The verdict in three sentences
For a business application processing sensitive data, hosting on a European sovereign cloud (OVHcloud, Scaleway, Outscale) costs between EUR 600 and 2,500 per month excluding VAT in 2026 for a typical architecture, 20 to 60 % more than a US hyperscaler when the offer is SecNumCloud-qualified. The migration itself is EUR 15,000 to 40,000 and 2 to 4 months of work. The premium is justified for public bodies, operators in scope of NIS2 or defence subcontractors, and much less so for ordinary commercial data under GDPR.
Sovereign, SecNumCloud-qualified or just hosted in Europe
The first trap is mixing up three levels. A server in Paris or Frankfurt run by a US hyperscaler is still subject to the Cloud Act. A non-qualified European provider escapes extraterritorial law but lacks audited guarantees. Only the French ANSSI SecNumCloud 3.2 qualification (and, increasingly, the EUCS high level) provides enforceable proof, which the French state requires for sensitive data.
| Option | Cloud Act exposure | Qualification | Premium vs hyperscaler | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyperscaler, EU region | Yes | No | Baseline | Non-sensitive data |
| Hyperscaler via trusted offer (S3NS, Bleu) | Reduced | In progress or obtained | +15 to 35 % | Microsoft or Google-centric enterprises |
| OVHcloud Public Cloud standard | No | No | -10 to +10 % | SMEs, commercial data |
| Scaleway standard | No | No | -15 to +5 % | Startups, standard business apps |
| OVHcloud SecNumCloud (Hosted Private Cloud) | No | Yes | +30 to 60 % | Public sector, health, defence |
| Outscale SecNumCloud | No | Yes | +25 to 50 % | NIS2 operators, sensitive industry |
These gaps are 2026 orders of magnitude observed on comparable architectures; they vary widely with commitment length.
What a typical architecture costs
Take a classic business app: a web front end, an API, a PostgreSQL database, object storage, backups and a disaster recovery plan (DRP) across two zones.
| Component | Standard sovereign cloud | SecNumCloud offer |
|---|---|---|
| Compute (2 to 4 app instances) | EUR 150 to 450/month | EUR 300 to 900/month |
| Managed high-availability database | EUR 120 to 400/month | EUR 250 to 700/month |
| Object storage and 30-day backups | EUR 40 to 150/month | EUR 80 to 250/month |
| Multi-zone DRP (replication, passive environment) | EUR 100 to 300/month | EUR 200 to 500/month |
| Monitoring, logs, WAF | EUR 60 to 150/month | EUR 100 to 250/month |
| Monthly total | EUR 600 to 1,450 | EUR 930 to 2,500 |
| Migration and industrialisation (one-off) | EUR 15,000 to 25,000 | EUR 25,000 to 40,000 |
The migration covers infrastructure as code (Terraform), containerisation, data transfer, DR failover tests and runbooks. The 2 to 4 month timeline depends mostly on the app's technical debt and how available business teams are for acceptance testing.
Two profiles, two decisions
The CIO of a public body hosting staff or citizen data has little choice: national doctrine steers them to a qualified offer. The CIO of a mid-sized industrial subcontractor in scope of NIS2 can segment: sensitive design data on SecNumCloud, website and collaboration tools on a standard cloud. That segmentation often cuts the bill by 30 to 40 %.
Mini case study
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Claire, CIO of an aerospace subcontractor in Toulouse, hosts her technical records application on a hyperscaler for EUR 1,100 per month. A prime contractor now requires qualified hosting. Chosen option: SecNumCloud for the app and database (EUR 1,650 per month), the rest on standard cloud (EUR 250 per month). Monthly premium: EUR 800, or EUR 9,600 a year, plus a EUR 32,000 migration. Over three years the additional cost is EUR 60,800, against a contract worth EUR 1.8 million in annual revenue: an easy call.
FAQ
Is hosting in the EU enough to avoid the Cloud Act?
No, location is not enough: the provider's nationality is what matters. A US hyperscaler remains subject to the Cloud Act even with servers in Paris, which is why SecNumCloud requires immunity from non-EU laws.
How long does a migration to a sovereign cloud take?
Allow 2 to 4 months for a business app, including 3 to 6 weeks of testing and cutover. An already containerised app migrates in 6 to 8 weeks.
Does NIS2 require a sovereign cloud?
NIS2 requires security measures and supply-chain control, not a specific provider. In practice, essential entities favour qualified offers to simplify compliance, at a 20 to 60 % premium.
Can we keep advanced managed services (AI, analytics)?
The sovereign catalogue is narrower: expect 60 to 80 % of a hyperscaler's services. AI needs can be met with locally hosted models for EUR 300 to 1,500 per month of GPU.
Is multi-zone DR mandatory?
Not legally, but a recovery time objective under 4 h makes it a technical necessity. It adds EUR 100 to 500 per month depending on replication level.
Let's scope your project. Tell us about your app, data and regulatory constraints: we will price the target architecture, the migration (EUR 15,000 to 40,000) and the 3-year monthly run cost. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
