European Cloud
ISO 27001
PCI DSS storage UK
Achieve PCI DSS Compliance with Sovereign Cloud Storage in the UK
Meeting PCI DSS storage requirements in the UK presents a significant compliance challenge, especially with the v4.0 transition deadline of March 2025 approaching. A sovereign cloud architecture offers a clear path to compliance, securing cardholder data within EU borders and eliminating unpredictable costs.
Key Takeaways
Achieving PCI DSS v4.0 compliance in the UK requires a sovereign storage strategy that keeps data within EU legal jurisdictions, avoiding risks like the US CLOUD Act.
Immutable storage with S3 Object Lock is a critical defense against ransomware and helps meet PCI DSS requirements for protecting stored cardholder data.
A predictable cost model with no egress or API fees allows UK businesses and MSPs to manage PCI DSS compliant storage without financial surprises.
For UK businesses handling payment data, achieving robust PCI DSS compliance is non-negotiable. The updated PCI DSS v4.0 standard introduces more stringent requirements, shifting focus to continuous security and customized controls that must be validated by 2025. This evolution, combined with the complexities of UK data sovereignty post-Brexit, places immense pressure on IT leaders to select the right infrastructure. Storing data with non-EU providers creates exposure to foreign laws like the US CLOUD Act, putting sensitive cardholder information at risk. An EU-native, S3-compatible object storage solution with country-level geofencing provides a direct answer to these challenges, ensuring both compliance and control.
Reinforce PCI DSS v4.0 Compliance in the UK
The transition to PCI DSS v4.0 marks a significant shift, moving from annual audits to a model of continuous security testing and validation. UK organisations have until March 31, 2025, to implement over 60 new stipulations designed to counter evolving cyber threats. This framework demands robust controls for all system components, including cloud environments where cardholder data is stored or processed. A key change is the mandate for multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all access to the cardholder data environment. Adhering to these updated standards is critical for maintaining Cyber Essentials certification and protecting customer trust. This new regulatory landscape requires a foundational storage solution built for modern compliance challenges.
Mitigate Risk with Sovereign Storage Architecture
Storing data with US-based cloud providers exposes UK businesses to the 2018 US CLOUD Act, which can compel disclosure of data regardless of its location. This creates a direct conflict with UK GDPR and data protection principles. A sovereign storage architecture, operated exclusively in certified European data centers, provides a definitive solution for UK data sovereignty. Country-level geofencing ensures cardholder data remains within predefined regions under EU rules, eliminating this jurisdictional risk entirely. This approach aligns with the NIS-2 directive's emphasis on securing critical digital infrastructure across the EU.
A sovereign-by-design platform offers several key advantages for PCI DSS compliance:
Operates exclusively in certified European data centers, ensuring data never leaves the EU.
Provides country-level geofencing to meet strict data residency requirements for financial data.
Aligns with GDPR by design, simplifying compliance for businesses processing personal data.
Avoids CLOUD Act exposure, giving you full control over your data's legal jurisdiction.
Offers multi-layer encryption, both in transit and at rest, to protect stored account data as required by PCI DSS.
This architecture provides the legal certainty needed to manage sensitive financial information confidently.
Use Immutable Storage to Defend Cardholder Data
PCI DSS Requirement 3 focuses explicitly on protecting stored account data, a task complicated by the constant threat of ransomware. Immutable storage, using S3 Object Lock, creates a write-once-read-many (WORM) state for data, making it impossible to alter or delete for a predefined period. This provides a powerful defense, ensuring that at least one copy of your critical backup data is secure and recoverable. Thousands of UK businesses are impacted by ransomware each year, making immutable backups a core component of a resilient security posture. This technology directly supports zero-trust security models by guaranteeing the integrity of backup archives. By locking data for a set time, you create an audit-ready retention policy that prevents malicious encryption or removal.
Streamline Compliance with an Always-Hot Data Model
Many cloud providers use complex storage tiers, which can introduce risk and unpredictable costs during urgent restore operations. An "Always-Hot" object storage model ensures 100% of your data is immediately accessible without any tier-restore delays or hidden fees. This operational simplicity is a significant advantage for storage for financial services, where quick access to archived data is often a regulatory requirement. This model eliminates the risk of API timeouts and lifecycle policy drift that can compromise compliance checks.
An always-hot architecture delivers clear benefits for PCI DSS storage in the UK:
Predictable Performance: Strong read/write consistency and low latencies ensure third-party backup and security tools operate without failure.
No Restore Surprises: Eliminates restore delays and unexpected fees common with tiered storage, ensuring you can recover data within minutes, not hours.
Simplified Operations: A single, active tier reduces architectural complexity and strengthens your ability to conduct fast, reliable audit and recovery tests.
Cost Transparency: Avoids the hidden operational costs associated with data retrieval from deep archives, making financial planning predictable.
This approach keeps your applications and recovery processes stable and predictable under any workload.
Ensure Seamless Integration with 100% S3 Compatibility
Maintaining operational continuity during a platform migration is essential for any enterprise. A storage solution with full S3 API compatibility ensures your existing applications, scripts, and backup tools continue to work without code rewrites. This protects your investment in established workflows and minimizes migration risk by over 90%. Our platform supports advanced S3 capabilities like versioning and lifecycle management, ensuring seamless integration with tools from partners like NovaBackup. This makes it straightforward to implement a robust, GDPR-compliant object storage strategy without disrupting your current IT environment. This compatibility is the bridge to modernizing your storage infrastructure without rebuilding it.
Empower MSPs with a Predictable, Partner-Ready Platform
For Managed Service Providers, delivering compliant backup and archiving services requires a platform that is both powerful and economically predictable. Our partner-ready console offers multi-tenant management with robust role-based access controls (RBAC) and MFA. The pricing model, with zero egress fees and no API call costs, provides stable, defensible margins for BaaS and DRaaS offerings. A key 2025 milestone is our expanded UK distribution through Northamber plc, providing local access and support for hundreds of UK resellers and MSPs. This channel focus ensures our partners can deliver effective, FCA-compliant storage solutions with confidence. Now is the time to build services on a foundation of sovereignty and predictability.
More Links
PCI Security Standards Council offers resources specifically focusing on the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), including access to the standards themselves and related guidance for organizations handling cardholder data.
The Bank of England provides guidance on outsourcing and cloud service providers, particularly relevant for financial institutions, addressing risks and considerations related to using third-party services.
The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) offers a finalized guidance document (FG16/5) covering a specific regulatory topic relevant to financial services, potentially related to outsourcing or technology.
A UK government publication discusses multi-region cloud and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, providing guidance on their use and considerations for public sector organizations.
techUK explores the implications of data sovereignty for the UK public sector, examining the legal and practical considerations of storing and processing data within specific geographic boundaries.
UK Finance provides reports and publications related to cloud adoption in the financial services sector, offering insights into trends, challenges, and best practices.
security.gov.uk presents Principle B3 of the Government Cyber Security Policy Handbook, which focuses on data security and outlines the government's expectations for protecting data across its operations.
FAQ
What is sovereign cloud storage?
Sovereign cloud storage is a service where data is stored and processed subject to the laws of a specific jurisdiction, like the European Union. It ensures data is managed by an EU-based company in EU-located data centers, protecting it from foreign laws and ensuring compliance with regulations like GDPR.
How does 'Always-Hot' storage differ from tiered storage?
Always-hot storage keeps all data immediately accessible without any delays or retrieval fees. Tiered storage moves infrequently accessed data to cheaper, slower tiers (cool, cold, archive), which can cause delays and extra costs when you need to restore it. For compliance and recovery, an always-hot model is simpler and more reliable.
Is Impossible Cloud suitable for financial services in the UK?
Yes. Impossible Cloud is designed for regulated industries like financial services. Its EU-only data centers, country-level geofencing, and alignment with GDPR and NIS-2 provide the security and compliance framework necessary for handling sensitive financial data in the UK.
What are the benefits for MSPs offering PCI DSS compliant storage?
MSPs benefit from a predictable pricing model with no egress or API fees, which allows for stable and defensible margins on backup and disaster recovery services. A multi-tenant management console and automation via API/CLI simplify operations and onboarding for new clients.
How does Object Lock protect against ransomware?
Object Lock makes data immutable, meaning it cannot be altered, encrypted, or deleted for a specified retention period. If a ransomware attack occurs, your immutable backups remain untouched, allowing you to restore clean data and ensure business continuity without paying a ransom.
What does S3 compatibility mean?
S3 compatibility means the storage service uses the same Application Programming Interface (API) as Amazon's S3. This allows you to use the same tools, applications, and scripts you currently use with S3 without modification, ensuring a simple and risk-free migration.
