Cloud Storage
High Performance
storage benchmarking UK
Rethinking Storage Benchmarking in the UK for 2025
Your current storage benchmarks might be costing you more than you think. Traditional tests for speed and latency overlook the critical metrics of digital sovereignty and cost predictability that define success in 2025. This article introduces a new framework for evaluating cloud storage in the UK.
Key Takeaways
Modern storage benchmarking in the UK must prioritize digital sovereignty, cost predictability, and regulatory compliance over traditional speed metrics.
The absence of egress and API fees is a critical economic benchmark, preventing unpredictable costs that can reach 10-15% of a total cloud bill.
With ransomware affecting thousands of UK businesses, immutable storage with Object Lock is a non-negotiable benchmark for data resilience and recovery.
For years, UK IT leaders have relied on traditional storage benchmarking focused on IOPS, throughput, and latency. While important, these metrics now represent only a fraction of a solution's true value. In an era of strict data regulation and unpredictable cloud bills, a modern approach is required. This guide provides a comprehensive framework for storage benchmarking in the UK, focusing on the financial, regulatory, and security metrics that deliver real business advantage and protect against emerging risks.
Expand Performance Metrics Beyond Speed and Latency
Standard performance tests measuring IOPS and throughput are no longer sufficient for a complete evaluation. A 2025 study found 72 percent of European businesses now prioritize data sovereignty when selecting technology vendors. True performance in the UK market must include a provider's ability to guarantee data residency and control. Storing data exclusively in certified European data centers provides a measurable performance uplift in compliance and risk reduction. This approach avoids exposure to foreign jurisdictions like the CLOUD Act. Our architecture ensures your data stays within predefined regions under EU rules, a critical benchmark for modern governance. This focus on sovereign performance sets a new standard for evaluating storage vendors.
This shift requires a new mindset where regulatory alignment is as critical as read/write speeds.
Calculate True Storage Costs by Eliminating Hidden Fees
A true storage benchmark must analyze total cost of ownership, not just the price per gigabyte. Gartner research shows egress fees can account for 10% to 15% of a total cloud bill, creating significant budget uncertainty. A predictable financial model with zero egress fees, no API call charges, and no minimum storage duration is a superior economic benchmark. For UK businesses, this transparency translates directly into stable operational expenses and predictable margins for MSPs. Eliminating variable fees can reduce total cloud storage costs by a significant margin. This transparent economic model is a core component of any modern storage cost analysis.
Predictable economics provide the foundation for benchmarking the resilience of your data strategy.
Benchmark Resilience with Immutable Storage Against Ransomware
In 2025, an estimated 19,000 UK businesses were impacted by a ransomware attack, a figure that doubled from the previous year. Your storage's ability to withstand such an attack is a critical benchmark. Implementing immutable storage with Object Lock provides a WORM (Write-Once-Read-Many) model that makes data unchangeable for a set period. This ensures a clean, unalterable copy of your data is always available for recovery. Immutable backups render ransomware attacks ineffective, as encrypted data can be restored from a secure version. This benchmark is essential for business continuity and aligns with the data retention rules of GDPR and other regulations.
Here is how immutable storage forms a key part of a modern data protection strategy:
It provides a guaranteed clean recovery point for all critical data.
Object Lock prevents accidental or malicious deletion by internal or external actors.
It helps meet strict data retention mandates for regulations like HIPAA and GDPR.
Immutable copies simplify audit processes by proving data integrity over time.
Beyond data integrity, the ability to seamlessly integrate this resilient storage into existing workflows is the next critical test.
Verify S3 API Compatibility as the Standard for Interoperability
The S3 API has become the de-facto industry standard, making full compatibility a crucial benchmark for avoiding vendor lock-in. A truly compatible solution supports not just basic object operations but also advanced capabilities like versioning, lifecycle management, and event notifications. This ensures that your existing applications, scripts, and backup tools continue to work without any code rewrites, protecting at least 100% of your prior software investments. Full S3 compatibility guarantees a seamless migration and preserves your freedom to move data between providers. This level of API performance is a non-negotiable benchmark for modern, agile IT operations.
This interoperability is essential for meeting new regulatory mandates that demand data freedom.
Assess Regulatory Readiness for the EU Data Act and NIS-2
For UK firms operating in Europe, upcoming regulations introduce new storage benchmarks. The EU Data Act, fully applicable from September 2025, mandates that users can switch cloud providers and port all their data within 30 days. Additionally, the NIS-2 directive requires robust supply-chain security, making the choice of a compliant storage provider a core part of your risk management. Using a European provider with geofenced, EU-only data centers helps meet these requirements by design. This sovereign-by-design approach provides the legal certainty needed to operate confidently across the UK and EU.
To prepare for these changes, UK IT leaders should follow a clear, modernized benchmarking process.
Adopt a Practical Benchmarking Checklist for 2025
To effectively conduct storage benchmarking in the UK, IT leaders should adopt a modern evaluation framework. This checklist moves beyond legacy metrics to address the business realities of 2025.
Economic Predictability: Does the provider charge egress or API fees? Confirm a flat-rate pricing model to ensure zero cost surprises.
Data Sovereignty: Are data centers exclusively in Europe and operated by an EU entity? Verify geofencing capabilities to meet GDPR and UK data law requirements.
Resilience and Security: Does the solution offer immutable storage with Object Lock? Test this feature to confirm its effectiveness against ransomware simulations.
S3 Compatibility: Is the API fully compatible with advanced S3 features? Validate your key applications and scripts to ensure 100% interoperability.
Regulatory Fitness: Does the provider's architecture support EU Data Act and NIS-2 compliance? Ensure their terms facilitate data portability and supply chain security.
This structured approach also empowers channel partners to deliver superior value.
Enable the Channel with Predictable and Compliant Storage
More Links
Wikipedia provides an overview of benchmarks in computing, which are standardized tests for system performance.
GOV.UK outlines the UK's strategy for developing and utilizing compute infrastructure.
Eurostat (European Commission) presents statistics on cloud computing adoption by enterprises in Europe.
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) offers guidance and resources on the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
GOV.UK details the UK government's roadmap for digital and data transformation.
techUK explores the implications of data sovereignty for the UK public sector.
FAQ
What makes Impossible Cloud a sovereign cloud solution?
Impossible Cloud is a sovereign solution because it is a European company that operates exclusively in certified European data centers. We provide country-level geofencing to ensure your data stays in a predefined region, helping you comply with GDPR and avoid exposure to regulations like the US CLOUD Act.
Are there really no hidden fees with Impossible Cloud?
Correct. Our pricing is transparent and predictable. We charge for the storage you use, with no egress fees for data retrieval, no API call costs, and no minimum storage duration fees. This model eliminates the budget surprises common with other providers.
How does Impossible Cloud help UK MSPs and channel partners?
We are partner-ready with a predictable pricing model that allows MSPs to build stable margins. Our multi-tenant partner console, automation via API/CLI, and local UK distribution through Northamber plc make it easy to onboard and manage customers securely and efficiently.
Is my existing backup software compatible with Impossible Cloud?
Yes. Impossible Cloud offers full S3 API compatibility, which means it integrates out-of-the-box with leading backup and data management tools that use the S3 protocol. This includes our collaboration with NovaBackup for seamless integration.
What is 'Always-Hot' storage?
Our 'Always-Hot' object storage model means all your data is immediately accessible without any delays or restore fees associated with tiered storage (hot, cool, archive). This simplifies operations, ensures predictable performance for your applications, and makes restores faster and more reliable.
