OVHcloud: Europe's Leading Sovereign Cloud Provider - A great option for your self-hosted OSINT tools
With the current geopolitical situation, more customers than ever are looking for alternatives to the big US Cloud Providers like Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, and Google. Chinese providers usually also are not too popular if you are concerned about data residency or which state organs have control over those companies. That leaves not too many real options with a global foodprint and datacenter spread.
OVHcloud stands as one of the few genuine non-US and non-Chinese alternatives in the global cloud services market, offering a solid European cloud solution with worldwide infrastructure. Founded in France and operating independently of US jurisdiction, OVHcloud provides businesses concerned with data sovereignty a complete cloud ecosystem spanning four continents while not being controlled by US entities.
I have been using OVHcloud for a few of my osint tool deployments, and I have no issues at all with them in the past 2 years, in fact, less issues than I erxperienced during the same time on my Azure workloads, and for this reason, I have entirely decomissioned all workloads on Azure and now run only on OVHcloud with a few exceptions that i run on another platform based in Germany.
The European Cloud Alternative
OVHcloud was founded in 1999 by Octave Klaba in Roubaix, France, beginning as a small web hosting provider offering services to local businesses. Over the last 25 years, it has developed into the leading European cloud provider, with the company rebranding from OVH to OVHcloud in 2019 to emphasize its cloud-first approach. This transformation lead to the IPO in October 2021 when OVHcloud became listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange.
Currently led by CEO Benjamin Revcolevschi (who took over just recently, in October 2024), OVHcloud has positioned itself as the European alternative to US and Chinese cloud hyperscalers. The company describes itself as "the European cloud provider with a worldwide presence - in four continents". This unique position allows OVHcloud to offer customers seeking alternatives to US-based providers a complete cloud ecosystem.
Vertical Integration Model
A key differentiator for OVHcloud is its vertically integrated business model. Unlike many cloud providers, OVHcloud:
- Designs and manufactures its own servers.
- Builds and operates its own data centers.
- Owns and manages its own global fiber-optic network.
This end-to-end control over the entire infrastructure stack gives OVHcloud full autonomy over its operations and supply chain, reducing dependence on external vendors and allowing for better control of costs, performance, and security.
Data Centers and Network
OVHcloud operates:
- 43 data centers spread across 4 continents.
- Approximately 450,000 servers worldwide.
- 100Tbps global network capacity.
- 46 redundant Points of Presence (PoPs) worldwide.
Geographic Distribution
OVHcloud maintains data centers in multiple regions, for example:
Europe:
- France: Bordeaux, Croix, Gravelines, Grenoble, Paris, Roubaix, Strasbourg, Tours
- Germany: Frankfurt (Limburg)
- Poland: Warsaw (Ożarów)
- United Kingdom: London (Erith)
North America:
- Canada: Montreal (Beauharnois), Toronto (Cambridge)
- USA: Seattle (Hillsboro, Oregon), Washington DC (Vint Hill, Virginia)
Asia-Pacific:
- Australia: Sydney
- Singapore
- India: Mumbai
The company continues to expand its infrastructure, recently adding a Local Zone in Seattle to enhance data processing speeds and connectivity for Pacific Northwest businesses.
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Data Sovereignty and European Alternative
OVHcloud has strategically positioned itself as a sovereign alternative to US cloud providers, emphasizing data protection and compliance with European regulations (GDPR for example).
Structural Separation from US Jurisdiction
This is a critical aspect of OVHcloud's approach to data sovereignty is its clear separation between the US and the rest of the world, another good reason for you to consider it today:
- OVH US: Subject to US FISA and Cloud Act regulations for American data
- OVH Group: Not subject to US regulations for data stored outside the US.
As Revcolevschi explained once: "There is no technical or hierarchical link between our US and global teams, specifically to prevent US authorities from leveraging our US entity to access customer data". This structural separation provides a layer of protection against US surveillance laws that many European businesses and organizations seek.
Théophane Hartmann
European Initiatives and Compliance
OVHcloud is:
- A co-founder of the Gaia-X European initiative, which aims to create a secure data infrastructure for Europe.
- Committed to providing "true data sovereignty" that can be proven.
- Compliant with EU GDPR and European data protection standards.
Comprehensive Service Portfolio
OVHcloud offers a full spectrum of cloud services catering to businesses of all sizes and sectors:
Core Infrastructure Services
Bare Metal Cloud
- Dedicated physical servers with no virtualization overhead.
- High performance and scalability with rapid provisioning.
- Full control over software layers, including the operating system.
- Ideal for data-intensive operations like media encoding, gaming, and high-security applications.
- Customizable hardware and choice of operating systems.
- Anti-DDoS protection included.
- ISO Certified Data Centre and Services.
Hosted Private Cloud
- Software-defined data center services in a fully dedicated environment.
- Based on VMware technology for virtualization.
- Offers flexibility to add or remove data stores as needed.
- Can be replicated across multiple data centers for increased performance and availability.
- Includes features like vSphere, vCenter Server, and NSX for network virtualization.
- Suitable for secure hybrid cloud projects and highly regulated sectors.
Public Cloud
- Pay-as-you-go computing services on shared servers.
- Based on open-source standards (OpenStack, Kubernetes) for portability and hybrid deployments.
- Offers a range of services including computing, storage, and networking resources.
- Easily scalable with rapid deployment of resources.
- Available in multiple data centers for geographic flexibility.
- No charges for data ingress/egress or API calls.
Web Cloud
- Accessible web hosting services for individuals and small companies.
- Includes domain registration services.
- Designed to help businesses start their digital journey.
- Offers a marketplace for additional services and partner solutions.
https://corporate.ovhcloud.com/asia/trusted-cloud/cloud-universes/
Specialized Services
- Game Server Hosting: Optimized for online gaming applications with DDoS protection.
- Managed MongoDB: Fully managed NoSQL database services.
- Virtual Private Servers (VPS): Balanced virtualized environments for various applications.
Support
OVHCloud offers different options for support, with the standard support being included for free, you can find the different tiers here:
OVHcloud
Sustainable and Innovative Approach
OVHcloud has built its reputation not only on sovereignty but also on sustainability and innovation:
Eco-Friendly Infrastructure
- One of the lowest Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratings in the industry.
- Patented liquid cooling system that eliminates the need for conventional air conditioning.
- Commitment to environmentally conscious infrastructure with frugal use of resources.
Innovation Focus
- Continuous research and development of new technologies.
- Strategic partnerships with Intel, AMD, and VMware to access cutting-edge technologies.
- In-house server design and manufacturing to maintain control of the supply chain.
OVHcloudBusiness Growth and Financial Position
OVHcloud is not new to the game, it has a proven track record and has grown to a point that you can consider it a real alternative to the big players, it also has shown substantial growth over recent years:
- Revenue growth from €500 million five years ago to €1 billion today.
- FY2024 revenue of €993 million with an adjusted EBITDA of €381 million.
- Forecast of 9-11% revenue growth for FY2025.
- Currently holds approximately 1% of the European cloud market with a lot of growth potential, especially with the current US Situation and the newly found European partnerships and defense strategies.
User Interface Examples
I thought it might be useful to share a few examples of how the user interface looks like, it is by far easier to use and follow than the ones of AWS, Azure, GCP, and so on, making it a relative short learning curve to switch
Default UI (Standard)
The new (beta) UI
But I suggest you give it a try yourself and create an account, which you can do here:
A few words to close
OVHcloud represents one of the few real European alternatives to US and Chinese cloud providers. Its vertically integrated model, global infrastructure, and commitment to data sovereignty make it a compelling option for organizations concerned about where their data resides and who might have access to it. Initially, I saw it more as a "Plan B" option, but as mentioned at the beginning of the article, I have by now made the move and shut down all my Azure Workloads and the few I had on GCP (Google Cloud).
It may still lack features that other larger cloud providers offer, but especially the Bare Metal option makes it a really good option for differnt OSINT tool use cases.
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