Object Storage for backups

Object Storage is now the leading solution for backups as it combines unlimited scalability, extreme durability, and great value for money. Unlike block or file storage, it’s designed to absorb massive volumes of unstructured data without size limits, while ensuring a durability of 99.99999999999% (11 nines) through erasure coding. Its distributed architecture makes it naturally resilient to hardware failures. From a financial perspective, you only pay for what you consume, with a granularity of 1 GB. Finally, its standardised S3 interface means that it can immediately integrate with any backup software on the market. It’s the ideal repository for your DRP/BCP: available in One-Zone, Multi-AZ, or Local Zone according to your geographical resilience needs.

Yes, OVHcloud’s Object Storage is compatible with the majority of backup software on the market thanks to its S3 compatibility. The solution is qualified as Veeam Ready and integrates natively with HYCU, Veritas, Cohesity NetBackup, Commvault, Rubrik, IBM Storage Protect, Atempo, Nakivo, Acronis, Synology Active Backup, as well as with open-source solutions like Restic, Duplicati, or rclone. You can also orchestrate your backups via Kubernetes (Velero), Terraform, or directly through API/CLI. This S3 compatibility also guarantees the reversibility of your data: you are free to migrate to another solution without technical lock-in. Find the complete list of certified integrations in our third-party compatibility guide.

OVHcloud’s Object Storage natively integrates the most effective protection mechanisms against ransomware, starting with Object Lock immutability (WORM model – Write Once, Read Many). Once a backup is locked, it becomes impossible to edit or delete during the entire set retention period, even by a compromised administrator. What’s more, several layers of defence are added: versioning to recover a healthy version after corruption, encryption at rest and in transit (SSE-OMK, SSE-C, SSE-KMS), fine access management via IAM and ACLs, conditional writes, IP filtering, audit logs, and asynchronous replication to a remote site. It is this combination of immutability + encryption + isolation that makes Object Storage the cornerstone of a modern cyber resilience strategy.

The pricing of OVHcloud’s Object Storage is designed to be simple, predictable, and with no hidden fees. The Standard class starts at around ₹0.5982 ex. GST/GB/month for One-Zone deployment. For infrequently-accessed backups, the Infrequent Access class further reduces costs, while Cold Archive is dedicated to long-term archiving. One major differentiating advantage is that API calls and incoming/outgoing traffic are free on the OVHcloud infrastructure – a key factor when you know that egress fees often amount to 30 to 50% of the bill with hyperscalers. Billing is calculated by GiB/hour, with no minimum commitment.

The 3-2-1 rule consists of keeping three copies of your data, on two different media, one of which is off-site. OVHcloud’s Object Storage allows you to implement this end-to-end strategy, intelligently mixing storage classes. For your first copy, keep your production data on your infrastructure (on-premises or Public Cloud). Make your first local backup on a second medium (Block Storage, NAS, Bare Metal) for copy number two. Finally, externalise your third copy to OVHcloud Object Storage, ideally in a separate geographical region, with Object Lock enabled to ensure immutability. To go further and achieve the 3-2-1-1-0 model (one immutable copy, zero restoration errors), take advantage of the complementarity of our classes: Standard or Infrequent Access for operational backups that need to be restored quickly, and Cold Archive – unique in the European market – for long-term copies. The latter relies on an architecture of S3-compatible magnetic tapes, distributed across four datacentres located more than 100 km apart in France. Stored offline (with zero power), the tapes provide a true physical air gap: the copy is completely disconnected from the network, and is thus inaccessible to ransomware. With a price starting at around ₹0.1689 ex. GST/GB/month, it is the most affordable solution on the market for archiving your backups over a long term, while ensuring sovereignty and regulatory compliance (GDPR, HDS, ISO 27001).