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IONOS vs UK cloud providers

IONOS vs UK Cloud Providers: A 2025 Guide to Sovereign Storage

11.08.2025

10

Minutes

Thomas Demoor

CTO Impossible Cloud

Oct 11, 2025

11.08.2025

11.08.2025

10

Minutes

Thomas Demoor

CTO Impossible Cloud

Are hidden fees and data sovereignty concerns complicating your cloud strategy? Many UK IT leaders face challenges with providers whose cost models and legal jurisdictions create unacceptable risks.

Key Takeaways

For UK businesses, choosing an EU-based cloud provider is the only way to guarantee immunity from the US CLOUD Act and ensure true data sovereignty.

A cloud storage model with zero egress fees and no API call charges delivers the cost predictability required for effective budgeting and enables predictable margins for MSPs.

Enterprise-ready cloud storage must offer 100% S3-API compatibility and immutable Object Lock to ensure seamless migration and robust ransomware protection.

For UK enterprises and MSPs, selecting a cloud storage partner in 2025 involves more than just capacity and speed. It requires a sharp focus on digital sovereignty, predictable economics, and resilience against emerging threats. With regulations like the UK GDPR and the EU's NIS-2 directive shaping the landscape, the provider's origin and operational jurisdiction are critical. A strong majority of EU decision-makers now demand European solutions for their critical infrastructure, a sentiment increasingly shared in the UK. This guide examines the crucial factors UK businesses must consider when evaluating IONOS vs other UK and EU cloud providers, focusing on achieving true data control and cost transparency.

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Navigate Post-Brexit Data Sovereignty with an EU-Based Cloud

For UK businesses, true data sovereignty means ensuring data is subject to the laws where it is stored and managed. Since Brexit, the UK GDPR governs local data, but for companies serving EU customers, EU GDPR compliance remains mandatory. Using a cloud provider headquartered outside the EU, even with data centres in Europe, exposes your data to foreign laws like the US CLOUD Act. This legislation allows U.S. authorities to demand access to data held by American companies, regardless of its physical location. An EU-based provider, operating exclusively in European data centres, eliminates this risk entirely, offering geofenced storage that guarantees your data never leaves the EU. This provides the legal certainty required for true data sovereignty compliance. This jurisdictional clarity is the first step in building a resilient data strategy.

Eliminate Unpredictable Costs with a Zero Egress Fee Model

Many businesses feel locked into their cloud providers due to complex pricing models that include punitive egress fees and API call charges. A significant number of companies rank cost transparency as a top criterion when selecting a provider. An alternative model with zero egress fees, no API call costs, and no minimum storage duration offers the predictability needed for accurate budgeting. This transparent approach is especially valuable for MSPs, who can build services with predictable margins. When evaluating cloud storage pricing, look beyond the per-gigabyte cost. Consider these common hidden charges:

  • Data retrieval fees from archival tiers.

  • Charges for deleting data before a minimum duration.

  • Costs associated with API requests for backup and management tools.

  • Fees for cross-region replication.

  • Support charges tiered by response time.

A predictable cost structure removes these risks, ensuring total cost of ownership is clear from day one. This financial clarity allows for better resource allocation and strategic planning.

Ensure Seamless Integration with 100% S3-Compatible API

Full S3-API compatibility is essential for protecting existing investments in applications, scripts, and backup tools. Many providers claim S3 compatibility, but true enterprise-readiness requires support for advanced capabilities like versioning, lifecycle management, and object tagging. This ensures your existing data pipelines continue to run without expensive code rewrites, minimizing migration risk. For example, out-of-the-box integrations with leading backup tools like NovaBackup depend on this deep compatibility. A fully compatible API means your teams can continue using the tools they already know, accelerating onboarding and reducing training overhead. A proper storage vendor evaluation must include rigorous testing of the API with your current software stack. This focus on interoperability is key to maintaining business continuity during a cloud transition.

Build a Ransomware-Resilient Architecture with Immutable Storage

Ransomware remains a primary threat, making immutable storage a non-negotiable feature for any modern backup and disaster recovery strategy. Using S3 Object Lock, you can make backups unchangeable for a set period, creating a secure copy that even ransomware cannot encrypt or delete. This capability is a cornerstone of a resilient data protection strategy. Furthermore, an “Always-Hot” storage model ensures all data is immediately accessible without delays from restoring from slow, tiered archives. This simplifies operations and guarantees that in a recovery scenario, you have fast access to 100% of your data. To build a robust defence, IT leaders should implement the following steps:

  1. Adopt a 4-2-2 backup rule: four copies of your data on two different media types, with two copies offsite, one of which is immutable.

  2. Regularly test your disaster recovery plan, including full restore simulations.

  3. Use Identity and Access Management (IAM) with multi-factor authentication (MFA) to control access to storage buckets.

  4. Enable versioning on all critical data buckets to recover from accidental deletions.

This proactive approach to security prepares your organization for future regulatory demands.

Achieve Compliance with the EU Data Act and NIS-2 Directive

For UK businesses operating in the EU, upcoming regulations demand a forward-thinking cloud strategy. The EU Data Act, applicable from September 2025, mandates data portability and interoperability to prevent vendor lock-in. It requires providers to facilitate easy switching, a principle that aligns with an open-standards, S3-compatible architecture. The NIS-2 Directive also raises the bar for cybersecurity, requiring continuous security processes and supply-chain assurance for critical sectors. Choosing a provider whose operations are already aligned with these principles is a competitive advantage. A provider with a strictly EU-centric governance model and verified encryption ensures you meet these stringent requirements. This focus on regulatory readiness is a key differentiator when comparing UK cloud provider options, ensuring your business is prepared for the future of data regulation.

Empower UK Channel Partners with a Predictable and Sovereign Platform

For UK-based MSPs, resellers, and system integrators, a partner-ready cloud platform is essential for growth. Predictable margins, driven by a zero-egress-fee model, allow partners to build profitable and defensible Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) and archiving solutions. A multi-tenant partner console with role-based access control (RBAC) and MFA simplifies management and enhances security for client accounts. With UK distribution now available through partners like Northamber plc, local access and support are streamlined. This makes it easier than ever for the channel to offer a truly sovereign, GDPR-compliant storage solution as a compelling alternative to traditional providers. This partner-centric approach provides the tools and economic model needed to succeed in a competitive market.

FAQ

Is data stored in a UK data centre by a US company subject to the CLOUD Act?

Yes. The CLOUD Act's jurisdiction is based on the provider's headquarters, not the data centre's location. If the cloud provider is a U.S. company, data stored in any of its global data centres, including the UK, can be accessed by U.S. law enforcement.



What does 'digital sovereignty' mean for a UK company?

Digital sovereignty means a UK company's data is subject only to the laws and governance of the jurisdiction where it is stored. This requires using a provider that is not subject to extraterritorial laws like the CLOUD Act, ensuring full control and compliance with UK and EU data protection regulations.



How does an 'Always-Hot' storage model benefit disaster recovery?

An 'Always-Hot' model ensures all data is instantly accessible at high performance speeds. Unlike tiered storage, there are no delays or extra fees for retrieving data from 'cold' or 'archive' tiers, which is critical for rapid recovery during an outage or cyberattack.



Are there UK distributors for Impossible Cloud?

Yes, Impossible Cloud is expanding its UK channel presence through distributors like Northamber plc, providing local access and support for MSPs, resellers, and system integrators across the United Kingdom.



Does Impossible Cloud charge for API calls?

No. Impossible Cloud's pricing model is transparent and predictable. It includes zero fees for API calls and data egress, and there are no minimum storage durations, simplifying cloud cost management.



Is Impossible Cloud compliant with the EU Data Act?

Yes. Impossible Cloud's architecture is built on open standards with full S3 compatibility, aligning with the data portability and interoperability requirements of the EU Data Act. This ensures customers have a clear exit path and are not locked in.



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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.