Navigate the Data Sovereignty Imperative

UK financial institutions handle data governed by stringent EU laws. The US CLOUD Act of 2018 creates a significant jurisdictional conflict, allowing US authorities to request data held by US-based providers, regardless of its storage location. This directly challenges the core tenets of GDPR, which restricts data transfers outside the EU without adequate protection. For over 70% of the European cloud market dominated by non-EU companies, this presents a tangible compliance risk. Choosing a 100% EU-owned and operated cloud provider eliminates this legal ambiguity entirely. A true path to data sovereignty ensures data is subject only to EU law. This focus on provider origin is now a core selection criterion for a strong majority of EU decision-makers.

Achieve Demonstrable Compliance with EU Regulations

Regulatory readiness is a competitive advantage for any financial services cloud in the UK. The upcoming EU Data Act, applicable from September 2025, mandates greater data portability to prevent vendor lock-in. Simultaneously, the NIS-2 Directive requires stricter cybersecurity measures, including supply chain security and incident reporting within 24 hours. An EU-sovereign cloud addresses these regulations by design. Features like country-level geofencing ensure data stays within defined regions, satisfying GDPR data residency rules. The following capabilities are essential for compliance:

• Strictly EU-based data centers to guarantee data remains under European legal jurisdiction.
• Country-level geofencing to enforce data residency for specific regulatory needs.
• Immutable Storage with S3 Object Lock to meet audit and retention requirements.
• Identity and Access Management (IAM) with MFA and RBAC for granular control over data access.
• Full support for data portability and exit strategies as mandated by the 2025 EU Data Act.

This built-in compliance simplifies audits and reduces the operational burden on internal teams by over 15%. These architectural choices provide a clear framework for regulatory adherence.

Build a Resilient Defence Against Ransomware

Ransomware attacks remain a top threat, with the financial sector being a prime target. A robust defence requires more than just perimeter security; it needs immutable data backups. S3 Object Lock provides write-once-read-many (WORM) protection, making backup data unchangeable for a set period. This renders ransomware encryption ineffective against at least one copy of your data. An "Always-Hot" storage model ensures 100% of this immutable data is immediately accessible for recovery, eliminating restore delays common with tiered systems. This approach can reduce recovery times by up to 90% compared to retrieving data from archival tiers. Adopting a modern 4-2-2 backup strategy—four copies on two media types, with two offsite, one of which is immutable—is now the gold standard. This strategy is fully supported by a zero-trust cloud architecture. Such resilience is a core requirement for business continuity under the NIS-2 directive.

Eliminate Unpredictable Costs and Vendor Lock-In

Many cloud providers penalize data access with high egress fees and API call charges, making budget forecasting nearly impossible. These hidden costs can increase a monthly bill by 30% or more. A predictable financial services cloud in the UK must offer a transparent economic model. This means zero egress fees, zero API call costs, and no minimum storage durations. This model provides predictable margins, a critical factor for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) offering Backup-as-a-Service. The EU Data Act reinforces this by empowering customers with the right to switch providers without financial penalty. Key benefits of this transparent model include:

1. Predictable Monthly Billing: Costs are based solely on the volume of storage used, simplifying budget allocation.
2. Frictionless Data Retrieval: Accessing data for restores, analytics, or migrations incurs zero additional charges.
3. Enhanced Negotiation Power: The absence of lock-in tactics preserves long-term freedom of action.
4. Simplified TCO Calculation: Eliminating variable fees allows for a 100% accurate Total Cost of Ownership analysis.

This approach directly addresses the pain of hidden cloud costs and aligns with modern financial governance.

Ensure Seamless Integration and Operational Continuity

Migrating to a new cloud platform should not require rewriting applications or retraining teams. Full S3 API compatibility is essential for a seamless transition, ensuring that existing tools, scripts, and backup software work without modification. This protects investments made over the last 10 years in S3-native workflows. Out-of-the-box integrations with leading backup vendors, such as the collaboration with NovaBackup, further simplify the move to a compliant cloud. This compatibility can reduce migration project timelines by over 50%. An architecture built for consistency ensures predictable latencies for the millions of small files typical in financial analytics workloads. This operational stability is a cornerstone of FCA-compliant storage solutions. The goal is to enhance compliance without sacrificing the performance IT teams expect.

Empower UK Partners and MSPs with a Channel-First Model

A successful cloud strategy includes a strong partner ecosystem. For UK-based MSPs and resellers, a predictable cost model is the foundation for building profitable services. With zero egress or API fees, partners can offer backup and archiving solutions with stable, defensible margins of at least 25%. The platform is partner-ready, featuring a multi-tenant console with robust RBAC and MFA for secure client management. Automation via a comprehensive API and CLI allows for deep integration into existing service delivery platforms. The recent addition of Northamber plc as the first UK distributor in 2025 provides local access and support for hundreds of resellers. This channel-first approach simplifies onboarding and management, making it easier to deliver compliant storage solutions. Talk to an expert to learn how to get started in under 24 hours.