Impossible Cloud

What Is Impossible Cloud?

The European cloud storage market has spent years watching organisations pay egress fees to retrieve their own data from American hyperscalers. AWS S3 charges escalating rates for every gigabyte transferred out, creating a financial lock-in that keeps customers tethered even when sovereignty concerns demand a move. Impossible Cloud, founded in Hamburg in 2021 by Dr. Kai Wawrzinek, Dr. Christian Kaul, and Daniel Baker, was built specifically to break that pattern.

The company offers S3-compatible object storage operated exclusively from certified European data centres across Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, and the UK. Its pricing model inverts the hyperscaler approach: storage is charged per terabyte per month, and egress is free. API calls are free. There are no minimum storage durations and no retrieval fees. For organisations whose cloud storage bills have become unpredictable, that simplicity is the primary draw.

Impossible Cloud has attracted over 3,000 customers and raised EUR 17 million from European investors including HV Capital. The founding team brings experience from Goodgame Studios, Airbnb, and Groupon — a background in scaling infrastructure-heavy products that informs the platform's emphasis on operational simplicity. Beyond object storage, the company has expanded into bare metal GPU servers, positioning itself as a broader European cloud alternative rather than a storage-only provider.

Key Features

S3-Compatible API

Impossible Cloud delivers full S3 API compatibility, which means existing applications, scripts, and tools that work with AWS S3 work with Impossible Cloud without code changes. Backup jobs configured in Veeam, Acronis, or rclone can switch storage targets by changing an endpoint URL. This compatibility extends to advanced features: Object Lock for immutable backups, versioning for data protection, multipart uploads for large objects, and server-side encryption. For operations teams evaluating a migration, the zero-rewrite requirement dramatically reduces project risk and timeline.

Always-Hot Architecture

Unlike hyperscalers that fragment storage into hot, warm, cold, and glacier tiers — each with different pricing, retrieval times, and minimum storage durations — Impossible Cloud maintains a single always-hot storage tier. All data is immediately accessible at consistent low latency. There are no lifecycle policies to configure, no retrieval delays to account for, and no surprise charges when accessing archived data. For backup and compliance use cases where data may need immediate retrieval during an incident, this eliminates a category of operational complexity.

Zero Egress Pricing

Egress fees are the hidden cost that makes cloud storage bills unpredictable. AWS charges $0.09 per GB for standard egress, meaning a 10 TB data retrieval costs $900 in transfer fees alone. Impossible Cloud charges nothing. Data in, data out, API calls — all included in the per-terabyte storage rate. For organisations that regularly access or redistribute stored data, this can reduce total storage costs by 40-60% compared to hyperscaler pricing.

Backup Partner Ecosystem

Impossible Cloud has built deep integrations with the European backup ecosystem. The platform holds Veeam Ready Object with Immutability certification, meaning Veeam has tested and validated the integration for enterprise backup workloads. Partnerships with Acronis, MSP360, Nakivo, Hornetsecurity, and Comet Backup provide managed service providers with a sovereign storage target for backup-as-a-service offerings. Object Lock support enables immutable backups that protect against ransomware encryption — data cannot be modified or deleted during the lock retention period.

Reserved Capacity Plans

For organisations with predictable storage requirements, reserved capacity plans offer volume discounts on committed storage. Capacity starts at 25 TB with contract terms from one to five years. These plans pair dedicated account management with price certainty, making budget planning straightforward for procurement teams accustomed to hyperscaler pricing volatility.

Pricing

Impossible Cloud's pay-as-you-go rate starts at EUR 7.99 per terabyte per month. That headline number includes zero egress fees, zero API call costs, and no minimum storage duration. A 50 TB deployment costs approximately EUR 400 per month with no additional charges regardless of how frequently data is accessed or transferred.

Compared to AWS S3 Standard at roughly $0.023 per GB (approximately EUR 23 per TB/month before egress), Impossible Cloud represents a 65% saving on storage alone. Factor in egress fees for active data retrieval, and the total cost difference can exceed 80%.

Reserved capacity plans bring further discounts, though specific rates require a sales conversation. The minimum commitment of 25 TB positions these plans for mid-market and enterprise workloads rather than small-scale users. Bare metal GPU services are priced per GPU card-hour, separate from storage billing.

The absence of a free tier is a notable gap. Competitors like Backblaze B2 offer 10 GB free, and Hetzner provides affordable entry points. Organisations wanting to test Impossible Cloud must commit to paid storage from the outset, which adds friction to evaluation.

EU Compliance & Privacy

This is where Impossible Cloud holds its strongest structural advantage. As Impossible Cloud GmbH, a German company, all operations fall under EU jurisdiction. Infrastructure runs exclusively in certified European data centres — no data touches US soil, and no US entity has legal standing to compel access.

The certification stack is comprehensive for a company of this size: ISO/IEC 27001 for information security management, SOC 2 Type II for operational controls, and PCI DSS compliance at the data centre level. The company explicitly aligns with NIS2 directive requirements, which matters for organisations in critical infrastructure sectors that face mandatory compliance deadlines.

For regulated industries — finance, healthcare, government — the combination of German legal jurisdiction, certified infrastructure, and S3 compatibility provides a migration path that satisfies both compliance teams and engineering teams simultaneously.

Who It's Best For

Backup and disaster recovery teams needing sovereign storage with immutable backup support. The Veeam Ready certification and Object Lock capability make Impossible Cloud a validated target for enterprise backup infrastructure.

Managed service providers building backup-as-a-service offerings for European clients. Zero egress fees enable predictable margin calculations, and partner integrations with Acronis, MSP360, and Nakivo simplify service delivery.

Organisations migrating from AWS S3 that need European data residency without rewriting applications. Full S3 API compatibility means the migration is a configuration change, not a development project.

Compliance-driven enterprises in finance, healthcare, or critical infrastructure sectors where ISO 27001, SOC 2, and NIS2 alignment are procurement requirements rather than nice-to-haves.

The Verdict

Impossible Cloud solves a specific and important problem: providing S3-compatible storage that is genuinely European, transparently priced, and certified for regulated workloads. The zero-egress pricing model alone justifies evaluation for any organisation spending significantly on AWS data transfer fees. The always-hot architecture and backup partner ecosystem add practical value beyond cost savings. The limitations are real — fewer regions than hyperscalers, no free tier, and a bare metal GPU offering that remains early-stage. For European organisations whose primary requirement is sovereign, affordable, and certified object storage, Impossible Cloud delivers on its promise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Impossible Cloud GDPR compliant?

Yes. Impossible Cloud GmbH is a German company operating exclusively in certified European data centres. All data remains under EU jurisdiction, protected from US CLOUD Act access requests. The company holds ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications.

Does Impossible Cloud charge egress fees?

No. Egress is completely free, as are API calls. You pay only for storage used per terabyte per month. This makes billing fully predictable regardless of data access patterns.

How does Impossible Cloud compare to AWS S3?

Impossible Cloud offers full S3 API compatibility at approximately 65% lower storage cost, with zero egress fees. AWS S3 offers more global regions, a larger ecosystem, and more granular storage tier options. Impossible Cloud prioritises European sovereignty and pricing simplicity.

Can I use Impossible Cloud with Veeam?

Yes. Impossible Cloud holds Veeam Ready Object with Immutability certification. Existing Veeam backup jobs work without modification — add Impossible Cloud as an object storage repository and enable Object Lock for immutable protection.

Where are Impossible Cloud's data centres located?

Data centres are located in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, and the UK. All facilities are certified to ISO 27001, SOC 2, and PCI DSS standards. No infrastructure operates outside European jurisdiction.