Cloud Storage
Enterprise Storage
simple storage SME
Simple Storage for SMEs: Drive Growth with Sovereign, Predictable Cloud Solutions
UK SMEs are facing a critical challenge: finding a simple storage solution that is secure, compliant, and affordable. With 57% of businesses uncertain if their data resides in the EU, the risk of non-compliance is higher than ever. Discover a sovereign, S3-compatible object storage designed for growth, not complexity.
Key Takeaways
UK SMEs can achieve GDPR compliance and digital sovereignty by choosing EU-only, geofenced cloud storage, mitigating risks from foreign data access laws.
Transparent pricing models without egress or API fees are critical for SMEs, as hidden charges can account for 50% of total cloud storage costs.
Full S3 API compatibility and an 'Always-Hot' data model simplify operations, eliminate vendor lock-in, and ensure data is always accessible without restore delays or fees.
For small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK, the promise of the cloud is often overshadowed by complex pricing and regulatory hurdles. Many SMEs feel locked into providers due to unpredictable costs, with nearly half of all cloud billing expenses going to fees rather than capacity. Furthermore, with regulations like GDPR and the upcoming NIS-2 directive, ensuring data sovereignty is no longer optional. This article explores a simple storage SME solution that eliminates these challenges, offering a predictable, secure, and sovereign alternative that puts you back in control of your data and your budget.
Achieve Digital Sovereignty and GDPR Compliance
For UK SMEs, data sovereignty is a competitive advantage, not just a compliance checkbox. With 51% of SMEs facing scrutiny from partners over data location, proving where your data resides is critical. Storing data with non-EU providers creates exposure to foreign laws, a risk 72% of SMEs are concerned about. A truly sovereign cloud keeps your data exclusively in certified European data centres.
This approach provides two key benefits for any business handling personal information. First, it ensures 100% GDPR compliance by design, avoiding fines that can reach 4% of global turnover. Second, it offers country-level geofencing, giving you precise control over data residency. This eliminates the legal ambiguity of foreign data access laws. For more on this, see our guide to SME cloud adoption.
Choosing a European-centric platform is the first step toward building digital independence and trust. This foundation prepares your business for upcoming regulations and evolving client expectations.
Eliminate Unpredictable Costs with a Transparent Model
Cloud budgets are under pressure, with 56% of European organisations exceeding their planned spending. A primary driver is unpredictable fees for egress and API calls, which can account for 50% of a total cloud bill. For an MSP, recovering just 10TB of client data could generate over $900 in egress fees alone. This model makes financial forecasting nearly impossible for a growing SME.
A predictable pricing structure transforms budget management. Consider a model with three core guarantees:
Zero egress fees: Access and move your data anytime without penalty, a key requirement of the EU Data Act.
No API call costs: Automate and integrate your applications without worrying about surprise charges for every request.
No minimum storage duration: Pay only for what you use, for as long as you use it, offering maximum flexibility.
This transparent approach provides the economic clarity that over 65% of businesses seek when choosing a provider. It allows for accurate financial planning and protects margins, a crucial factor for any cost-effective SME strategy. This financial stability is key to scaling operations without unexpected hurdles.
Secure Your Data with Enterprise-Grade Ransomware Protection
Cyberattacks are a major threat, with 32% of UK small businesses suffering an attack in the last year. Ransomware is particularly damaging, costing some organisations millions in recovery. A robust defence requires more than just a firewall; it demands a modern, multi-layered security architecture. Simple storage for an SME must include advanced, built-in protective measures.
Key security features should include the following four elements:
Immutable Storage: Using Object Lock, data is made unchangeable for a set period, rendering it immune to ransomware encryption.
Multi-Layer Encryption: All data is encrypted both in transit and at rest, using strong protocols like AES-256.
Granular Access Control: Identity and Access Management (IAM) with multi-factor authentication ensures only authorised users can access specific data.
Resilient Architecture: The system should eliminate single points of failure, ensuring data is always available.
Implementing these measures provides a strong defence against the 43% of cyberattacks that now target SMEs. For guidance on implementation, review our article on DR planning for SMEs. This proactive security posture is fundamental to maintaining business continuity.
Ensure Seamless Migration and Operation with Full S3 Compatibility
Vendor lock-in is a significant barrier to agility, a problem cited by 48% of EMEA organisations. Full S3 API compatibility is the solution, as it has become the de-facto industry standard for cloud object storage. This ensures that your existing applications, scripts, and backup tools work without any code rewrites, protecting your past technology investments.
A truly compatible service goes beyond basic functions. It supports advanced capabilities like versioning, lifecycle management, and event notifications. This allows for a simple migration process; you only need to point your files to the new buckets to get started. This flexibility is critical for any scalable storage SME plan. The upcoming EU Data Act reinforces this by mandating data portability to foster competition.
This level of interoperability gives you the freedom to choose the best provider without being trapped by proprietary technology. It prepares your business for a multi-cloud future where data can move freely.
Simplify Operations with an 'Always-Hot' Storage Model
Complex storage tiers, while seemingly cost-effective, introduce operational risks. Tiering policies can be brittle, leading to restore delays, API timeouts, and hidden fees when access patterns change unexpectedly. For an SME without a large IT team, managing this complexity is a significant drain on resources. This is a common challenge for those seeking storage without IT expertise.
An “Always-Hot” object storage model simplifies everything. All data is immediately accessible with predictable low latency, eliminating the need for fragile lifecycle policies. This approach offers several advantages:
It reduces operational complexity by removing the need to manage data tiers.
It avoids restore delays and surprise fees, ensuring business continuity during urgent recovery events.
It guarantees stable performance for third-party tools, especially backup and disaster recovery applications.
This model ensures your data is always ready for any workload, from analytics to archiving, without operational surprises. It provides the reliability needed to support critical business functions without interruption.
Empower Growth with a Partner-Ready Platform
For Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and resellers, predictable margins are essential for profitability. A storage platform with zero egress or API fees provides a stable foundation for building Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) and archiving solutions. This predictability allows MSPs to price services confidently without absorbing unexpected costs from their cloud provider.
A partner-ready platform is designed for the channel. It includes a multi-tenant console with role-based access control (RBAC) and MFA for secure client management. Automation via a full-featured API and CLI allows for streamlined onboarding and reporting. With UK distribution through partners like Northamber plc, local access and support are readily available for resellers.
This focus on the partner ecosystem helps MSPs deliver high-value, compliant storage solutions to their SME clients. It provides the tools needed to manage multiple tenants efficiently and scale their business. For more information, explore our resources on affordable backup for SMEs.
More Links
Datenschutzkonferenz provides a document on cloud computing, focusing on data protection aspects.
Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) offers statistical data on the use of cloud computing in companies.
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action provides information on the digitalization of SMEs.
Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) shares a survey on digitalization.
KPMG presents its Cloud Monitor 2022, offering insights into the cloud market.
Fraunhofer hosts the website of its Cloud Computing research group.
Association of German Banks features an article on cloud banking, discussing challenges and opportunities for German banks.
FAQ
How does geofenced storage help my business with compliance?
Geofenced storage ensures your data never leaves a predefined geographic region, such as the UK or the EU. This is a critical requirement for GDPR and other data sovereignty regulations, as it guarantees your data is governed exclusively by local laws and protected from foreign legal jurisdictions.
What is Immutable Storage (Object Lock) and how does it protect against ransomware?
Immutable Storage, or Object Lock, makes your data unchangeable and undeletable for a specified period. If a ransomware attack occurs, your locked backup files cannot be encrypted by the malware, ensuring you have a clean, recoverable copy of your data to restore from.
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 tools like Veeam and our ecosystem partner NovaBackup. You can connect your existing software by simply changing the endpoint to our service.
What does 'Always-Hot' storage mean for my data access?
'Always-Hot' storage means all your data is stored in a single, high-performance tier and is always immediately accessible. Unlike tiered models, you never experience delays or extra fees for restoring data from an archive, which simplifies operations and guarantees fast recovery times.
How does your pricing model help me predict my monthly costs?
Our pricing is designed for predictability. We charge only for the storage you use and have no egress fees, no API call charges, and no minimum storage durations. This transparent model eliminates the variable costs that cause cloud bills to fluctuate, allowing for precise and stable budget forecasting.
Is this service suitable for MSPs and resellers?
Absolutely. The platform is built for our partners, offering predictable margins due to the zero-fee structure. It includes a multi-tenant management console, automation via API/CLI, and dedicated UK distribution channels to help MSPs and resellers deliver compliant and profitable storage services.
