Align with 2025's New Regulatory Landscape

The year 2025 introduces at least two transformative EU regulations. The NIS-2 Directive requires robust backup and recovery plans for thousands of essential entities. It mandates documented procedures and regular testing to ensure operational continuity. The EU Data Act, fully applicable from September 2025, strengthens data portability. This legislation forces cloud providers to offer clear exit paths, reducing vendor lock-in. These rules make data sovereignty a board-level issue for over 50,000 EU organizations. A compliant compliance strategy is no longer optional. These new standards demand a fundamental shift in how companies approach backup and data protection.

Counteract Extraterritorial Data Access Risks

Storing data with non-EU providers creates significant legal risks. The U.S. CLOUD Act allows U.S. authorities to demand access to data held by U.S. companies, regardless of where it is stored physically. This directly conflicts with GDPR principles, which restrict data transfers to non-EU countries without adequate protection. This exposure affects more than 70% of European businesses using hyperscale clouds. Choosing an EU-owned and operated cloud eliminates this conflict by design. Geofenced storage within certified European data centers provides the only true legal certainty. This approach ensures your backup and data protection strategy is sovereign by design.

Implement Immutable Backups to Defeat Ransomware

Ransomware attacks increasingly target backup files to prevent recovery. Studies show attackers attempt to compromise backups in 96% of incidents. An immutable backup, enabled by features like S3 Object Lock, provides a powerful defense. It creates a write-once-read-many (WORM) copy of your data that cannot be altered or deleted for a set period. This guarantees a clean recovery point is always available, neutralizing the threat of data encryption. A sound ransomware protection plan must include immutability. Here is how Object Lock strengthens your data protection:

• It creates a verifiable, unchangeable copy of critical data for a defined retention period.
• It blocks deletion or modification attempts, even from accounts with administrative privileges.
• It helps meet compliance requirements for data integrity in sectors like finance and healthcare.
• It ensures a 100% clean data version is available for rapid recovery, avoiding ransom payments.

This technology is a non-negotiable component of modern backup architecture.

Modernize Your Backup Strategy Beyond 3-2-1

The classic 3-2-1 rule has been a reliable guide for years. It advises keeping three data copies on two different media types, with one copy offsite. However, modern threats require an evolution of this model. The updated 3-2-1-1-0 rule adds two critical layers for complete data protection. It introduces the requirement for one immutable or air-gapped copy, directly addressing ransomware risks. The final '0' signifies zero errors, emphasizing the need for automated verification and regular recovery testing. Adopting an advanced backup and recovery strategy is essential. Consider these steps to upgrade your approach:

1. Three Copies: Maintain your primary data and at least two backups.
2. Two Media: Use two distinct storage types, such as local disk and cloud object storage.
3. One Offsite Copy: Ensure one backup is stored in a geographically separate location, like a sovereign cloud.
4. One Immutable Copy: Make your offsite cloud backup unchangeable using Object Lock.
5. Zero Errors: Implement automated monitoring and perform quarterly recovery drills to validate backup integrity.

This framework provides a comprehensive defense against both digital and physical disasters.

Escape Hidden Costs and Vendor Lock-In

Traditional cloud storage models often contain hidden costs that penalize data use. Egress fees, charged for moving data out of the cloud, can add over 6% to a company's total cloud bill. These charges apply to data recovery, migration, or multi-cloud operations, creating significant vendor lock-in. A predictable cost model with zero egress fees and no API call charges is a strategic advantage. It allows for active data use without financial penalty, supporting a robust data protection strategy. Transparent pricing enables accurate budgeting and removes barriers to data mobility. This freedom is now a core principle of the EU Data Act. A predictable economic model is the foundation for a sustainable data strategy.

Enable Partners with a Predictable and Compliant Platform

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) require a platform built for efficiency and profitability. A partner-ready cloud offers predictable margins by eliminating egress and API fees. This allows MSPs to build defensible pricing for Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) offerings. Features like a multi-tenant console, role-based access control (RBAC), and automation via API/CLI are essential for managing hundreds of clients at scale. With distribution partners like api in Germany and Northamber plc in the UK, access to sovereign cloud solutions is simpler than ever. This channel focus helps MSPs deliver GDPR-compliant services to their clients with confidence. A strong partner program accelerates the adoption of sovereign data protection solutions across Europe.

Take Action for Sovereign Data Protection

Implementing a future-proof strategy for backup and data protection is an urgent priority. Start by assessing your current provider's compliance with new EU regulations and their cost transparency. An enterprise-ready solution should offer full S3 API compatibility to ensure your existing tools work without modification. An "Always-Hot" architecture guarantees all data is immediately accessible, eliminating restore delays that can impact recovery time objectives by hours. Taking control of your data starts with choosing a platform that is sovereign by design. Talk to an expert to map your path to compliance and resilience.