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Logo: Aruba Cloud

Aruba Cloud

Italian sovereign cloud from Aruba S.p.A.: OpenStack public cloud, VMware private cloud, bare metal/GPU, Kubernetes, and storage on proprietary European data centers—strong fit for Italian PA and EU residency-minded IT.

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Aruba Cloud is the infrastructure and cloud brand of Aruba S.p.A., an Italian provider headquartered in Ponte San Pietro (Bergamo). It sells public and private compute, bare metal, container platforms, object and block storage, and backup and DR.

It exists as an Italian sovereign-cloud option for teams that want European residency, especially Italian public administration and EU-minded IT. Workloads run primarily from Aruba-owned data centers in Italy and the Czech Republic, with additional zones through a European partner network.

The concrete differentiator is that owned-facility path plus an OpenStack public cloud and VMware private cloud on the same Italian operator. Provisioning is through the Aruba Cloud Management Platform, APIs, and prepaid credit packaging.

EU-operated (IT)OpenStack public cloudVMware Pinnacle PartnerISO 27001 (claimed)ACN-qualified (claimed)Proprietary EU data centers

Shortlist Aruba Cloud when you need Italian-entity IaaS with OpenStack public cloud, VMware private cloud (Pinnacle Partner), bare metal/GPU, and ACN-oriented PA packaging on proprietary EU campuses. Skip when you need hyperscaler global breadth or a fully public subprocessor directory—consider OVHcloud or Scaleway instead for multi-country European IaaS with different tradeoffs.

Key capabilities

Self-service Cloud Servers and Virtual Data Centers on OpenStack with AMD/NVMe-oriented SKUs, unlimited traffic on documented cloud-server lines, and management via the Aruba Cloud Management Platform, APIs, and prepaid credit wallet. Suits test/prod VMs and progressive scale-out inside Aruba's ecosystem—not a hyperscaler global catalog.

Hosted Private Cloud, Virtual Private Cloud via VMware Cloud Director, unified storage, and DRaaS-style options using enterprise stacks (vendor materials cite Zerto, Veeam, vSphere tooling). Built for teams standardizing on VMware who want European hosting without running their own gear.

Dedicated servers in Italian Rating 4 data centers (Arezzo/Bergamo and others) with configurable networking (firewall/switch add-ons) and GPU SKUs aimed at private AI/ML. Full root control and isolation; buyer owns OS security and backups unless add-on protection is purchased.

Managed Kubernetes, Application Platform (container/PaaS), container registry, agentless backup for K8s/VDC, plus ArubaKube R&D around open-source multi-cluster projects such as Liqo. Good for EU teams wanting managed containers without leaving Aruba's network.

S3-compatible object storage, block volumes, smart storage, and backup packages (vendor stacks include Veeam and Commvault). Use for data protection and hybrid DR—not automatic full-workload backup unless you buy and configure those services.

Place workloads across proprietary Italian and Czech sites plus partner zones in France, Germany, the UK, and Poland. Italian ACN-qualified IaaS/PaaS/SaaS positioning targets public administration and regulated suppliers; confirm exact qualified SKUs and region pins in procurement.

At a glance

HQ
Ponte San Pietro (BG), Italy
Legal entity
Aruba S.p.A.
Founded
1994 (group)
Hosting
Proprietary IT + CZ DCs; partner FR/DE/UK/PL
Core stack
OpenStack, VMware, bare metal, K8s
Commercial model
Prepaid credit / pay-as-you-go; no free tier
Open source product?
No (uses OSS components e.g. OpenStack)
Self-hosted?
No (provider-managed cloud/DC)

Best fit when

  • Italian or EU orgs that want compute under Aruba S.p.A. with primary hosting on Aruba-owned Italian/Czech data centers
  • Public administration and regulated suppliers needing ACN-qualified cloud SKUs (confirm product scope)
  • VMware shops seeking Hosted Private Cloud / VPC / DRaaS without US hyperscaler tenancy
  • Teams mixing OpenStack VMs, Managed Kubernetes, object storage, and bare metal/GPU for private AI
  • Buyers who value Italian-language 24/7 support, CMP self-service, and prepaid credit cost control

Poor fit when

  • Workloads that need a hyperscaler-wide global region map and deep managed PaaS catalogs (AWS/Azure-class)
  • Teams that require a fully public, always-updated subprocessor page without a customer request
  • Buyers who only want lowest-cost bare metal/VPS and do not need VMware, ACN, or enterprise packaging (Hetzner-class shortlists)
  • Strict Italy-only residency without validating region selection (partner zones include FR/DE/UK/PL)

Consider instead when

  • When: You need larger multi-country European scale or a broader global PoP footprint than Aruba's network

    Consider: OVHcloud

    French-scale European IaaS; different PA quals and product tree.

  • When: You prioritize developer-centric instance catalogs and simpler Paris/Amsterdam-style public cloud

    Consider: Scaleway

    Stronger developer UX; less Italian ACN/VMware private-cloud depth.

  • When: You need US hyperscaler ecosystem density, global managed services, and marketplace breadth

    Consider: Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure

    US-parent platforms with different jurisdictional posture.

  • When: You mainly want cost-oriented German bare metal/VPS with less enterprise packaging

    Consider: Hetzner

    Different country anchor and compliance story; compare catalogs carefully.

Jurisdiction & ownership

Legal entity
Aruba S.p.A., Via San Clemente 53, 24036 Ponte San Pietro (BG), Italy; VAT IT01573850516
Governing law
Italian law (Bergamo courts for non-consumers per T&Cs)
US parent / control
No known US parent
CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)
Low
Hosting / residency
Primary compute on Aruba-owned data centers in Italy (Arezzo IT1/IT2, Bergamo IT3, Rome IT4) and Czech Republic (Prague CZ1, Ktiš CZ2). Partner availability zones: Paris FR1, Frankfurt DE1, London UK1, Warsaw PL1. Customer chooses region. Full subprocessor list not public—available on request under processor terms. Optional multi-cloud interconnection to other public clouds for hybrid designs.

No known US parent; Italian independent operator. CLOUD Act row is EuropeanStack indicative assessment, not a vendor claim. UK partner zone is non-EU; hybrid hyperscaler designs can reintroduce US-group providers. Not legal advice.

  • Independent security / no-logs auditNot applicable
  • ISO 27001Vendor claimed
  • SOC 2 / SOC 3Not found
  • ISAE 3402Vendor claimed
  • +6

Considerations & known limitations

  • MediumSubprocessor list not fully public

    T&Cs say the updated subprocessor list is available on request, not as a public transparency page. Procurement should obtain the current list, countries, and change process before go-live.

  • LowPartner zones and multi-region choice

    European network includes partner sites and a UK zone. Residency and latency goals require explicit region selection—not assumptions from marketing 'sovereign cloud' language alone.

  • MediumCustomer-owned backups and OS security

    Default terms state Aruba does not back up customer data unless a backup service is purchased; customers administer OS, apps, and credentials under shared responsibility.

  • LowNarrower managed PaaS than hyperscalers

    OpenStack + VMware + bare metal + K8s cover classic IaaS/private cloud well, but teams expecting AWS/Azure-class managed service density will hit catalog limits.

  • LowCertificate scope must be verified

    ISO/ISAE/ACN claims are vendor-published; map each cert to exact products, locations, and expiry before relying on them in a risk register.

Open questions for due diligence

  • What is the current named subprocessor list (group companies and third parties) for the exact SKUs we will buy?
  • Which products and sites are in scope for the latest ISO 27001 / 27017 / 27018 certificates and ACN AI3/QC3 qualifications?
  • Can we pin workloads exclusively to Italian proprietary DCs (IT1–IT4) with contractual residency language?
  • What customer audit rights, ISAE/SOC report access, and DPA signature process apply to our legal entity?
  • For hybrid designs, which interconnect options touch US-group clouds, and can those be excluded?
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Frequently Asked Questions

Aruba operates proprietary data centers in Italy (Arezzo IT1/IT2, Bergamo IT3, Rome IT4) and the Czech Republic (Prague CZ1, Ktiš CZ2), plus partner locations in Paris, Frankfurt, London, and Warsaw. You select placement; Italian campuses are the usual choice for Italian PA and strong residency narratives. 'Europe-wide network' is not the same as 'always Italy-only'—pin the region in design and contract.

Aruba S.p.A. is an Italian company with no public US parent, and primary cloud capacity is on Aruba-owned European sites. That is a favorable ownership and hosting posture versus US hyperscalers, but it is not a legal guarantee. Subprocessor lists are provided on request (not fully public), partner DCs include the UK, and hybrid multi-cloud designs can reintroduce US-group providers. Treat CLOUD Act exposure as indicative diligence, not a vendor safety claim.

Start with ISO 27001-family and related certificate PDFs linked from Aruba's data-protection pages, CISPE Code of Conduct statements, ACN AI3/QC3 qualifications if serving Italian PA, SLA and shared-responsibility docs, and the current subprocessor list under the processor terms. Confirm which products are in scope for each cert and whether audits (customer or third-party) are allowed under NDA.

Use OpenStack Cloud Servers/VDC for portable public-cloud VMs and progressive scale. Use VMware private cloud when you need Cloud Director, enterprise networking, and DR patterns familiar to VMware shops (Aruba markets Pinnacle-level partnership). Use bare metal/GPU when you need dedicated hardware, private AI, or isolation without a shared hypervisor neighbor model. Many estates mix all three.

Aruba Cloud uses transparent published price lists and a prepaid credit / electronic wallet style of self-provisioning for many public-cloud resources, with hourly, monthly, or longer terms depending on product. Enterprise and PA deals can use customized contracts. There is no general free tier. Always verify current terms on the official site; do not rely on third-party summaries.