Migration from AWS to Hetzner: Step-by-Step Guide to Cut Costs up to 90% 

AWS offers unmatched scalability, global reach, and a vast suite of services, but these come at a price. For many companies, especially startups and those with high bandwidth or compute needs, AWS becomes a budget-burning monster. That’s where Hetzner, a German cloud and dedicated server provider, starts turning heads.  Gart Solutions has been making waves by strategically shifting away from hyperscale providers like AWS to cost-effective, performance-optimized alternatives like Hetzner.  So, is Hetzner just cheaper, or actually better in some scenarios? Let’s break it all down by diving into real-world deployments, cost comparisons, and expert insights from how Gart Solutions has deployed Hetzner in production environments with striking success.  Understanding the Cloud Landscape  AWS – The Industry Giant  There’s no denying AWS is the gold standard in cloud computing. With over 200 services spanning compute, storage, networking, databases, machine learning, and more, AWS supports everything from nimble startups to multinational conglomerates. It offers enterprise-level reliability, granular security controls, and geographic coverage that stretches across every continent.  But with this enormous toolset comes equally massive complexity — and cost. AWS operates on a “pay-as-you-go” model that can seem fair in theory, but often ends up being unpredictable and overwhelming.   Egress (outbound traffic) charges, for instance, can be a nightmare for businesses that distribute large files, stream content, or run high-traffic platforms.   And while AWS excels at handling massive scale, its complexity sometimes makes it a burden for smaller teams or simpler projects.  Hetzner – The Underdog Gaining Momentum  Hetzner may not have the same market share as AWS, but it’s quietly become a favorite among developers, startups, and cost-conscious enterprises across Europe and beyond. Known for its nonsense pricing model and high-performance dedicated servers, Hetzner offers both bare-metal and cloud services at prices that often make AWS look like luxury shopping.  Where AWS offers nearly everything, Hetzner focuses on doing fewer things extremely well. It excels in areas like raw compute power, consistent bandwidth, and high-speed networking — all while charging a flat monthly fee or minimal hourly rates. And unlike AWS, Hetzner includes generous traffic allowances (often unlimited), which makes it especially appealing for applications with high outbound data needs.  And while Hetzner doesn’t match AWS in the breadth of services, it integrates smoothly with modern DevOps tooling, like Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, and CI/CD pipelines, making it highly attractive to teams that want performance without vendor lock-in.  Why Companies Seek AWS Alternatives The High Cost of AWS  It’s not just small businesses complaining about AWS pricing — it’s a known industry pain point.   Let’s say you’re running a content delivery app or SaaS platform — each gigabyte of outbound data gets billed separately. Now imagine 100,000 users downloading or streaming from your app. Suddenly, your monthly cloud costs double, even if your user base hasn’t changed.  This pricing structure often penalizes growth. The more successful your application, the more you pay — not because you’re consuming more compute, but because data transfer is metered heavily.  And then there’s the operational cost of managing AWS. It often takes a team of certified engineers just to maintain and optimize configurations, spot underutilized resources, and ensure security best practices. That’s a hidden cost many businesses overlook.  Performance vs. Price Dilemma  One of the major paradoxes with AWS is that while it promises performance, it charges a premium for consistency. Your EC2 instance might perform well today and lag tomorrow due to noisy neighbors (multi-tenant environments). You can pay more for “dedicated” resources, but that quickly spirals out of budget.  With Hetzner, the opposite is often true. You get powerful bare-metal servers or consistently high-performance VMs without needing to guess on pricing tiers. This predictability, both in cost and performance, is a major reason companies start looking beyond AWS.  Gart Solutions’ Cloud Philosophy  Gart Solutions specializes in helping clients modernize IT infrastructure, adopt DevOps best practices, and scale without breaking the bank. Our philosophy revolves around optimizing every layer of the cloud stack — from infrastructure provisioning to deployment pipelines, while keeping budgets in check.  Rather than defaulting to AWS because it’s the “safe choice,” Gart Solutions evaluates each client’s real needs: traffic patterns, performance requirements, cost sensitivity, and automation goals. This leads us to seek infrastructure that aligns more closely with the business model and technical demands of the project.  Get a sample of IT Audit Sign up now Get on email Loading... Thank you! You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Choosing Hetzner – Strategic Reasoning  For many of their client projects, Gart Solutions identified Hetzner as the perfect balance of affordability, reliability, and flexibility. The decision to go with Hetzner wasn’t just about cost (though that played a big part). It was also about control, automation, and the ability to manage infrastructure using familiar tools like Terraform, Kubernetes, and Ansible.  By choosing Hetzner, they could build resilient, scalable infrastructure that’s just as capable as AWS-hosted setups but without the headache of unpredictable billing. Whether they were optimizing CI/CD workflows or deploying complex container orchestration, Hetzner’s clean infrastructure model made it easier to build, manage, and maintain robust cloud environments.  They also appreciated that Hetzner doesn’t charge for traffic — making it a godsend for media-rich apps, SaaS tools, gaming platforms, and IoT systems.  Case Study #1 – High-Traffic Gaming Workloads  The Challenge with AWS Imagine you're launching a gaming platform where users can download large files ranging from 500MB to 1GB. Now imagine 20,000 users doing that repeatedly during a promotional campaign. On AWS, this means enormous outbound data charges.   That’s exactly the problem one Gart Solutions client faced. They had projected annual revenues of about $80,000 from free-to-play game trials, but AWS’s pricing would have eaten up over 60% of that —just from data egress costs.  Using AWS’s EC2 instances and S3 storage initially seemed like a safe, scalable choice. But the hidden cost of bandwidth, especially when the business model relies on large, frequent downloads — was a dealbreaker. Gart quickly realized that if the client stuck with AWS, the entire revenue model would collapse under operational expenses.  Migration to Hetzner Gart Solutions proposed a switch to Hetzner Cloud. Why? Because Hetzner offers uncapped bandwidth with minimal restrictions and flat-rate pricing, perfect for handling enormous traffic at predictable costs. They rebuilt the platform using a combination of Hetzner's dedicated servers and cloud instances, optimizing download performance through fast SSD storage and CDN acceleration.  To ensure reliability, they implemented failover systems, load balancing, and efficient caching layers. The infrastructure was containerized, making it portable, scalable, and fast to deploy. With Terraform and Docker in place, infrastructure updates could happen in seconds, ensuring seamless rollouts and minimal downtime.  Results and Metrics Cost Reduction: data traffic expenses dropped by nearly 80% compared to AWS.  Performance: download speeds remained consistent, averaging ~200MB/s per node.  User Experience: zero downtime during traffic surges; smoother gameplay initiation.  Business Impact: client retained a much healthier margin, making the game trial monetization strategy sustainable.  Hetzner didn’t just replace AWS, it enabled a business model that AWS pricing would have killed.  Case Study #2 – Scaling a Global Environmental Platform  Elandfill.io’s Expansion Needs ReSource International approached Gart Solutions with a clear mission: scale their landfill management software — elandfill.io from local installations in Iceland to a full-scale global SaaS platform. The challenge wasn’t just scaling users; it involved handling enormous datasets including geospatial images, gas emissions records, real-time weather monitoring, and predictive analytics across multiple time zones.  The backend involved PostgreSQL with PostGIS, map rendering, data ingestion pipelines, and alert systems for environmental safety —all of which needed to work in real-time. Doing this on AWS was certainly an option, but the potential cost and service complexity threatened to overwhelm the project in its infancy.  How Hetzner Met the Challenge Gart Solutions architected the entire SaaS platform on Hetzner Cloud using Kubernetes for orchestration. They built modular services for monitoring, alerting, analytics, and rendering, ensuring the architecture was elastic and easy to maintain.  Key elements included:  Geoserver Optimization: efficient handling of map tile generation and caching.  CI/CD Pipelines: automated testing, deployment, and rollback.  Monitoring & Alerting: Prometheus and Grafana stack for full observability.  They made use of Hetzner’s reliable network and data centers in Germany and Finland to ensure low-latency performance across Europe. For clients outside Europe, the solution was containerized and easily deployable in hybrid-cloud models if needed.  Business Outcomes  Scalability: platform scaled from 1 to 14 countries without downtime.  Affordability: hosting cost reduced by more than 60% compared to initial AWS projections.  Real-Time Data: improved latency and faster alerts for environmental breaches.  Sustainability: the low-cost footprint aligned perfectly with the client’s green tech values.  Hetzner helped turn a local environmental tool into a global digital platform, without the AWS price tag.  Case Study #3 – DevOps in Digital Betting  Betting Platform Infrastructure Problems  A Germany-based digital betting provider was struggling with an outdated infrastructure. They were operating on bare-metal Windows servers, had no automation for deployments, and scaled poorly during live sports events. Everything was done manually — from patches to provisioning. Each code change risked downtime, and traffic spikes during major sports matches regularly crashed the system.  Their CI/CD pipeline was virtually nonexistent, and their infrastructure couldn't support high availability or disaster recovery effectively. The business risk was high and escalating.  Full DevOps Makeover with Hetzner  Gart Solutions rebuilt the architecture from the ground up, starting with a migration to Hetzner’s Linux-based virtual servers. The transformation was executed in three phases:  Mapping Service Dependencies: they audited the system’s critical services, establishing what needed to be containerized and how to break the monolith.  Infrastructure-as-Code: using Ansible and Terraform, they automated provisioning and configuration. This reduced deployment times from days to minutes.  Kubernetes & CI/CD: they rolled out Kubernetes clusters to support containerized workloads, introduced GitLab CI pipelines, and set up observability tools (Prometheus, Loki, Grafana).  Disaster recovery, blue-green deployments, and A/B testing became part of the operational DNA.  Uptime, Performance, and Deployment Success  Uptime: 99.97% availability across 12 months.  Speed: Deployment times reduced from 48 hours to under 10 minutes.  Traffic Handling: Load testing showed platform stability during 3x normal traffic.  Operational Efficiency: Engineers gained back 30+ hours/month previously spent on manual deployments.  Hetzner + Gart’s DevOps framework turned a fragile betting platform into a modern, resilient, cloud-native powerhouse.  Comparing AWS and Hetzner Head-to-Head Cost Structure  If you have high or unpredictable outbound traffic, Hetzner wins hands down.  Performance and Reliability While AWS offers near-100% uptime SLAs, Hetzner has proven reliability across use cases.  Benchmarks from Gart Solutions show Hetzner’s VMs and bare-metal instances match AWS in I/O speed and network throughput, especially for European users.  DevOps Compatibility Both support modern DevOps stacks, but AWS has its own ecosystem (CodePipeline, CloudFormation) while Hetzner integrates openly with popular tools like Terraform, Ansible, and Kubernetes.  So, AWS is more integrated but less flexible. Hetzner allows full control.  When to Choose Hetzner Over AWS  Ideal Use Cases Let’s be honest — no single cloud provider is the right answer for everyone. But if your use case aligns with one or more of the following, Hetzner might just be your secret weapon:  High-Bandwidth Applications Streaming platforms, file-sharing systems, gaming platforms, or SaaS products with large downloads benefit massively from Hetzner’s free, uncapped outbound traffic.  Budget-Conscious Startups If you're just launching a product or bootstrapping your business, AWS costs can be punishing. Hetzner’s flat-rate pricing lets you plan and scale without unpredictable bills.  Self-Managed DevOps Environments Teams that love working with Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, and Docker will feel right at home. Hetzner’s clean infrastructure gives you full control, no managed service lock-ins.  Edge and Regional Deployments With Hetzner’s growing global footprint (Germany, Finland, and now the U.S. and Singapore), deploying regionally for latency-sensitive apps is very feasible.  SaaS Builders Looking for Control If your app needs custom infrastructure or tight observability (without vendor APIs), Hetzner gives you the hardware feel in a cloud package.  When AWS Still Wins However, there are situations where AWS remains the better option:  Need for Managed Services AWS offers robust managed databases, serverless architecture, AI/ML platforms, and global CDN options that Hetzner doesn’t match.  Regulatory Compliance & Certifications If your app requires SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, or other high-level certifications, AWS provides pre-approved infrastructure for compliance-heavy workloads.  Enterprise Multi-Region Scaling For companies operating across 10+ countries with users worldwide, AWS’s global data centers and traffic routing give them an edge.  If you want flexibility and control at a fraction of the cost, Hetzner is excellent. If you need managed magic and global compliance, AWS is king.  Final Thoughts – Hetzner Is a Smart, Scalable Choice  Here’s the bottom line: Hetzner is not a universal replacement for AWS, but in the right hands, it becomes a cloud powerhouse, especially when paired with smart implementation partners like Gart Solutions.  Through three real-world case studies, we’ve seen:  Case 1: How a gaming company salvaged its monetization model by eliminating bandwidth fees.  Case 2: How a green tech startup scaled globally with geospatial data, using Kubernetes and Hetzner’s compute flexibility.  Case 3: How a legacy betting platform transformed into a fast, scalable, DevOps-driven cloud app with zero AWS involvement.  Hetzner isn’t about bells and whistles. It’s about raw performance, predictable pricing, and giving engineers the tools they need without handholding. And when paired with a team like Gart Solutions, it doesn’t just save money.  So, is Hetzner a good alternative to AWS?  Absolutely. Especially when every dollar, every millisecond, and every gigabyte counts.  There are some thoughts of other users on Reddit, we’ve checked to provide you with the most complete picture on choosing a cloud provider. Link to Reddit thread.   Let’s work together! See how we can help to overcome your challenges Contact us

What Is Digital Sovereignty and Why Does It Matter for Europe? The vast majority of cloud infrastructure today is controlled by U.S.-based hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.   These companies operate under U.S. law — most notably the CLOUD Act, which gives U.S. authorities the right to access data, even if it’s stored in European data centers.  This legal loophole creates an enormous risk. European governments, hospitals, banks, and startups often host sensitive workloads on foreign infrastructure without realizing they’re potentially exposing themselves to surveillance, data requests, and jurisdictional conflicts. Digital sovereignty is about correcting that imbalance — ensuring that European data stays in Europe, governed by European laws.  But it’s more than just regulation. Digital sovereignty also touches on values — privacy, transparency, innovation, and economic sustainability. It’s a vision of a Europe that’s not just connected, but digitally independent.  The Legal and Ethical Imperatives Behind Sovereign Cloud Choices  When a European organization uses a U.S.-based cloud provider, it may be fully GDPR-compliant on paper, but in reality, there's a major legal contradiction. That’s because foreign laws can override EU protections through extraterritorial reach. The U.S. CLOUD Act is a prime example. It allows American law enforcement to demand access to data, no matter where it's stored, as long as it's held by a U.S.-controlled entity.  This creates a fundamental conflict with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) — which mandates strict data processing, protection, and transparency rules for all EU citizens. If a cloud provider is subject to both laws, whose orders do they follow?  This ethical and legal tension has spurred the development of sovereign cloud solutions. EU-based cloud providers offer an escape from this conundrum. They're headquartered and operated under European jurisdiction, meaning they can comply fully with EU data protection laws without foreign interference.  Why Europe Needs Its Own Cloud Ecosystem  Dependency on Foreign Hyperscalers As of 2025, American tech giants control more than 70% of Europe’s cloud infrastructure. That’s a staggering figure — and one that leaves little room for self-determination.   Let’s take, for example, Belgium – Microsoft (with US stored data) has 70% of the market for cloud infrastructure. In Sweden, over 57% of public digital infrastructure — including cities and government services — runs on Microsoft mail servers. In Finland — 77%,  Belgium — 72%, Netherlands — 60%, Norway — 64%.  Want to see what cloud services your country is using?  Explore the map: https://lnkd.in/eAdnFt74  Whether it’s a local municipality storing its citizens’ health records or a fintech startup handling millions of transactions, chances are, their data sits on servers operated by foreign entities.  Worse still, this monopoly can lead to vendor lock-in. Companies get tied into proprietary ecosystems that make switching costly and complicated. In contrast, European providers often focus on open-source compatibility and multi-cloud strategies, giving users more freedom and flexibility.  Europe needs its own cloud, not to build walls but to ensure it can compete fairly, uphold its laws, and foster a vibrant digital economy rooted in democratic principles.  Key Features to Look for in a European Cloud Provider Data Residency Within EU Borders  One of the most essential features to demand from any cloud provider in Europe is guaranteed data residency within the EU. Why? Because where data lives determines which laws apply to it. If your business stores sensitive customer information — emails, financial records, medical data — on a cloud hosted in the EU, it's protected by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other local laws.  Storing data in the EU ensures:  It cannot be accessed by non-EU jurisdictions without violating EU law.  It remains subject to EU-based audit, regulation, and enforcement.  It aligns with emerging policies like the EU Data Governance Act and Digital Services Act.  EU-based cloud providers like OVHcloud, Scaleway, Hetzner, and Aruba Cloud maintain fully European data center infrastructure, with no dependency on U.S. control. This is particularly important for regulated industries like healthcare, banking, legal, and public services, where compliance breaches can lead to devastating penalties and reputational damage.  Data sovereignty starts with location — but it ends with legal control. Choosing a provider that guarantees both gives you peace of mind and legal clarity.  Full Compliance with EU Data Laws  True digital sovereignty goes beyond location — it demands full legal compliance. A trustworthy EU cloud provider should not only operate under GDPR, but also comply with:  NIS2 Directive for critical infrastructure security  ISO/IEC 27001 for information security management  EU Cybersecurity Act standards  HDS (Health Data Hosting) if you're in healthcare  The best providers will also publish compliance documentation, undergo regular third-party audits, and offer Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) aligned with EU standards.   Don't forget that compliance also includes how a provider handles cross-border data flows, encryption, access controls, and breach notifications. EU-based providers are more likely to have baked-in privacy policies that require less negotiation or oversight on your part.  Transparent Pricing and Vendor Lock-In Avoidance One common complaint with U.S. hyperscalers is the complexity and unpredictability of pricing. Want to know how much it costs to move 10TB of data out of AWS? You might need a PhD in fine print. By contrast, many European cloud providers prioritize pricing transparency.  Providers like Hetzner and Scaleway offer flat-rate pricing, pay-as-you-go models, and clear invoicing structures. This allows businesses to forecast cloud costs more accurately, especially important for SMEs and startups.  Another key differentiator is freedom from vendor lock-in. Many European providers focus on open-source compatibility and open APIs, which makes it easier to move workloads between cloud platforms or even back on-premises. That’s crucial for long-term agility and cost control.  If you're planning a cloud strategy for the next 5–10 years, flexibility should be as important as functionality.   Top European Cloud Providers Supporting Digital Sovereignty  OVHcloud (France)  As one of the largest EU-native cloud providers, OVHcloud has become a go-to choice for businesses seeking sovereignty. Based in France, it operates over 30 data centers worldwide with a strong emphasis on EU jurisdiction, sustainability, and open standards.  Strengths:  Extensive product catalog (IaaS, PaaS, Kubernetes, AI)  Certified for GDPR, ISO 27001, HDS, and more  Active participant in Gaia-X  Green data centers with water-cooled servers  OVHcloud offers a user experience similar to AWS but with less vendor lock-in and better EU-specific support.  Scaleway (France)  Scaleway is one of Europe’s most developer-friendly cloud providers, known for its sleek design, open-source tools, and transparent business model. It’s fully GDPR-compliant and headquartered in Paris, with data centers exclusively within the EU.  Highlights:  Flexible virtual instances and GPU-powered machines  Containers, serverless functions, and managed databases  Strong edge and ARM infrastructure for innovation  Scaleway is ideal for startups, SaaS providers, and dev teams who want sovereignty and simplicity.  Hetzner (Germany)  Hetzner has built a stellar reputation for high-performance, affordable cloud and dedicated servers. With its data centers in Germany and Finland, Hetzner ensures GDPR-compliant storage and processing at a fraction of the cost of global hyperscalers.  Unique features:  Flat-rate pricing and extremely low cost-per-GB  Full control with root access and SSH  Ideal for hosting, SaaS, and DevOps workflows  Case Study – Scaling a Global Environmental Platform  To support ReSource International’s global ambitions, Gart Solutions re-architected elandfill.io into a scalable SaaS platform on Hetzner Cloud. The solution replaced costly AWS plans with a Kubernetes-based setup, enabling real-time processing of geospatial and environmental data. As a result, the platform expanded from Iceland to 14 countries, cut infrastructure costs by 60%, and stayed true to its green tech values. Hetzner helped turn a local environmental tool into a global digital platform, without the AWS price tag.  Learn more.  T-Systems / Open Telekom Cloud (Germany)  Backed by Deutsche Telekom, T-Systems operates the Open Telekom Cloud, one of the most secure and enterprise-ready clouds in Europe. With high availability zones in Germany and the Netherlands, it’s perfect for businesses with compliance-heavy workloads.  Best for:  Government agencies and public services  Large enterprises needing hybrid cloud options  Healthcare, finance, and automotive sectors  T-Systems combines German engineering with global IT support, and it's deeply involved in Gaia-X and sovereign cloud initiatives.  Aruba Cloud (Italy) Aruba Cloud is one of Italy’s leading cloud providers with a robust infrastructure across Europe. Known for its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, Aruba is a great choice for small and mid-sized businesses.  Benefits:  Data centers in Italy, France, Germany, and Czech Republic  Compliant with EU standards  Offers both VPS and enterprise IaaS solutions  If you're looking for sovereign cloud hosting with strong regional presence, Aruba is a top contender.  Gaia-X and the Future of Federated Cloud Infrastructure  What Gaia-X Is and Why It Matters  Gaia-X is the EU’s most ambitious project aimed at reclaiming control over Europe’s digital future. Instead of creating another cloud provider, Gaia-X acts as a federated cloud ecosystem, connecting providers, users, and platforms under a common framework of trust, transparency, and interoperability.  It’s designed to ensure:  Sovereign data sharing between companies and countries  Vendor-neutral cloud architectures  Portability and reversibility of services  Full GDPR compliance by design  The ultimate goal of Gaia-X is to enable innovation while maintaining control over how and where data is used. It promotes open standards, multi-cloud strategies, and secure data flows across industries—from finance and energy to health and smart cities.  Gaia-X is not just a tech play. It’s a political and economic declaration that Europe will no longer rely solely on foreign tech monopolies. It’s about building a digitally autonomous future from the ground up.  Who’s Participating in Gaia-X?  Gaia-X brings together a mix of public institutions, startups, established tech companies, research centers, and policy groups. Major players include:  OVHcloud  T-Systems / Deutsche Telekom  Orange Business Services  Atos  Siemens  Scaleway  But it’s not just for the big guys — hundreds of SMEs and open-source projects have joined Gaia-X, contributing to use cases, governance frameworks, and technological standards.  In short, Gaia-X is building a community. By making sovereignty a shared responsibility, it encourages cooperation over competition. It’s about creating a European answer to AWS and Google Cloud without replicating their centralized models.  Gaia-X vs. Traditional Cloud Models  Here’s how Gaia-X fundamentally differs from the global cloud giants:  While Gaia-X won’t replace hyperscalers overnight, it will provide a blueprint for how Europe can innovate without compromising its values.   Challenges in Adopting EU Cloud Providers Lack of Feature Parity with Global Giants Despite their growth, many EU cloud providers still lack the breadth of services offered by hyperscalers. If your organization relies on cutting-edge AI/ML pipelines, advanced serverless infrastructure, or global CDN optimization, you may find some gaps.  For example:  OVHcloud may not match AWS in managed AI services.  Scaleway doesn’t yet offer the global distribution options of Google Cloud.  Hetzner, while powerful, lacks native integrations for enterprise software stacks like Salesforce or Microsoft 365.  How to Choose the Right EU Cloud Provider  Assessing Security, Scalability, and Support  Choosing the right European cloud provider means balancing technical capabilities with regulatory requirements and business goals. Here's a quick checklist to guide your decision:  Security: Does the provider offer end-to-end encryption, ISO 27001 certification, DDoS protection, and GDPR-compliant data handling?  Scalability: Can the infrastructure scale horizontally and vertically? Are there options for load balancing, container orchestration, or serverless deployment?  Support: Is there 24/7 customer support in your local language? Do they offer clear Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and migration support?  Ecosystem Fit: Does the provider support open APIs, DevOps tooling, and integration with your software stack?  Data Jurisdiction: Are your workloads 100% located in EU jurisdictions, and not subject to non-EU laws like the CLOUD Act?  Providers like Scaleway are ideal for developers and agile startups, while T-Systems suits highly regulated enterprises. Hetzner is unbeatable for performance-per-euro, and OVHcloud delivers full-stack capabilities at scale.  Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Sovereignty Strategies  Not every workload needs to be moved off AWS or Azure today. A practical approach for many businesses is to adopt a hybrid or multi-cloud model:  Use hyperscalers for global edge services or non-sensitive content delivery.  Deploy critical workloads — like customer databases, compliance logs, or analytics pipelines — on sovereign EU clouds.  Leverage Kubernetes, Terraform, and Ansible to orchestrate resources across environments with minimal lock-in.  This strategy offers the best of both worlds: access to global performance when needed, and sovereignty where it matters. Just make sure your orchestration tools support cloud-agnostic deployments.  Conclusion  Europe stands at a crossroads. It can continue to rely on foreign digital giants— or it can take control of its digital destiny. Choosing a European cloud provider is about much more than IT infrastructure.   It’s about:  Preserving privacy  Empowering local innovation  Strengthening legal autonomy  Driving economic growth  Providers like OVHcloud, Scaleway, Hetzner, T-Systems, and Aruba Cloud offer real, battle-tested alternatives that align with these goals. The emergence of Gaia-X and sovereign frameworks is accelerating this shift.  For businesses, the path is clear: audit your cloud strategy, embrace sovereignty where it counts, and invest in a future where Europe owns its cloud — and not the other way around. Contact Us and let's find the best cloud provider, that support your business needs and future plans.