Cloud Storage
Object Storage
IONOS cloud storage
Secure Your Data with a Sovereign ION OS Cloud Storage Alternative
Are unpredictable cloud storage costs and data sovereignty concerns holding you back? A majority of EU decision-makers are now seeking European solutions that offer performance parity and cost transparency. Discover a sovereign, S3-compatible object storage platform designed exclusively for EU data control.
Key Takeawys
Choose a sovereign cloud storage solution that operates exclusively in EU data centers to ensure GDPR compliance and immunity from foreign laws like the US CLOUD Act.
Eliminate budget uncertainty by selecting a provider with a transparent pricing model that has zero egress fees, no API call costs, and no minimum storage durations.
Strengthen your defense against ransomware by using a platform with S3 Object Lock, which makes backups immutable and guarantees data recoverability.
In today's digital economy, European businesses face a critical challenge: leveraging the power of the cloud without compromising data sovereignty or budget predictability. Regulations like GDPR and the upcoming NIS-2 directive demand rigorous data governance, while reliance on non-EU providers can create exposure to foreign laws like the CLOUD Act. Many organizations feel locked in by complex pricing models with punitive egress fees that penalize data movement. This article outlines a strategic approach to selecting a European cloud storage solution, focusing on the key enterprise-ready features that ensure compliance, resilience, and financial control for businesses looking for a modern IONOS cloud storage alternative.
Establish Digital Sovereignty with EU-Only Data Residency
True digital sovereignty begins with data location. Storing data exclusively in European data centers is the most certain way for an EU organization to ensure its data is not accessible to foreign government inspection. Our platform operates solely within certified German data centers, guaranteeing your data remains under the protection of EU privacy laws.
This approach provides a direct solution to the challenges posed by the US CLOUD Act, which can compel US-based tech companies to provide data regardless of where it is stored. By utilizing country-level geofencing, organizations can enforce strict data residency policies, a key criterion for a significant share of EU businesses. We provide the technical framework for GDPR-compliant data handling from day one.
Choosing a provider with strictly EU-controlled IT facilities is the foundation of a modern data strategy. This ensures that from a legal and technical standpoint, your data governance aligns perfectly with European regulations, which are set to become even more defined with the Cloud and AI Development Act. This focus on regional control prepares your infrastructure for the future of EU data strategy.
Eliminate Cost Uncertainty with a Predictable Pricing Model
Unpredictable costs are a major pain point for IT leaders, with egress fees being a primary culprit. These charges for moving data out of a cloud can create significant financial barriers to switching providers or adopting multi-cloud strategies, with some providers realizing profits of nearly 8000% on these fees. Our model directly addresses this by eliminating egress fees and API call costs entirely.
This transparent approach provides predictable margins, a critical advantage for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) building services like Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS). The EU Data Act, fully applicable from September 2025, mandates the gradual removal of switching fees to combat vendor lock-in, with a complete ban by January 2027. Our pricing is already aligned with this future, offering financial clarity today. You can find more details in our cloud storage pricing comparison.
A pricing model with no minimum storage duration offers maximum flexibility for dynamic workloads. This structure ensures you only pay for what you use, simplifying budget forecasting and removing penalties for data archival and retrieval patterns that change over time. This economic clarity is a key driver for businesses seeking viable EU cloud alternatives.
Leverage Enterprise-Grade S3 Compatibility for Seamless Integration
Full S3 API compatibility is essential for protecting existing investments in tools and workflows. A truly enterprise-ready solution goes beyond basic operations, supporting advanced capabilities that modern applications rely on. Our platform ensures your established tools keep working, with developers reporting up to a 25% reduction in application development time when using S3-compatible services.
Key S3-compatible features your enterprise should expect include:
Versioning and Lifecycle Management: Automate data transitions and protect against accidental deletions.
Event Notifications: Trigger automated workflows based on storage events.
Immutable Storage with Object Lock: Secure data against ransomware and meet compliance mandates.
Seamless Tool Integration: Works out-of-the-box with leading backup tools like NovaBackup and Veeam.
This comprehensive support minimizes migration risk and eliminates the need for costly code rewrites. By adhering to this industry standard, you retain control and can explore cloud storage alternatives without being locked into a proprietary ecosystem. This commitment to open standards is a core tenet of a flexible, future-proof cloud strategy.
Strengthen Ransomware Defense with Immutable Backups
Ransomware attacks increasingly target not just primary data, but also backups, rendering recovery impossible without paying a ransom. S3 Object Lock provides a powerful defense by making backup data immutable. It uses a Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM) model, which prevents any user—even a root account—from deleting or altering data before a defined retention period expires.
This feature is a cornerstone of modern data security strategies and regulatory compliance. Implementing Object Lock in Governance mode allows authorized users to alter settings, which is useful for testing retention policies. For the highest level of protection, Compliance mode ensures no user can override the lock, providing audit-ready data retention.
Immutable backups effectively neutralize the encryption stage of a ransomware attack. Even if credentials are compromised, the locked backup data remains untouchable and available for restoration. This capability transforms your backup repository into a resilient, tamper-proof archive, which is critical for business continuity.
Achieve High Availability with an 'Always-Hot' Architecture
Traditional tiered storage models, which move data between hot, cool, and cold tiers, introduce complexity and risk. Accessing archived data can involve restore delays of hours, API timeouts, and unexpected retrieval fees. Our platform utilizes an “Always-Hot” object storage model, ensuring all data is immediately accessible with predictable latency, improving recovery times by up to 50% in some use cases.
This architecture eliminates single points of failure and is built for consistency and scale. It handles mixed workloads, from millions of small files to large archival objects, without performance degradation. This reliability is crucial for disaster recovery, where every second of downtime impacts revenue and customer trust. You can learn more about our cloud performance benchmarks.
An 'Always-Hot' model simplifies operations and strengthens your recovery posture. By avoiding fragile tiering policies, you ensure that third-party backup and analytics tools remain stable and that data is always ready for immediate use. This architectural choice directly supports business resilience and operational efficiency.
Prepare for 2025 EU Regulations: The Data Act and NIS-2
The European regulatory landscape is evolving, and your cloud provider must be ready. Two key regulations will shape data governance in 2025 and beyond:
The EU Data Act: Applicable from September 12, 2025, this act mandates data portability and interoperability. It requires cloud providers to remove barriers to switching and ensure customers can easily migrate their data, including metadata and configurations, to another provider or on-premises system.
The NIS-2 Directive: This directive, which member states must transpose into national law, expands cybersecurity requirements for critical sectors. It mandates continuous security processes, supply-chain assurance, and strict incident reporting timelines, with fines for non-compliance reaching up to 2% of global turnover.
Our platform is designed with these principles at its core. By offering full data portability and operating within ISO 27001 certified data centers, we provide a foundation for compliance. This regulatory readiness offers a competitive advantage, ensuring your data strategy aligns with the EU's vision for a secure and open digital market. A detailed migration guide can help you plan your transition.
Empower the Channel: A Partner-Ready Platform for MSPs
More Links
Datenschutzkonferenz provides a PDF document concerning data protection aspects of cloud computing.
Bitkom offers its Cloud Report 2024, providing charts and data on cloud usage and trends.
Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) presents statistical data on cloud computing usage in enterprises.
European Commission provides information on the European data strategy, a key initiative for a digital Europe.
German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action published a report on the status and development of data center locations in Germany.
FAQ
Is your platform fully compatible with the S3 API?
Yes, our platform offers full S3 API compatibility. This means your existing applications, scripts, and tools that use the S3 API will work seamlessly without any code changes. We support advanced features like versioning, lifecycle management, and Object Lock to ensure a smooth migration and integration.
How does your pricing model work?
Our pricing is transparent and predictable. We charge based on the amount of storage you use, with no egress fees, no API request charges, and no minimum storage durations. This model eliminates surprise costs and allows for clear, simple budget forecasting.
Where is my data stored?
All data is stored exclusively in ISO 27001-certified data centers located in Germany. We provide country-level geofencing to ensure your data never leaves the European Union, guaranteeing compliance with GDPR and protecting it under strict EU privacy laws.
How do you support MSPs and channel partners?
We provide a partner-ready platform with a multi-tenant management console, RBAC, MFA, and automation via API/CLI. Our predictable pricing model with no egress fees allows partners to build profitable services with stable margins. We also offer support through our distribution partners like api (Germany) and Northamber plc (UK).
How does your solution help with compliance for regulations like NIS-2?
Our solution supports NIS-2 compliance by providing a secure and resilient infrastructure with features like multi-layer encryption, immutable storage, and robust identity and access management. Operating from certified EU data centers also helps meet the directive's requirements for supply-chain security and data governance.
What is an 'Always-Hot' object storage model?
An 'Always-Hot' model means all your data is stored in a high-performance tier and is instantly accessible at all times. Unlike traditional tiered systems that move data to slower, cheaper 'cold' storage, our model eliminates restore delays and retrieval fees, simplifying operations and ensuring your data is always ready when you need it.
