European Cloud
Sovereign Cloud
OVH vs UK providers
OVH vs UK Providers: A 2025 Guide to Sovereign Cloud Storage
Choosing a cloud provider in 2025 involves more than just comparing prices. For UK businesses, the decision between providers like OVH and other UK or EU options now carries significant weight for data sovereignty, cost predictability, and regulatory compliance. This article explores the critical factors that IT leaders must consider to de-risk their cloud strategy.
Key Takeaways
UK businesses face significant compliance risks from foreign laws like the US CLOUD Act when using non-EU cloud providers; a sovereign EU-based solution eliminates this risk.
Hidden costs like egress fees and API call charges can inflate cloud bills unpredictably; a transparent pricing model with zero hidden fees ensures predictable margins and lower TCO.
Upcoming regulations like NIS-2 and the EU Data Act require stronger security and data portability, making a compliant-by-design European cloud a strategic advantage.
In the post-Brexit landscape, the comparison of OVH vs UK providers has become a critical strategic discussion for over 90% of British companies. The choice is no longer simple, as factors like the US CLOUD Act, GDPR alignment, and unpredictable egress fees introduce new risks. A provider’s geographic location and legal jurisdiction are now as important as its performance metrics. This guide examines the key differences, focusing on how a sovereign-by-design European cloud offers a resilient, compliant, and economically predictable alternative for UK enterprises and MSPs navigating the complexities of 2025.
Navigating UK Data Sovereignty in a Post-Brexit World
Since 2020, UK businesses operate under a unique data protection framework, the UK GDPR. This regulation governs how the personal data of UK residents is handled by 100% of companies. While the EU has granted the UK an adequacy decision, this status is reviewed every four years. Any significant divergence from EU GDPR could jeopardise the seamless flow of data, impacting thousands of businesses.
A primary concern for UK IT leaders is the jurisdictional reach of foreign laws. The US CLOUD Act of 2018 allows US authorities to demand data from US-based tech companies, regardless of where that data is stored. This creates a direct conflict with UK and EU privacy principles for the 70% of businesses using US-headquartered cloud providers. Choosing a provider subject to non-EU laws introduces a compliance risk that many organisations can no longer afford.
True data sovereignty means data is governed only by the laws of the country where it is stored. For UK firms handling sensitive information, using a 100% European-owned and operated cloud service eliminates this exposure. This ensures that data remains under the protection of EU law, a critical factor for maintaining GDPR data residency in the UK. This legal certainty is the foundation of a modern, risk-aware cloud strategy.
Deconstructing Cloud Economics: Beyond Storage Costs
Many cloud providers attract customers with low initial storage prices, but the total cost is often obscured. A recent survey showed 56% of IT professionals consider egress fees—charges for moving data out of the cloud—to be excessive. These fees can make restoring data from backups or migrating to another provider prohibitively expensive, increasing total costs by over 60% in some cases.
The financial unpredictability extends to other hidden charges. These can include costs for API calls, data retrieval from certain storage tiers, and minimum storage duration fees. This complex pricing makes accurate budgeting nearly impossible for the 85% of businesses with a cloud-first strategy. A transparent model with zero egress fees, no API call costs, and no minimum storage duration is the only way to guarantee predictable margins.
A predictable cost model is especially valuable for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). It allows them to offer Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) and archiving solutions with stable, defensible margins. This financial clarity is a core component of a sound storage vendor evaluation in the UK. Predictable economics transform cloud storage from a volatile operational expense into a stable, strategic asset.
Achieving True Application Portability With S3 Compatibility
Full S3 API compatibility is essential for modern IT operations, protecting investments in tools and training. It ensures that existing applications, scripts, and backup software work without any code rewrites, saving hundreds of development hours. This compatibility must extend beyond basic operations to include advanced features. Here is what to look for:
Support for object versioning and lifecycle management policies.
Seamless integration with leading backup tools via the S3 protocol.
Consistent performance for both API, CLI, and SDK access methods.
Support for advanced security features like Object Lock.
Full functionality for IAM policies and access control.
An S3-compatible platform minimises migration risk and prevents vendor lock-in. A 2025 market report shows that 73% of companies are now investing in hybrid or multi-cloud strategies to avoid dependency on a single provider. The ability to move data and applications freely is a key tenet of data sovereignty in the UK. This freedom ensures that businesses retain negotiating power and long-term control over their digital assets.
Building Resilience Against Ransomware With Immutable Storage
Ransomware remains a top threat, with attacks growing by over 70% in the last year alone. Immutable storage, enabled by features like S3 Object Lock, provides a powerful defence. It allows businesses to make backup data unchangeable and undeletable for a specified period, ensuring a clean copy is always available for recovery. This capability is a core requirement for any robust disaster recovery plan.
A comprehensive security posture involves more than just immutability. Here are four essential layers of protection:
Multi-layer encryption: Data must be encrypted both in transit and at rest.
Identity and Access Management (IAM): Granular, role-based access controls with MFA prevent unauthorised access.
Resilient Architecture: An architecture that eliminates single points of failure ensures high availability.
Country-level Geofencing: This guarantees data stays within a predefined region under EU rules.
These security measures are not just technical features; they are business enablers. They provide the confidence needed to migrate critical workloads, like tape-to-cloud archives and sensitive financial data. This level of security is a key differentiator when comparing AWS S3 vs UK providers, where jurisdictional control is paramount. A resilient architecture is the bedrock of a trustworthy cloud partnership.
The Operational Advantage of an 'Always-Hot' Storage Model
Complex storage tiering, which moves data between hot, cool, and archive layers, often creates hidden operational costs. Restoring data from archival tiers can lead to delays of several hours and trigger unexpected retrieval fees. These delays are unacceptable in over 80% of disaster recovery scenarios. An 'Always-Hot' object storage model eliminates this complexity entirely.
With an always-hot model, all data is immediately accessible without any restore delays or fees. This simplifies operations for IT teams, who no longer need to manage brittle lifecycle policies that can fail or become outdated. It also ensures that third-party applications, which expect instant data access, continue to function predictably. This approach reduces total cost of ownership by an average of 30% by avoiding hidden operational burdens.
This architectural choice directly supports business continuity and audit readiness. When every object is accessible in milliseconds, recovery time objectives (RTOs) are easier to meet. This simplicity and performance are critical considerations in any OVH migration consideration. An always-hot architecture delivers consistent performance and operational peace of mind.
Meeting 2025 Regulatory Demands: NIS-2 and the EU Data Act
New EU regulations are raising the bar for cybersecurity and data portability, impacting many UK firms. The NIS-2 Directive, which expands on the original, requires stricter security measures, supply chain risk management, and incident reporting within 24 hours for essential entities. Non-compliance can lead to fines of up to 2% of global turnover.
Simultaneously, the EU Data Act, applicable from September 2025, champions data portability and interoperability. It mandates that cloud providers must remove technical and contractual barriers that prevent customers from switching services. This regulation is designed to prevent vendor lock-in and empower users with full control over their data, including metadata and access information.
A provider that is 'sovereign by design' aligns with these regulations from the ground up. By operating exclusively in EU data centers and using open standards, such a provider offers a future-proof solution. For UK companies serving EU customers, choosing a partner with built-in compliance for these directives is a significant competitive advantage, simplifying the complex world of Azure storage vs UK providers. This proactive stance on regulation builds trust and reduces long-term risk.
A Partner-Ready Platform for UK MSPs and Resellers
Your Next Step Towards a Sovereign Cloud Strategy
Making the right choice in the OVH vs UK providers debate requires a clear understanding of your organisation's needs. A modern cloud strategy for any UK business must prioritise four key areas: data sovereignty, cost predictability, robust security, and regulatory readiness. Evaluating providers against these pillars ensures a resilient and future-proof infrastructure that protects both your data and your budget.
Taking control of your data starts with choosing a partner whose architecture and legal framework are built for digital sovereignty. An EU-based cloud offers a practical, enterprise-ready alternative that eliminates CLOUD Act exposure and simplifies GDPR compliance. With full S3 compatibility and a transparent economic model, migrating to a sovereign cloud has never been more straightforward. Start a free trial to experience the difference firsthand.
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FAQ
How does Impossible Cloud ensure my data stays in the EU?
Impossible Cloud is a European company that operates exclusively in certified European data centers. We offer country-level geofencing to guarantee your data is stored in a predefined region, ensuring it remains under EU law and is fully compliant with GDPR, free from CLOUD Act exposure.
What are the costs associated with using Impossible Cloud?
Our pricing is transparent and predictable. We charge only for the storage you use. There are no egress fees, no API call costs, and no minimum storage duration fees, which allows for precise budgeting and predictable margins for our partners.
Can I use my existing backup software with Impossible Cloud?
Yes. Impossible Cloud offers full S3 API compatibility, which means it integrates out-of-the-box with leading backup and recovery software like Veeam and NovaBackup. Your existing tools and workflows will continue to operate seamlessly.
How does Impossible Cloud protect my data from ransomware?
We provide robust ransomware protection through Immutable Storage using S3 Object Lock. This feature allows you to make your backups unchangeable for a set period, ensuring you always have a clean, recoverable copy of your data in the event of an attack.
Is Impossible Cloud suitable for MSPs?
Absolutely. Our platform is partner-ready, featuring a multi-tenant console, full automation via API/CLI, and a predictable pricing model that guarantees stable margins. With UK distribution through Northamber plc, we provide local access and support for our channel partners.
What does 'Always-Hot' storage mean?
Always-Hot means all your data is immediately accessible at all times, with no delays or extra fees for retrieval. Unlike tiered storage models that move data to slower, cheaper layers, our architecture simplifies operations and ensures consistent high performance for all your data, which is critical for fast restores.
