Meet the Regulatory Demands for Research Data

EU research projects operate under at least three major data governance frameworks. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to any scientific research using personal data, impacting countless studies. Horizon Europe projects must manage data according to FAIR principles, making it Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable. This mandate requires a robust and compliant cloud data management platform.

The NIS-2 Directive further classifies many research institutions as critical infrastructure, adding new cybersecurity obligations by October 2024. Non-compliance can lead to fines of up to €10 million or 2% of turnover. These overlapping requirements demand a storage foundation built specifically for EU legal and security standards. This new reality makes sovereign infrastructure a prerequisite, not an option.

Establish Digital Sovereignty to Protect Research Integrity

Digital sovereignty is the ability to control your data independently, free from foreign laws like the US CLOUD Act. Storing data outside the EU exposes it to external legal access, a risk over 90% of EU decision-makers want to avoid. Our GDPR-compliant storage operates exclusively in certified European data centers, ensuring your data's legal jurisdiction never leaves the EU.

We provide country-level geofencing to meet specific national or project-based data residency rules. This guarantees that 100% of your data remains within your chosen EU region. This architectural choice is the only way to provide true legal certainty for sensitive research datasets. It forms the basis for building a secure and compliant data ecosystem.

Utilize Enterprise-Grade Architecture for Complex Workloads

Modern research requires more than just storage; it needs high-performance, accessible infrastructure. Our platform offers 100% S3-API compatibility, ensuring your existing applications, scripts, and pipelines continue to work without any code rewrites. This protects your past investments in tools and training, minimizing migration friction to zero.

We employ an “Always-Hot” object storage model, making all data immediately accessible without tier-restore delays of hours or days. This single-tier approach reduces operational complexity by 100% compared to tiered models. Key features for research teams include:

• Advanced identity management with SAML/OIDC for secure integration with institutional directories.
• Granular, role-driven policies via IAM, including support for time-bounded access and presigned URLs.
• Built-in object versioning and lifecycle management to protect against accidental deletion or corruption.
• Immutable Storage with Object Lock for audit-ready retention and ransomware defense.

These capabilities provide the performance and security needed to handle millions of small files or massive analytical workloads with predictable latencies.

Achieve Cost Predictability for Grant-Funded Projects

Research grants operate on fixed budgets, making unpredictable cloud bills a significant risk. Our pricing model is predictable by design, with zero egress fees, zero API call costs, and no minimum storage durations. This transparency eliminates the surprise charges that cause over 50% of cloud budget overruns elsewhere. You only pay for the storage you use, simplifying financial planning for multi-year projects.

For institutions working with IT partners, our model ensures predictable margins for Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) and archiving solutions. We empower Managed Service Providers (MSPs) with a multi-tenant console and full automation capabilities. Through UK distributors like Northamber plc, local resellers can deliver these benefits directly to research organizations. This economic stability is essential for long-term data preservation and accessibility.

Future-Proof Your Data Against Ransomware and Lock-In

Ransomware attacks can destroy years of irreplaceable research in minutes. Our Immutable Storage, using S3 Object Lock, makes your backups unchangeable for a defined period. This provides a 100% reliable recovery point for your critical data. It is a core component of a modern data protection strategy.

The EU Data Act, applying from September 2025, mandates data portability to prevent vendor lock-in. Our platform is built on this principle, using open standards to ensure you can always move your data. A practical 3-2-1 backup strategy for research data includes:

1. Maintain at least 3 copies of your data.
2. Store the copies on 2 different media types.
3. Keep 1 copy off-site and immutable in a sovereign cloud.

This approach ensures your valuable research data remains secure, compliant, and fully under your control for decades to come. Talk to an expert to design your resilient data strategy today.