Backup Strategy in 4 Steps

Transitioning to a secure, sovereign backup target is a straightforward process. Following a proven methodology ensures all data is protected within days.

  1. Assess Your Data: Classify your critical data and define the required retention periods based on business needs and regulations like GoBD.

  2. Configure Your Target: Create a new bucket in the Impossible Cloud console, enabling both versioning and Object Lock with your chosen retention time.

  3. Update Your Backup Job: In your backup software, add Impossible Cloud as a new S3-compatible repository using your credentials and the bucket endpoint.

  4. Test and Verify: Run a test backup job and then perform a test restore of at least 5% of the dataset to validate the entire process end-to-end.

This structured approach provides a clear path to enhancing your data protection posture. For a detailed consultation, talk to one of our experts.

Transitioning to a secure, sovereign backup target is a straightforward process. Following a proven methodology ensures all data is protected within days.

  1. Assess Your Data: Classify your critical data and define the required retention periods based on business needs and regulations like GoBD.

  2. Configure Your Target: Create a new bucket in the Impossible Cloud console, enabling both versioning and Object Lock with your chosen retention time.

  3. Update Your Backup Job: In your backup software, add Impossible Cloud as a new S3-compatible repository using your credentials and the bucket endpoint.

  4. Test and Verify: Run a test backup job and then perform a test restore of at least 5% of the dataset to validate the entire process end-to-end.

This structured approach provides a clear path to enhancing your data protection posture. For a detailed consultation, talk to one of our experts.

FAQ

What makes Impossible Cloud a 'sovereign' cloud?

Impossible Cloud is a European company that operates exclusively in certified European data centers. This ensures that your data is always stored and governed under EU law, primarily GDPR, and is not subject to extra-territorial laws like the U.S. CLOUD Act, providing true digital sovereignty.



Can I use my existing backup software with Impossible Cloud?

Yes. Impossible Cloud offers full S3 API compatibility, allowing seamless, out-of-the-box integration with all major backup and recovery solutions that support S3-compatible object storage, including Veeam, Nova Backup, and many others.



How does 'no egress fees' benefit my business?

By eliminating egress fees, Impossible Cloud provides a predictable, transparent cost model. You will never receive a surprise bill for restoring your own data, which is critical during a disaster recovery scenario. For MSPs, this means you can offer fixed-price backup services with stable margins.



What is the difference between 'Always-Hot' storage and tiered storage?

Tiered storage moves data between 'hot' (fast, expensive) and 'cold' (slow, cheap) tiers, which can delay data restoration by hours. Impossible Cloud's 'Always-Hot' architecture keeps all data immediately accessible, simplifying operations and ensuring the fastest possible recovery times without extra fees.



How does Object Lock protect against ransomware?

Object Lock makes your backup files immutable for a defined retention period. Even if attackers gain administrative access to your systems, they cannot encrypt, modify, or delete the locked backup files, guaranteeing you have a clean copy of your data for recovery.



How do I get started with Impossible Cloud for my backups?

Getting started is simple. You can sign up for a free trial to test the platform, or contact our team for a personalized demo. We can help you configure your first immutable backup target in just a few minutes.



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Impossible Cloud is your European alternative for S3-compatible object storage. Data resides in GDPR-compliant, certified EU data centers; Object Lock and versioning protect against ransomware. Transparent pricing with no egress or API fees. Perfect for backup, archive, and disaster recovery.

Impossible Cloud is your European alternative for S3-compatible object storage. Data resides in GDPR-compliant, certified EU data centers; Object Lock and versioning protect against ransomware. Transparent pricing with no egress or API fees. Perfect for backup, archive, and disaster recovery.

Impossible Cloud is your European alternative for S3-compatible object storage. Data resides in GDPR-compliant, certified EU data centers; Object Lock and versioning protect against ransomware. Transparent pricing with no egress or API fees. Perfect for backup, archive, and disaster recovery.