gridscale vs Unomed Cloud PACS

Compare gridscale and Unomed Cloud PACS on capabilities, jurisdiction, assurance, and fit for European buyers.

Both listed as alternatives to: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure

Logo: gridscale

gridscale

Germany· Cloud Computing

Needs review

Shortlist when you need a German GmbH cloud with EU/CH/AT location choice, managed Kubernetes/databases, and Hybrid Core white-label HCI. Skip when you need global hyperscaler coverage or pure lowest-cost VMs—consider Hetzner for cost-sensitive compute or AWS/Azure for worldwide breadth; use OVHcloud parent portfolio when scale across more European regions is the priority.

EU-operated (DE entity)Multi-country EU/CH locationsManaged KubernetesHybrid Core HCIBSI C5 (claimed)OVHcloud group
Logo: Unomed Cloud PACS

Unomed Cloud PACS

Switzerland· Cloud Computing

Needs review

Shortlist for Swiss practices that want a cloud DICOM archive, browser viewing and referrer sharing without replacing their PIS, and that accept a Zurich SaaS vendor with claimed Swiss image hosting. Skip when you need a default CE-marked diagnostic viewer, a fully public subprocessor and audit pack, or a self-hosted PACS you operate yourself. Consider PostDICOM or a classic on-prem PACS plus sharing tool when those constraints dominate.

Swiss-operatedCloud PACS / VNADICOM archiveBrowser viewerPIS overlay
gridscale vs Unomed Cloud PACS: Snapshot
FeatureLogo: gridscalegridscaleLogo: Unomed Cloud PACSUnomed Cloud PACS
Country of originGermanySwitzerland
CategoryCloud ComputingCloud Computing
Open sourceNoNo
Self-hostedNoNo
HeadquartersGermanySwitzerland
Legal entitygridscale GmbH, Oskar-Jäger-Straße 173, 50825 Köln (HRB 97235, Amtsgericht Cologne)Unomed AG
Governing lawGerman law (GTC; English GTC for information only—German prevails)Not listed
US parent / controlNo known US parentNo known US parent
CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)MediumMedium
EU-hosted statusNot listedPartial
Hosting / residencyCustomer infrastructure marketed on European Tier 3 locations (Frankfurt multi-AZ, Eichenzell, Hannover, Paderborn, Amsterdam, Gais, Lucerne, Vienna); some Hybrid Core sites partner-operated (hosttech, rhöncloud, BAIONITY, windCORES). Privacy policy also lists US-group ancillary processors: Stripe (payments), Google Analytics/GTM, Microsoft Bing Ads, Meta, LinkedIn; Mautic on-prem DE; Recruitee NL. No public claim that primary VM storage runs on AWS/GCP/Azure.Vendor claims primary hosting, databases and DICOM storage in Switzerland. Privacy policy lists identity/liveness processing in EU (Ireland) and speech recognition in EU (Denmark). API CSP references AWS S3 eu-central-2 (Zurich) and AWS Rekognition/Cognito eu-west-1; push via Firebase; website may use Cloudflare WAF cookies and Google Analytics. Named subprocessor list on request only.
Summary

Cologne-based German IaaS/PaaS and Hybrid Core HCI cloud (OVHcloud group) with European locations, managed Kubernetes, and white-label private cloud options for DACH teams.

Swiss cloud PACS and vendor-neutral archive for storing, viewing and sharing DICOM medical images in the browser, integrated with existing medical practice workflows.

Tags
At a glance: gridscale vs Unomed Cloud PACS
At a glanceLogo: gridscalegridscaleLogo: Unomed Cloud PACSUnomed Cloud PACS
HQCologne, GermanyZurich, Switzerland
Legal entitygridscale GmbH (HRB 97235)Unomed AG (CHE-374.858.885)
ParentOVHcloud (100% since Sept 2023)Not listed
HostingEuropean Tier 3 sites DE/NL/CH/AT (+ partners)Not listed
Commercial modelB2B; trial then per-minute usage meteringNot listed
Open sourceNo (API/IaC clients only)Not listed
Product typeNot listedCloud PACS / VNA SaaS
Self-hostedNot listedNo (local connector only)
Default viewerNot listedOHIF (not for diagnosis per GTCs)
Data residency regionsNot listedSwitzerland claimed for DICOM/hosting; some auxiliary processing in EU (IE/DK) per privacy policy
Key capabilities: gridscale vs Unomed Cloud PACS
Key capabilitiesLogo: gridscalegridscaleLogo: Unomed Cloud PACSUnomed Cloud PACS
EU-operated (DE entity)YesYes
Multi-country EU/CH locationsYesNot listed
Managed KubernetesYesNot listed
Hybrid Core HCIYesNot listed
BSI C5 (claimed)YesNot listed
OVHcloud groupYesNot listed
Cloud PACS / VNANot listedYes
DICOM archiveNot listedYes
Browser viewerNot listedYes
PIS overlayNot listedYes

gridscale

  • Panel + API + Terraform provisioning

    Deploy VMs with attached storage in seconds via the control panel or automate with the REST API and common IaC clients (Terraform, Packer). Built for teams that want both click-ops and git-ops without a hyperscaler control-plane learning curve.

  • Managed Kubernetes, databases, and load balancers

    PaaS layers cover managed Kubernetes orchestration plus fully managed databases with audit logs and automatic backups, and managed load balancers for traffic distribution—so app teams avoid running the full stack themselves.

  • S3-compatible object storage and Rocket NVMe storage

    Object storage follows S3-style APIs for backups, archives, and unstructured data, with region choice called out for GDPR-oriented placement. Rocket Storage targets high-IOPS NVMe workloads; not every Hybrid Core location exposes object storage—check the data-center matrix.

  • Per-minute GPU bare-metal for AI/ML

    GPU instances are marketed as dedicated bare-metal performance for AI/ML and data science, with CPU, RAM, and storage included and usage billed by the minute rather than only long-term reserved shapes.

  • Hybrid Core Concierge HCI and white-label cloud

    Fully managed hyperconverged packages combine hardware delivery, installation, remote operations, white-label branding/SAML options, and access to the wider gridscale location ecosystem—aimed at enterprises and hosters building private or partner clouds.

Unomed Cloud PACS

  • Cloud DICOM archive (VNA-style)

    Central archive for studies from in-house modalities and external institutes, with DICOM export so you can take the archive with you. Storage is billed as you grow; long-term statutory retention remains the customer's duty under Unomed's terms.

  • Zero-footprint browser viewer (OHIF default)

    Open studies in the browser with nothing installed on the workstation. OHIF is the default; other viewers can be connected on request. Unomed's GTCs state the standard viewer is not authorised for diagnostic reporting.

  • PACS inbox with assisted patient matching

    Inbound studies land in an inbox; Unomed suggests the matching patient (including fuzzy name matches) and a human confirms. Useful when institutes send studies that do not already carry a clean order from your record.

  • Share via messenger and guest links

    Send studies to colleagues, referrers and patients through Unomed messenger. Recipients without an account get a time-limited guest link; registered users keep the thread in case chat instead of CDs or ad-hoc portals.

  • Cloud Connector, Radiology Bridge and Medical API

    Connect DICOM modalities like a second destination printer, autoroute from an existing institute PACS via Radiology Bridge, or integrate via DICOMweb/Medical API. Keeps on-site PACS investments when you only need outbound routing to Unomed practices.

  • Overlay on existing practice software

    Opens studies from the patient record in supported web-based Swiss practice systems without replacing the PIS. Vendor lists 16+ systems with several official partners; desktop-only software needs a feasibility discussion.

Assurance & compliance: gridscale vs Unomed Cloud PACS
Assurance & complianceLogo: gridscalegridscaleLogo: Unomed Cloud PACSUnomed Cloud PACS
Independent security / no-logs audit
Not applicable

IaaS/PaaS provider—not a no-logs VPN product. Request penetration-test or SOC-style reports under NDA if required.

Not found

No public independent security audit report located on unomed.ch.

ISO 27001
Vendor claimed

Vendor compliance pages and chronology claim ISO/IEC 27001; obtain current certificate for verification.

Not found

No ISO 27001 certificate or registry entry found on the official site.

ISO 27017 (cloud security)
Vendor claimed

Compliance page links a certificate PDF download; treat as vendor-published evidence until auditor validates.

Not listed
ISO 27018 (cloud PII)
Vendor claimed

Claimed on compliance/about materials; request current scope.

Not listed
SOC 2 / SOC 3
Not found

No public SOC 2 found; vendor promotes ISAE 3402 SOC 1 Type 2 instead (different standard).

Not found

No SOC 2/3 report referenced on public pages reviewed.

ISAE 3402 SOC 1 Type 2
Vendor claimed

About chronology highlights successful ISAE 3402 SOC 1 Type 2 (incl. January 2025 call-out). Request full report.

Not listed
BSI C5
Vendor claimed

Prominently listed on compliance pages; About chronology pairs C5 with January 2025 certification success. Request current attestation.

Not listed
GDPR / EU data protection
Vendor claimed

German controller (gridscale GmbH); European location marketing; privacy policy under DS-GVO. Confirm DPA and location selection for your processing.

Vendor claimed

Swiss FADP (DSG) primary; privacy policy also cites GDPR bases. Confirm DPA/ABV for your use case.

US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)
Partial

EU entity, no known US parent (OVHcloud France owns group). Customer hosting marketed in EU/CH/AT. Partial because privacy recipient list includes US-group Stripe, Google Analytics/GTM, Microsoft, Meta, LinkedIn for payments/marketing. Not legal advice.

Partial

Swiss entity / no known US parent, but AWS (S3 Zurich region, Rekognition Ireland) and Firebase appear in public technical/privacy materials. Not legal advice.

Data processing agreement (B2B)
Vendor claimed

GTC §14.2 requires a separate order-processing contract when gridscale processes personal data for the customer, finalised at latest on contract conclusion. Execute AV/DPA—do not rely on website privacy alone.

Vendor claimed

GTCs require an Auftragsbearbeitungsvertrag (ABV) when patient data is processed on behalf of the healthcare provider.

EU AI Act
Not applicable

Infrastructure cloud; not an AI system product. GPU capacity may host customer AI workloads under shared-responsibility model.

Not applicable

PACS archive/viewer product; AI is used for assisted patient matching and other suite features, but this entry evaluates the imaging archive, not an AI-centric system.

Trusted Cloud (DE)
Vendor claimed

Compliance page links Trusted Cloud service listing; verify current entry on trusted-cloud.de.

Not listed
Diagnostic viewer certificationNot listed
Partial

Default OHIF viewer explicitly not for diagnosis per GTCs; certified third-party viewers optional.

Considerations & known limitations: gridscale vs Unomed Cloud PACS
Considerations & known limitationsLogo: gridscalegridscaleLogo: Unomed Cloud PACSUnomed Cloud PACS
Parent-group integration after OVHcloud acquisition
Medium

100% OVHcloud ownership since 2023 may change roadmap, tooling, support model, or cross-entity data flows over time. Confirm entity, subcontractors, and exit terms for your contract generation.

Not listed
Partner-operated Hybrid Core locations
Medium

Some sites are operated with partners (hosttech, rhöncloud, BAIONITY, windCORES, etc.). Capability matrices differ (for example object storage not everywhere). Map exact location codes to SLA and subprocessor wording.

Not listed
US-group ancillary processors (account/marketing)
Medium

Privacy policy lists Stripe, Google Analytics/GTM, Microsoft Bing Ads, Meta, and LinkedIn. Material for DPIAs even when VM disks stay in EU halls. Ask which tools touch production account identities versus marketing only.

Not listed
Certifications need current attestation packs
Low

BSI C5, ISAE 3402, and ISO claims are vendor-published. Production security reviews should obtain dated reports rather than relying on marketing badges alone.

Not listed
Narrower global footprint than hyperscalers
Low

Location set is European-weighted. Unsuitable as a drop-in for multi-continent latency or hyperscaler-only services (global CDN marketplaces, specialized managed services).

Not listed
US-group cloud components in the data pathNot listed
Medium

Even with Swiss HQ and claimed Swiss image hosting, AWS and Firebase endpoints appear in public privacy/CSP materials. Procurement should obtain the named subprocessor annex and assess CLOUD Act residual risk.

Default viewer not for diagnosisNot listed
High

If radiologists must report from the included viewer, Unomed alone is the wrong shortlist item unless a certified diagnostic viewer is contracted.

No public ISO/SOC or independent auditNot listed
Medium

Assurance currently rests on vendor policies, Swiss entity status and contractual ABV rather than published certificates.

Subprocessor list not publishedNot listed
Medium

Privacy policy says processors can be requested at any time but does not name hosting vendors on the page. Blockers for security questionnaires until the annex is shared.

Fit

gridscale

Best fit when

  • DACH mid-market teams wanting German contracting plus managed PaaS (Kubernetes, databases, load balancers)
  • MSPs and hosters needing white-label branding, multi-tenant accounts, and optional Hybrid Core hardware
  • Workloads that must pick DE/NL/CH/AT regions with Tier 3 marketing claims and green-energy positioning
  • AI/ML or data-science jobs that need GPU bare-metal with per-minute metering
  • Buyers who value panel + API/Terraform over hyperscaler IAM sprawl

Poor fit when

  • Global multi-region applications that need hyperscaler edge, marketplace services, or non-European regions
  • Teams optimising only for lowest bare VM or dedicated-server unit cost (evaluate Hetzner first)
  • Buyers requiring public SOC 2 Type II specifically rather than ISAE 3402 SOC 1 Type 2 / BSI C5 packs
  • Organisations that forbid any US-group ancillary processors (Stripe/Google marketing tools appear in the privacy recipient list)

Consider instead when

  • When: You need the broader European hyperscale portfolio and more regions under one group brand

    Consider: OVHcloud

    OVHcloud is the parent group; gridscale stays the HCI/panel-focused product line

  • When: Cost-sensitive VMs or dedicated servers dominate and you do not need Hybrid Core white-label

    Consider: Hetzner

    Hetzner typically wins raw price/performance for simple compute

  • When: France-centric developer cloud with different location and product skew

    Consider: Scaleway

    Compare ARM options and FR footprint versus gridscale DACH Hybrid Core

  • When: Swiss-rooted EU cloud positioning is the primary evaluation criterion

    Consider: Exoscale

    Still compare DE/CH site maps and managed service depth side by side

  • When: You need worldwide regions, marketplace depth, or US-public-sector cloud programmes

    Consider: Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure

    Trade EU-entity simplicity for hyperscaler breadth and US ownership path

Unomed Cloud PACS

Best fit when

  • Swiss medical or dental practices that want cloud DICOM archive and sharing without an on-site PACS project
  • Teams that must open imaging from an existing web-based practice system rather than a second patient search
  • Institutes that need to autoroute studies to referring practices while keeping an existing PACS (Radiology Bridge)
  • Buyers who prioritise a Swiss contracting entity and vendor-claimed Swiss image residency under the FADP
  • Workflows that share studies with referrers or patients via links instead of CDs or one-off portals

Poor fit when

  • Organisations that require the included viewer to be a certified diagnostic/reporting workstation out of the box
  • Buyers that need a published named subprocessor list and independent ISO/SOC evidence before first sales call
  • Teams seeking a fully self-hosted open-source PACS they operate themselves
  • Hospitals needing a full RIS/PACS suite beyond practice-oriented cloud archive and sharing

Consider instead when

  • When: You need a European cloud PACS peer outside Switzerland or broader multi-country packaging

    Consider: PostDICOM (Netherlands) or other EU cloud PACS vendors

    Feature parity is not claimed; compare residency contracts and viewer certification directly.

  • When: You primarily need raw cloud object storage or hospital-grade imaging services on a hyperscaler

    Consider: AWS or Azure health/imaging stacks with your own viewer and compliance design

    More infrastructure flexibility; you own more of the clinical workflow glue.

  • When: You must keep all image data on premises under your sole operational control

    Consider: Classic on-prem PACS plus a dedicated sharing portal

    Unomed is cloud SaaS with a local connector, not a self-hosted Unomed server product.

Open questions for due diligence

gridscale

  • Will gridscale execute your template AV/DPA and attach a location-specific subprocessor list for the regions you enable?
  • What is the current scope and report date for BSI C5 and ISAE 3402 SOC 1 Type 2 covering the services you will buy?
  • Which privacy-policy third parties process production account/identity data versus website marketing only?
  • How are OVHcloud group affiliates involved in support, billing, or platform operations for gridscale customers post-acquisition?
  • For Hybrid Core partner sites, who is the data-center operator of record and what audit rights apply?

Unomed Cloud PACS

  • Will Unomed provide the current named subprocessor list (hosting, backup, email, SMS, identity) under NDA or in the ABV annex?
  • Which exact Swiss data-centre operators and certifications cover the DICOM archive?
  • Is a CE-marked / certified diagnostic viewer required for your reporting workflow, and which third-party option will Unomed integrate?
  • What SLA, backup/RPO and export support apply to your Cloud PACS tier?