Compare Open Telekom Cloud and OVHcloud on capabilities, jurisdiction, assurance, and fit for European buyers.
Both listed as alternatives to: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure
Germany· Cloud Computing
Needs review
Shortlist when you need a German Telekom/T-Systems OpenStack public cloud with DE/NL/CH regions and a strong BSI C5/ISO/TISAX package for regulated or public-sector workloads. Skip when you need hyperscaler global PaaS breadth or pure self-hosted OpenStack—consider OVHcloud, Scaleway, or AWS/Azure for those cases.
France· Cloud Computing
Needs review
Shortlist OVHcloud when you need a European-owned IaaS/bare-metal stack with SecNumCloud/HDS options and multi-continent regions you control per project. Skip when you need hyperscaler platform depth, or when even optional US subsidiaries/regions are a procurement red line—consider Scaleway for leaner French cloud or Hetzner for simpler dedicated/VPS estates.
Highlighted rows differ between the two products.
| Feature | Open Telekom Cloud | OVHcloud |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Germany | France |
| Category | Cloud Computing | Cloud Computing |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hosted | No | No |
| Headquarters | Germany | France |
| Legal entity | T-Systems International GmbH (Deutsche Telekom group); product marketed as T Cloud Public / Open Telekom Cloud | OVH SAS / OVH Groupe (Roubaix); regional entities include OVH US LLC for US services |
| Governing law | German / EU law for the cloud service (confirm contract) | French/EU law for EU contracts; US terms apply for OVH US LLC-contracted services |
| US parent / control | No known US parent | No known US parent |
| CLOUD Act exposure (indicative) | Low | Medium |
| Hosting / residency | Primary: Telekom/T-Systems twin-core data centers in Germany (Biere/Magdeburg), Netherlands (Amsterdam region), and Switzerland (Bern/Zollikofen). No public indication that AWS, Azure, or GCP is the primary IaaS host. Backups/DR via platform multi-AZ services. Full public subprocessor table not found—request DPA annex. Historical Huawei technology partnership is supply-chain diligence, not US-cloud hosting. | Own global infrastructure: EU regions (FR including Paris 3-AZ, DE Limburg, PL Warsaw, UK Erith, IT Milan 3-AZ, many Local Zones); US (Vint Hill VA, Hillsboro OR); Canada (Beauharnois, Toronto); APAC (Singapore, Sydney, Mumbai). Primary hosting is OVH-operated, not AWS/GCP resale. Optional non-EU regions are first-class products. |
| Summary | Deutsche Telekom / T-Systems sovereign European public cloud (now marketed as T Cloud Public): OpenStack-based IaaS and platform services in Germany, Netherlands, and Swiss regions with BSI C5, ISO, and SOC attestations. | French cloud and infrastructure group (Roubaix): Bare Metal dedicated servers, OpenStack Public Cloud, Hosted Private Cloud (incl. SecNumCloud), and Web Cloud on OVH-operated datacentres across Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific. |
| Tags |
| At a glance | Open Telekom Cloud | OVHcloud |
|---|---|---|
| HQ / operator | Germany — T-Systems / Deutsche Telekom | Not listed |
| Current brand | T Cloud Public (formerly Open Telekom Cloud) | Not listed |
| Platform | OpenStack-based public cloud | Not listed |
| Regions | Germany (Biere/Magdeburg), Netherlands, Switzerland | Not listed |
| Commercial model | Pay-as-you-go (+ optional discounts/reservations) | Hourly/monthly public cloud; dedicated server subscriptions; free public cloud trial credits (vendor) |
| Self-host | No — managed public cloud | Not listed |
| HQ | Not listed | Roubaix, France (OVH SAS / OVH Groupe) |
| Founded | Not listed | 1999 (Octave Klaba) |
| Hosting model | Not listed | Own datacentres and network; multi-region IaaS/bare metal |
| Open source product? | Not listed | No (OpenStack-based public cloud uses open APIs) |
| Notable certs (claimed) | Not listed | ISO 27001 family, SOC 1/2/3, HDS, SecNumCloud (Private Cloud), PCI DSS |
| Key capabilities | Open Telekom Cloud | OVHcloud |
|---|---|---|
| EU-operated (T-Systems) | Yes | Yes |
| OpenStack public IaaS | Yes | Not listed |
| BSI C5 Type II (claimed) | Yes | Not listed |
| DE / NL / CH regions | Yes | Not listed |
| GPU + ModelArts AI | Yes | Not listed |
| Pay-as-you-go | Yes | Not listed |
| Bare Metal + Public Cloud | Not listed | Yes |
| OpenStack Public Cloud | Not listed | Yes |
| SecNumCloud Private Cloud | Not listed | Yes |
| Anti-DDoS included | Not listed | Yes |
| EU / US / CA / APAC | Not listed | Yes |
OpenStack public cloud with Elastic Cloud Server and GPUs
Self-service IaaS on OpenStack: Elastic Cloud Server flavors from general-purpose to GPU shapes for AI/ML and graphics, plus Dedicated Host and Bare Metal where the region supports them. Provision via console, API, or automation; Auto Scaling for metric-driven capacity. Suited to production VMs and hybrid patterns that need European operator control rather than a thin VPS plan.
Multi-AZ object, block, and file storage in EU regions
Object Storage Service provides S3-compatible multi-AZ object storage; Elastic Volume Service attaches block disks with snapshots; Scalable File Service offers NFS shared filesystems. Cloud Backup and Recovery and related services back up VMs and volumes into platform object storage. Pin workloads to DE, NL, or Swiss regions according to residency policy.
VPC networking, Direct Connect, and security services
Virtual Private Cloud isolation, Elastic Load Balancer, VPN, NAT, Enterprise Router, and Direct Connect for high-bandwidth hybrid links. Security stack includes Anti-DDoS, WAF, Cloud Firewall, Host Security Service, and Key Management Service with bring-your-own-key options—useful for regulated network architectures without leaving Telekom-operated regions.
Cloud Container Engine and managed data services
Cloud Container Engine runs Kubernetes-managed clusters and images; companion services cover container instances and registries. Relational Database Service supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Microsoft SQL with HA and backup patterns; document, cache (Redis-class), MapReduce, and search services extend the data plane. Service availability differs between DE and NL—check the regional matrix before design freezes.
ModelArts and sovereign AI positioning
ModelArts provides an end-to-end AI development path (data prep, training, deployment) on European infrastructure, with GPU-backed instances for training and inference. Aimed at teams that want model and training-data residency under the same European operator as their IaaS—confirm which AI services exist in your chosen region (several AI offerings are DE-focused).
Twin-core European data centers (DE, NL, CH)
Published regions: twin-core Germany (Biere/Magdeburg), Netherlands (Amsterdam area), and Switzerland (Bern/Zollikofen) for Swiss data residency. Vendor claims geo-redundant twin-core design, high availability targets, and renewable-powered German facilities. Not a global multi-continent footprint—by design for European sovereignty shortlists.
Bare Metal dedicated servers (in-house hardware)
Physical servers assembled and operated by OVHcloud across ranges such as Advance, Scale, High Grade, and Game—full CPU/RAM/storage without a hypervisor layer. Water cooling and hardware lifecycle are part of the industrial model. Best for performance-sensitive, virtualisation, gaming, or large single-tenant workloads where you administer the OS.
OpenStack Public Cloud and managed PaaS
On-demand compute, multi-class object storage (S3-compatible API), block/file storage, managed databases, Kubernetes/container services, networking, and data/AI platforms. Deploy via Control Panel or OpenStack APIs with 1-AZ or 3-AZ region options (for example Paris and Milan). Suited to cloud-native and hybrid automation without US hyperscaler lock-in.
Hosted Private Cloud with SecNumCloud path
VMware-based Hosted Private Cloud (and related stacks) for dedicated virtualisation estates. Selected Private Cloud offerings hold French ANSSI SecNumCloud qualification, with customer data under European regulation and hosting in French sites (Roubaix, Gravelines, Strasbourg)—relevant for French public sector and sensitive workloads under Cloud at the Center doctrine.
Global multi-region footprint (EU, US, CA, APAC)
Own datacentres and regions spanning Europe (France, Germany, Poland, UK, Italy, many Local Zones), North America (Vint Hill VA, Hillsboro OR, Beauharnois and Toronto in Canada), and Asia-Pacific (Singapore, Sydney, Mumbai and related offerings). Choose residency for latency and law; do not assume EU-only by default.
Anti-DDoS and vRack private networking included
Network-integrated anti-DDoS mitigation is standard across services. vRack provides private L2 networking across eligible OVHcloud locations so bare metal, public, and private cloud can interconnect without public exposure. Public bandwidth is typically unmetered in Europe and North America with fair-use rules; Asia-Pacific often uses lower default bandwidth and monthly traffic caps—verify per SKU.
| Assurance & compliance | Open Telekom Cloud | OVHcloud |
|---|---|---|
| Independent security / no-logs audit | Not applicable IaaS platform—not a no-logs consumer VPN. Independent assurance is via ISO/SOC/C5-style audits rather than a no-logs report. | Not applicable IaaS/hosting provider, not a no-logs VPN product. Security is covered via ISO/SOC programme rather than a public no-logs audit. |
| ISO 27001 | Vendor claimed Vendor certifications page links ISO/IEC 27001 umbrella certificate PDF for download; re-verify serial/date in procurement. | Vendor claimed Vendor compliance pages assert ISO/IEC 27001 (with 27017/27018) for cloud services and datacentres; US pages reference Schellman certificate directory. Confirm current scope per product and region. |
| ISO/IEC 27017 (cloud security) | Vendor claimed Claimed with downloadable attestation PDF on certifications page. | Not listed |
| ISO/IEC 27018 (cloud PII) | Vendor claimed Claimed with downloadable attestation PDF on certifications page. | Not listed |
| SOC 2 / SOC 3 | Vendor claimed SOC 2 Type II (request report); SOC 3 public PDF linked on certifications page. SOC 1 Type II also claimed. | Vendor claimed Vendor asserts SSAE 18 Type 2 SOC 1, SOC 2 (+NIST), and SOC 3 attestations; reports available to prospective customers under vendor process. |
| BSI C5 Type II | Vendor claimed Vendor claims BSI C5:2020 Type II (ISAE 3000); detailed report typically on request via audit-reports download flow. | Not listed |
| TISAX Level 3 | Vendor claimed Vendor states TISAX Level 3 for Germany and Netherlands regions. | Not listed |
| GDPR / EU data protection | Vendor claimed EU operator, EU/CH regions, ISO 27018/27701 claims, DPA language on marketing pages—confirm signed DPA for your entity. | Vendor claimed EU headquartered; GDPR compliance asserted; DPA documents published for relevant subsidiaries. Residency depends on chosen region. |
| US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative) | Partial German Telekom/T-Systems operator, no known US parent of the cloud business, primary hosting on Telekom EU/CH data centers (not AWS/GCP/Azure). Not a legal clearance of zero extraterritorial risk. Historical Huawei tech partnership is separate supply-chain diligence. Not legal advice. | Partial French group with no known US parent, but operates US datacentres (Vint Hill, Hillsboro) and OVH US LLC. Medium indicative exposure: EU-region workloads on EU contracts differ from US-region workloads. Not legal advice. |
| Data processing agreement (B2B) | Vendor claimed Vendor GDPR pages state DPA, TOMs, and audit reports available for B2B; obtain current signed pack—not fully self-serve public template verified here. | Vendor claimed Published DPAs form part of terms (e.g. OVH SAS Europe paths; separate US DPA for OVH US LLC). Obtain the DPA matching your contracting entity. |
| EU AI Act | Partial Platform offers AI services (ModelArts) that may fall under customer AI Act obligations; OTC itself is infrastructure—not an automated high-risk AI system assessment by EuropeanStack. | Not applicable Core product is IaaS/bare metal/hosting; AI/ML platforms are optional infrastructure offerings, not a single AI system product under typical procurement framing. |
| ANSSI SecNumCloud | Not listed | Vendor claimed Hosted Private Cloud (VMware on OVHcloud and related) holds SecNumCloud qualification; hosted in French sites (Roubaix, Gravelines, Strasbourg). Not all products are SecNumCloud-qualified. |
| HDS (French health data hosting) | Not listed | Vendor claimed Vendor lists HDS certification for healthcare data hosting options; confirm which products and locations are in scope. |
| PCI DSS | Not listed | Vendor claimed Vendor asserts PCI DSS Level 1 certification for payment data hosting—confirm applicability to your architecture. |
| Considerations & known limitations | Open Telekom Cloud | OVHcloud |
|---|---|---|
| Historical Huawei technology partnership | Medium Platform launched with Huawei hardware/software partnership; residual stack components may still matter for sensitive public-sector RFPs. T-Systems states independent operation. Review supply-chain docs under NDA. | Not listed |
| Service catalog differs by region | Medium Several services (e.g. ModelArts, bare metal, some database/analytics SKUs) are unavailable in NL or limited to DE. Design against the live regional matrix, not the full marketing list. | Not listed |
| Limited public subprocessor table | Low Unlike some SaaS vendors, a complete public subprocessor inventory was not found on marketing pages. Request DPA annex and subcontractor list before high-assurance processing. | Not listed |
| Smaller global ecosystem than AWS/Azure/GCP | Low Expect fewer regions, fewer proprietary PaaS services, and a smaller marketplace than US hyperscalers. Migration tools and partner ecosystem exist but differ in depth. | Not listed |
| Brand transition OTC → T Cloud Public | Low Documentation, console URLs, and community still mix Open Telekom Cloud and T Cloud Public names. Factor rebrand into runbooks and vendor risk registers. | Not listed |
| US regions and US subsidiary | Not listed | Medium US East/West datacentres and OVH US LLC mean CLOUD Act and US process risk apply to US-placed data and some contracts. EU-only deployment reduces this but buyers must enforce region and contracting path. |
| 2021 Strasbourg datacentre fire (resilience history) | Not listed | Medium A major fire at SBG caused widespread customer outages. Treat multi-AZ/multi-region backup design as mandatory for critical data; do not rely on single-site assumptions. |
| Certification scope is product- and region-specific | Not listed | Medium ISO, SOC, HDS, SecNumCloud, and PCI claims do not automatically cover every SKU and location. Procurement should request the exact report for the services ordered. |
| APAC bandwidth and traffic rules differ | Not listed | Low Vendor documents unmetered traffic exceptions for Asia-Pacific (lower default bandwidth and monthly volume caps vs Europe/North America). Model egress and bandwidth options for APAC workloads. |
| Broad catalogue complexity | Not listed | Low Bare Metal, Public Cloud, Private Cloud, and Web Cloud under one brand can confuse account structure, IAM, and billing. Define landing-zone standards early. |
When: You need extensive bare-metal catalogs and a very large multi-country EU footprint
Consider: OVHcloud
Different operator (France) and product packaging; compare bare-metal and region maps.
When: You prefer developer-centric European cloud packaging outside the Telekom stack
Consider: Scaleway or Exoscale
Scaleway for FR/NL-oriented developer UX; Exoscale for Swiss multi-zone IaaS + managed K8s.
When: You need global regions, marketplace depth, or proprietary PaaS only hyperscalers provide
Consider: AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform
Accept US-parent CLOUD Act exposure and multi-region complexity in exchange for breadth.
When: You want German-market hosting adjacency with a different commercial/product mix
Consider: IONOS
Often compared for German buyers; validate IaaS depth vs OTC enterprise cloud features.
When: You want a leaner French public cloud with a strong developer product surface and less enterprise sovereign packaging
Consider: Scaleway
Often simpler for cloud-native teams; confirm region and compliance fit.
When: You primarily need price-performance VPS or dedicated servers with a smaller catalogue
Consider: Hetzner
Strong for lean estates; different sovereign/cert posture and global region set.
When: You need maximum managed-service breadth, global account tooling, and partner marketplace density
Consider: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform
Hyperscalers win platform depth; accept US ownership and CLOUD Act parent exposure.
When: You want German SMB hosting plus cloud IaaS with EU and some non-EU options
Consider: IONOS
Different product mix and compliance packaging than OVHcloud's bare-metal industrial model.