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A strong majority of EU decision-makers now demand European solutions for their critical data infrastructure. Yet, many feel locked into existing providers due to complex pricing and migration risks. The solution is a practical, enterprise-ready EU alternative that combines performance parity with total cost transparency. Impossible Cloud’s S3 API compatibility object storage provides this path. It offers a resilient, sovereign platform built on certified European data centers, eliminating CLOUD Act exposure and egress fees entirely. This approach empowers IT leaders to meet strict GDPR, NIS-2, and EU Data Act requirements while protecting their technology investments.
Key Takeaways
- Impossible Cloud provides 100% S3 API compatibility object storage operated exclusively in European data centers to ensure digital sovereignty and GDPR compliance.
- The platform's transparent pricing model with zero egress fees, no API call costs, and no minimum storage duration delivers predictable costs and margins.
- Features like Immutable Storage (Object Lock) and an 'Always-Hot' architecture provide robust ransomware protection and consistent high performance for backup and recovery.
Establish Full Control with Sovereign-by-Design Architecture
Over 84% of European organizations are planning to use sovereign cloud solutions. Impossible Cloud meets this demand with an architecture built exclusively in certified European data centers. We provide country-level geofencing to guarantee your data stays within predefined EU regions. This design choice provides 100% legal certainty under GDPR. Our clients avoid all CLOUD Act exposure through this strictly EU-centric governance. This foundation of digital sovereignty is the first step toward building a resilient data strategy. The next challenge is ensuring your existing tools and workflows operate without disruption.
Protect Technology Investments with 100% S3 API Compatibility
Seamless integration is critical for minimizing migration risk and cost for 100% of IT teams. Our platform provides complete S3 API compatibility that goes beyond basic operations. It supports advanced capabilities like versioning and lifecycle management across any API, CLI, or SDK. This ensures your applications and scripts continue working with zero code rewrites. We enable out-of-the-box integrations with dozens of leading backup tools, including a deep collaboration with NovaBackup. This focus on compatibility protects your past investments and simplifies the transition to a sovereign cloud environment.
Achieve Predictable Economics with a Transparent Cost Model
Cloud costs and dependency are major pain points for more than 60% of companies. We address this with a radically transparent economic model. Impossible Cloud charges zero egress fees and zero API call costs. There are also no minimum storage duration penalties, giving you total flexibility. This model delivers predictable margins for our MSP partners and simplifies budgeting for enterprise IT leaders. You can scale your data handling to millions of objects without performance degradation or surprise fees. This financial predictability is a core component of our value proposition, which is further strengthened by our unique storage architecture.
Enhance Performance with an 'Always-Hot' Object Storage Model
Complex storage tiering often creates operational fragility and hidden costs for over 50% of users. Our 'Always-Hot' object storage model eliminates these issues entirely. All data is immediately accessible with strong read/write consistency and predictable latencies. This approach avoids tier-restore delays that can cause API timeouts and application failures. It simplifies operations for three core use cases:
- Backup & Disaster Recovery: Ensures your recovery point objectives (RPOs) are met with 100% data accessibility.
- Tape-to-Cloud: Modernizes legacy systems with a 10x performance increase over tape.
- Active Archiving: Allows you to run analytics directly on archived data without restore fees or delays.
This high-performance architecture is the engine behind our robust security and compliance features.
Strengthen Ransomware Defense with Immutable Storage
Ransomware attacks continue to target backup repositories, affecting thousands of businesses annually. We provide multi-layer security, including in-transit and at-rest encryption. Our core defense is Immutable Storage with S3 Object Lock. This feature makes your backup data unchangeable for a defined period, rendering it 100% safe from malicious encryption or deletion. This capability is a cornerstone of a modern 3-2-1 backup strategy for ransomware protection. You can learn more about our secure backup solutions. Effective security also requires robust identity and access management controls.
Implement Granular Control with Enterprise-Ready IAM
Identity and access management must map to real-world organizational structures. Our IAM system provides granular, role-driven policies with secure defaults. It supports external identity providers via SAML/OIDC for seamless integration. We also enable time-bounded access and presigned URLs for secure, temporary data sharing. Our console UX simplifies these complex tasks:
- Create and manage buckets with just 3 clicks.
- Assign fine-grained permissions to users and groups.
- Implement object tagging for better data governance.
- Monitor all activities with detailed logging and reporting.
These enterprise-grade controls are essential for meeting new EU regulatory requirements.
Prepare for New EU Regulations with a Future-Proof Platform
For contracts after September 12, 2025, the EU Data Act mandates data portability to prevent vendor lock-in. Our platform is built on open standards to ensure you have a real exit path. The NIS-2 directive also requires continuous security processes and supply-chain assurance for 18 critical sectors. Our operational model bakes in these requirements, including vulnerability management and incident reporting. Choosing a compliant secure object storage provider is now a competitive advantage. This is especially true for our channel partners.
Enable Channel Growth with a Partner-Ready Platform
We designed our platform to help MSPs, resellers, and system integrators achieve predictable margins. The zero egress and API fee model makes pricing BaaS and archiving services simple and defensible. Our partner console offers multi-tenant management with full RBAC and MFA support. Automation via our API and CLI allows for fast onboarding of hundreds of clients. We are expanding local access with new distribution agreements, including with api in Germany and Northamber plc in the UK. This momentum provides our partners with a clear path to growth. Getting started is a straightforward, 3-step process.
Execute a Seamless Migration in Three Steps
Migrating to a new storage platform should take days, not months. Our full S3 compatibility simplifies the process. Here is a proven 3-step plan:
- Configure Endpoints: Update your existing backup tools or applications with our S3-compatible endpoint credentials in under 5 minutes.
- Replicate Policies: Recreate your bucket policies, lifecycle rules, and IAM permissions using our intuitive console or CLI.
- Test & Finalize: Run a small-scale data transfer and a test restore to validate the configuration, which typically takes less than 1 hour.
This entire process can be completed with zero downtime for most applications. Talk to one of our experts to plan your specific migration and unlock the benefits of a truly sovereign cloud.
More Links
Econstor provides a full-text report on Digital Sovereignty by Michael Pohle, offering in-depth analysis on the topic.
The German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) offers a press release detailing relevant statistical information.
GDPR.eu serves as a comprehensive resource for understanding the General Data Protection Regulation.
The European Commission outlines the European Data Strategy, a key initiative for a digital-ready Europe.
DLA Piper provides insights into data protection laws specifically within Germany.
ZEW (Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research) shares a press release on German companies' perspectives and perceived need for action regarding digital sovereignty.
FAQ
Is Impossible Cloud fully compatible with the S3 API?
Yes, Impossible Cloud offers full S3 API compatibility. This includes not only basic object operations but also advanced features such as versioning, lifecycle management, object tagging, and event notifications. Your existing S3-native applications, scripts, and tools will work without modification.
How does Impossible Cloud ensure GDPR and digital sovereignty?
We ensure compliance by operating exclusively in certified European data centers. We offer country-level geofencing to keep data within specific EU regions, and our company structure ensures we are not subject to non-EU laws like the CLOUD Act. This sovereign-by-design approach guarantees your data is governed by EU rules.
What is the 'Always-Hot' storage model?
Our 'Always-Hot' storage model means all your data is instantly accessible at all times, with no delays or extra fees for retrieval. Unlike tiered storage that moves data to slower, cheaper archives, our model simplifies operations, ensures predictable performance, and makes your data always ready for restores or analytics.
Are there any hidden costs like API call charges or minimum storage fees?
No. Our pricing is transparent and predictable. We have zero egress fees, zero charges for API calls (GET, PUT, LIST, etc.), and no minimum storage duration fees. You only pay for the storage you use.
How does Impossible Cloud support MSPs and channel partners?
We provide a partner-ready platform with a multi-tenant management console, full automation via API/CLI, and detailed reporting. Our predictable pricing model with no egress fees allows partners to build profitable and defensible Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) and archiving solutions for their clients.
How does your platform help me comply with the EU Data Act and NIS-2?
Our platform is built on open standards, ensuring data portability and preventing vendor lock-in as required by the EU Data Act. For NIS-2, our continuous security processes, supply-chain assurance, and EU-only operations help you meet the directive's stringent cybersecurity and resilience requirements.