IONOS vs Unomed Cloud PACS

Compare IONOS 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: IONOS

IONOS

Germany· Cloud Computing

Needs review

Shortlist IONOS when you want a German-operated hosting + public cloud stack with EU location choice, managed Kubernetes, S3 storage, and public BSI-oriented cloud certifications for DACH buyers. Skip when you need hyperscaler service breadth, EU-only infrastructure with no US regions or US facility partners in the path, or lowest-cost bare metal—consider OVHcloud, Scaleway, Hetzner, or STACKIT instead depending on that gap.

German SE (Montabaur)EU + US cloud regionsManaged KubernetesS3 Object StorageBSI C5 Type 1 (claimed)Domains + SMB hosting
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
IONOS vs Unomed Cloud PACS: Snapshot
FeatureLogo: IONOSIONOSLogo: Unomed Cloud PACSUnomed Cloud PACS
Country of originGermanySwitzerland
CategoryCloud ComputingCloud Computing
Open sourceNoNo
Self-hostedNoNo
HeadquartersGermanySwitzerland
Legal entityIONOS SE (HRB 24498, Amtsgericht Montabaur); group listed as IONOS Group SEUnomed AG
Governing lawGerman / EU (confirm per contract and national affiliate)Not listed
US parent / controlNo known US parentNo known US parent
CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)MediumMedium
EU-hosted statusNot listedPartial
Hosting / residencyIONOS-operated and partner facilities in Europe (e.g. Berlin, Frankfurt—including Equinix-operated sites—Paris, Logroño, London, Worcester, Karlsruhe) and the US (Las Vegas, Newark, Lenexa). Object Storage and compute location chosen per resource. Backup Service uses Acronis technology; managed backup path described as DE ISO 27001 centers. Optional Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace resale.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

German hosting and cloud provider (IONOS SE): domains and SMB web hosting plus IONOS Cloud IaaS/PaaS with EU and US locations, managed Kubernetes, object storage, and DBaaS.

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: IONOS vs Unomed Cloud PACS
At a glanceLogo: IONOSIONOSLogo: Unomed Cloud PACSUnomed Cloud PACS
HQMontabaur, Germany (IONOS SE)Zurich, Switzerland
GroupUnited Internet / IONOS Group SE (listed)Not listed
Product linesDomains & hosting + IONOS Cloud IaaS/PaaSNot listed
Cloud regionsDE, FR, ES, UK + US (e.g. LAS, EWR, MCI)Not listed
Open sourceNo (proprietary platform)Not listed
Self-hostNoNot listed
Commercial modelHosting packages + cloud usage (per-minute style)Not listed
Legal entityNot listedUnomed AG (CHE-374.858.885)
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: IONOS vs Unomed Cloud PACS
Key capabilitiesLogo: IONOSIONOSLogo: Unomed Cloud PACSUnomed Cloud PACS
German SE (Montabaur)YesNot listed
EU + US cloud regionsYesNot listed
Managed KubernetesYesNot listed
S3 Object StorageYesNot listed
BSI C5 Type 1 (claimed)YesNot listed
Domains + SMB hostingYesNot listed
Swiss-operatedNot listedYes
Cloud PACS / VNANot listedYes
DICOM archiveNot listedYes
Browser viewerNot listedYes
PIS overlayNot listedYes

IONOS

  • Virtual Data Center Designer and IaaS compute

    Build isolated virtual data centers in the browser or via Cloud API: dedicated-core servers, vCPU servers, and Cubes with attached NVMe. Live vertical scaling is supported on many Linux images for cores, RAM, NICs, and volumes without a full rebuild. Locations span DE (Berlin, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe), FR, ES, UK, and US.

  • Managed Kubernetes without a separate control-plane fee

    Automated cluster and node-pool setup with geo-redundant control plane, admin API access, and optional node auto-scaling. IONOS documents the managed control plane as free of charge; you pay for the underlying compute, storage, and network only—useful for staging and production clusters on the same contract.

  • S3-compatible Object Storage across EU and US endpoints

    Contract-included Object Storage with S3 API compatibility, versioning, object lock, SSE-S3/SSE-C, and lifecycle rules. Documented endpoints include Frankfurt, Berlin, Logroño, and Lenexa (US). German object-storage locations are listed with BSI IT-Grundschutz compliance notes in the service catalog.

  • Managed databases, GPU VMs, and Berlin-hosted AI Model Hub

    DBaaS for PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, and in-memory DB; Cloud GPU VMs (NVIDIA H200 templates) in Frankfurt; AI Model Hub with OpenAI-compatible APIs, RAG/vector support, and vendor-stated processing exclusively in Germany (Berlin). Fits teams that want European inference without standing up their own GPU estate.

  • Domains, web hosting, and personal consultant for SMBs

    Classic IONOS portfolio: domain registration, shared/VPS/dedicated hosting, site builders, and optional Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Differentiator for non-cloud buyers is a dedicated personal consultant plus 24/7 support channels—not pure ticket-only self-serve hosting.

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: IONOS vs Unomed Cloud PACS
Assurance & complianceLogo: IONOSIONOSLogo: Unomed Cloud PACSUnomed Cloud PACS
Independent security / cloud audit (beyond marketing)
Partial

BSI C5 Type 1 (2023 announcement) and IT-Grundschutz ISMS claims after external audit; not a public no-logs VPN-style audit. Request current reports and scope.

Not found

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

ISO 27001
Vendor claimed

Vendor FAQ/about materials state ISO 27001 for data centers / security posture; facility partner cert PDFs also referenced on location pages. Independent cert registry entry not re-verified here.

Not found

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

SOC 2 / SOC 3
Not found

SOC/SSAE-style attestations appear for some facility operators (e.g. Equinix listings). No clear IONOS product-level SOC 2 claim found on primary pages reviewed.

Not found

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

BSI C5 (Cloud Computing Compliance Criteria Catalogue)
Vendor claimed

Company IR announcement 7 Nov 2023: C5 Type 1 for Compute Engine, Cloud Cubes, S3 Object Storage after external audit. Type 1 = design at a point in time; confirm current validity and product scope.

Not listed
GDPR / EU data protection
Vendor claimed

German controller/processor entities; EU location options; vendor GDPR statements. Residency still depends on selected regions and subprocessors.

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

German SE / no known US parent, but US subsidiaries, US host regions (LAS/EWR/MCI), Equinix facility partnership, optional Microsoft/Google products, Acronis-powered backup. 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

Hosting DPA via account privacy flows; IONOS Cloud AVV via account manager / contract docs. Confirm entity and service annex.

Vendor claimed

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

EU AI Act
Partial

Relevant mainly to AI Model Hub (docs discuss governance/compliance). Core hosting/IaaS is not AI-product-centric; treat AI Act as service-specific diligence.

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.

Diagnostic viewer certificationNot listed
Partial

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

Considerations & known limitations: IONOS vs Unomed Cloud PACS
Considerations & known limitationsLogo: IONOSIONOSLogo: Unomed Cloud PACSUnomed Cloud PACS
US regions, US entities, and facility partners
Medium

Selecting US locations places data in the US. Even EU-only deployments sit in a group that has US subsidiaries and uses partners such as Equinix for some EU facilities—material for CLOUD Act / transfer reviews.

Not listed
No clear public subprocessor catalogue
Medium

Unlike many pure SaaS vendors, a single customer-facing subprocessor list was not found. Buyers must extract partners from location pages, DPA annexes, and product docs (Equinix, Acronis, Microsoft, Google, etc.).

Not listed
C5 Type 1 scope and freshness
Low

Public C5 claim is Type 1 for specific products (Compute Engine, Cubes, Object Storage) as of the 2023 announcement. Not a blanket certificate for every IONOS product; request up-to-date reports.

Not listed
Narrower managed ecosystem than hyperscalers
Low

Strong IaaS and selected PaaS, but not a full AWS/Azure service catalogue. Multi-region global apps and niche managed services may force multi-cloud or a different primary vendor.

Not listed
Hosting brand vs cloud platform complexity
Low

SMB hosting contracts, reseller office suites, and enterprise cloud AVVs are different commercial and compliance surfaces—do not assume one DPA covers every SKU.

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

IONOS

Best fit when

  • SMB and agencies needing domains, hosting, email/office resale, and a personal consultant under one German brand
  • Teams building IaaS workloads in selectable EU locations with a visual Data Center Designer and full Cloud API
  • Organizations that want managed Kubernetes, DBaaS, and S3-compatible storage without a hyperscaler contract
  • DACH public-sector or regulated buyers who need documented BSI C5 / IT-Grundschutz posture on scoped cloud products (confirm current report)
  • AI or inference pilots that prefer vendor-stated Germany (Berlin) hosting for AI Model Hub

Poor fit when

  • Buyers requiring a guarantee of no US legal entities, no US regions, and no US-group facility partners anywhere in the path
  • Workloads that depend on the full AWS/Azure/GCP marketplace, global region density, or niche managed services IONOS does not offer
  • Price-only bare-metal or Hetzner-style DIY shops that do not need managed PaaS or SMB hosting layers
  • Teams that refuse any US-group SaaS (Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace) if those bundles are part of the intended stack

Consider instead when

  • When: You want French-operated cloud with strong developer packaging and EU focus without a mass-market hosting brand

    Consider: Scaleway

    Different product mix; compare region map and managed services side by side.

  • When: You prioritize large European hosting/cloud scale and multi-country DC ownership narratives

    Consider: OVHcloud

    Both are EU groups with non-trivial international footprints—read residency options carefully.

  • When: You mainly need cost-efficient dedicated servers or simple cloud in DE/FI with minimal PaaS

    Consider: Hetzner

    Thinner managed layer; different support and SMB hosting model.

  • When: You are already in Schwarz Group ecosystems or need STACKIT-specific public-cloud positioning

    Consider: STACKIT

    Narrower commercial brand than IONOS hosting+cloud combo.

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

IONOS

  • What is the current BSI C5 report type (Type 1 vs Type 2), validity period, and exact product/location scope?
  • Can IONOS provide a consolidated subprocessor and sub-processor change-notification list under the DPA/AVV?
  • Which contract entity (IONOS SE vs IONOS Cloud GmbH vs national affiliates) will sign for our workload and which TOMs apply?
  • For EU-only deployments, are any support, monitoring, or backup control-plane components processed outside the EU?
  • Is ISO 27001 held by IONOS operating companies for the full service stack, or primarily facility/operator certifications?

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?