Reclaim Your Data: The Power of EU Cloud Services

In the evolving landscape of cloud computing, the reliance on US-based cloud services has become a topic of significant debate. I've observed a growing sentiment among European companies to reduce their dependency on US cloud providers. The causes are various factors, including economic considerations, privacy concerns, and the desire for greater digital sovereignty.

The Rise of Cyber Threats and Privacy Concerns

The increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber threats have raised alarms globally. Recent articles (1, 2) have highlighted the vulnerabilities in US-based cloud services. These services have been targeted by various cyberattacks. These incidents have underscored the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and the need for more localized control over data and infrastructure.

Moreover, political developments have raised concerns about data privacy and security. The uncertainty surrounding data-sharing agreements between the EU and the US, coupled with legislative actions like the CLOUD Act, has led many European organizations to reconsider their reliance on US cloud providers. The CLOUD Act allows US law enforcement to mandate user data from tech companies, including data stored outside the US. This has raised significant privacy concerns among European customers, who are now seeking alternatives that guarantee data residency within the EU.

The "BuyFromEU" Movement

The BuyFromEU movement is gaining traction as more people want to support local economies and reduce their dependency on foreign technologies. The focus of the movement is on the consumer. Each consumer should check the origin of the products they buy. This way, they gain awareness on how few of their purchases are coming from companies in the EU. This has driven many to replace "Coca Cola" with "Fritz Cola" and "Nike" with "Adidas". At least, if one believes the posts in the movement's official Sub-Reddit.

As IT professionals, our decisions are not consumer centric. However, I still think we can learn a thing or two from this movement. From our perspective, "BuyFromEU" is not just about economics; it's also about ensuring that European data is subject to European laws and standards. By embracing EU-based cloud services, companies can better align with regulatory requirements and mitigate the risks associated with data sovereignty.

There is no European AWS (yet)

This must mean we should immediately move all our infrastructure from AWS, Azure or GCP to an alternative, feature-rich European cloud, right? Well, it is not that easy. Even though there are many services in the EU, I have not yet found one that can replace the full feature-set of the major US public cloud offerings. As in the early days of AWS, it will take time until these alternative services will offer a broader feature set. Until then, we should consider using EU services where possible. Moving only 20% of your workloads away from the US to an EU provider can already be a big step into the right direction.

Alternative EU Cloud Services

Fortunately, the EU is already home to several cloud computing platforms. These platforms cover many, if not most, features of the large public cloud offerings. Here are some notable providers:

1. Scaleway: Offers a variety of services, including virtual servers, object storage (S3 compatible), and managed databases. Based in France.

2. OVHcloud: A comprehensive public cloud provider from France, offering classic cloud services like virtual servers, object storage, and managed Kubernetes.

3. UpCloud: Provides typical cloud services with a focus on high read and write speeds for memory-intensive applications. Based in Finland.

4. Exoscale: A Swiss-based platform offering virtual servers, object storage, and managed databases, with a strong emphasis on data privacy and security.

5. gridscale: A German cloud provider known for its variety of database types and managed NFS servers, ideal for sharing data between Kubernetes nodes.

6. Elastx: A Swedish provider using OpenStack, offering managed Kubernetes and a web application firewall, with a focus on high availability applications.

7. Fuga Cloud: A Dutch platform based on OpenStack, providing virtual servers, object storage, and managed Kubernetes.

8. Hetzner: A German provider offering typical cloud services with a strong reputation for reliability and customer support.

9. STACKIT: Another German cloud provider offering managed services like object storage, Kubernetes, and a variety of databases, with data centers in Germany and Austria.

The European Alternative website has a comprehensive list of possible EU alternatives: https://european-alternatives.eu/category/cloud-computing-platforms

The Challenges of Switching

While the benefits of switching to EU-based cloud services are clear, the process is not without its challenges. Migrating existing infrastructure can be complex and time-consuming, especially for large organizations with extensive data and applications. The long-term benefits of independence, greater control, improved data privacy, and alignment with regulatory requirements might outweigh the initial hurdles.

Conclusion

A shift towards EU-based cloud services is a strategic move that can enhance data privacy, reduce dependency on foreign technologies, and support local economies. The EU currently encourages CTOs and other IT professionals to explore these alternatives and develop a roadmap for migrating their infrastructure back to EU services or on-premise hosting.

I am aware of the current lack of full-features replacement offerings in the EU. That does not mean, that there won’t be one in the future. While not all services may be immediately replaceable, starting the process and having a backup plan in place is a good first step.