← Back to Directory
Logo: OVHcloud

OVHcloud

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.

cloudinfrastructurebare-metalopenstackgdprsecnumcloudeuropean-cloudapi
Visit WebsiteAsk an EU migration specialistFeedback & corrections

OVHcloud is a French infrastructure and cloud provider headquartered in Roubaix. Founded in 1999, it designs and assembles much of its own server hardware, operates a global private network, and sells Bare Metal dedicated servers, OpenStack Public Cloud, Hosted Private Cloud, and Web Cloud.

It exists for buyers who want a European operator that runs its own datacentres and production line rather than reselling hyperscaler capacity. Geographic reach is multi-continental, not EU-only: customers choose residency per project.

The concrete differentiator is that manufacturing-to-datacentre path, plus SecNumCloud-qualified Private Cloud in French sites for sovereignty-sensitive public workloads. vRack can interconnect services across sites on OVHcloud's layer-2 fabric.

EU-operated (global regions)Bare Metal + Public CloudOpenStack Public CloudSecNumCloud Private CloudAnti-DDoS includedEU / US / CA / APAC

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.

Key capabilities

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

At a glance

HQ
Roubaix, France (OVH SAS / OVH Groupe)
Founded
1999 (Octave Klaba)
Hosting model
Own datacentres and network; multi-region IaaS/bare metal
Open source product?
No (OpenStack-based public cloud uses open APIs)
Commercial model
Hourly/monthly public cloud; dedicated server subscriptions; free public cloud trial credits (vendor)
Notable certs (claimed)
ISO 27001 family, SOC 1/2/3, HDS, SecNumCloud (Private Cloud), PCI DSS

Best fit when

  • Teams wanting European ownership with optional global regions (EU, US, Canada, APAC) under one operator
  • Workloads that need exclusive Bare Metal performance or hybrid bare metal + OpenStack/vRack designs
  • French public sector or sensitive estates needing ANSSI SecNumCloud-qualified Hosted Private Cloud paths
  • Organisations standardising on OpenStack APIs and S3-compatible object storage for reversibility
  • Sites that benefit from network-integrated anti-DDoS and private multi-site networking as defaults

Poor fit when

  • Buyers who require the deepest managed AI/marketplace/IAM ecosystems of AWS, Azure, or GCP
  • Policies that forbid any provider with US legal entities or US datacentre options regardless of region selection
  • Teams seeking the simplest low-SKU VPS experience—Hetzner or similar may fit better
  • Anyone assuming EU-only residency without selecting and enforcing EU regions in architecture

Consider instead when

  • 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.

Jurisdiction & ownership

Legal entity
OVH SAS / OVH Groupe (Roubaix); regional entities include OVH US LLC for US services
Governing law
French/EU law for EU contracts; US terms apply for OVH US LLC-contracted services
US parent / control
No known US parent
CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)
Medium
Hosting / residency
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.

No known US parent; Klaba family historically majority with Euronext listing. CLOUD Act exposure is medium because of operated US regions and US subsidiary—not because of AWS subprocessors. EU-only architectures reduce practical exposure but do not make the group US-free. Indicative only — not legal advice.

  • Independent security / no-logs auditNot applicable
  • ISO 27001Vendor claimed
  • SOC 2 / SOC 3Vendor claimed
  • GDPR / EU data protectionVendor claimed
  • +6

Considerations & known limitations

  • MediumUS regions and US subsidiary

    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.

  • Medium2021 Strasbourg datacentre fire (resilience history)

    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.

  • MediumCertification scope is product- and region-specific

    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.

  • LowAPAC bandwidth and traffic rules differ

    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.

  • LowBroad catalogue complexity

    Bare Metal, Public Cloud, Private Cloud, and Web Cloud under one brand can confuse account structure, IAM, and billing. Define landing-zone standards early.

Open questions for due diligence

  • Which contracting entity and DPA (EU OVH SAS path vs OVH US LLC) will apply to our account?
  • Which exact products/regions are in scope for the ISO/SOC/HDS/SecNumCloud certificates we need?
  • What is our multi-region DR design given historical single-site fire risk?
  • Are any non-OVH subprocessors used for our specific managed services (support, monitoring, payments) beyond OVH-operated infrastructure?
  • Do APAC or Local Zone bandwidth/SLA terms meet our traffic profile?
Request vendor DPA / enterprise contact
Ask an EU migration specialist
Visit WebsiteCompare similar toolsView alternativesFeedback & corrections

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, if you deliberately select EU regions and services (for example French, German, Polish, UK, Italian regions and Local Zones). OVHcloud also operates US, Canadian, and Asia-Pacific regions—so residency is a configuration and account choice, not automatic. SecNumCloud-qualified Private Cloud for sovereignty-sensitive French use is hosted in French datacentres (Roubaix, Gravelines, Strasbourg).

No. The group is French-owned with no known US parent, which is different from AWS/Azure/GCP ownership. However, OVHcloud runs US datacentres (Vint Hill, Hillsboro) and contracts via OVH US LLC for some customers. Data you place in the US is under US jurisdiction; EU-only deployments on EU contracts reduce but do not magically erase group-level legal complexity. Treat CLOUD Act as an architecture and contract review item.

Vendor compliance pages list ISO/IEC 27001 (with 27017/27018), ISO 27701, SOC 1/2/3 Type 2, PCI DSS, CSA STAR, French HDS (health data hosting options), ANSSI SecNumCloud for qualified Private Cloud, and regional marks (for example C5, ENS, UK G-Cloud). Scope varies by product and location—request the certificate or attestation that matches your exact service and region. B2B DPAs are published for relevant subsidiaries.

Choose Bare Metal for exclusive physical resources and full OS control (HPC-style, gaming, custom virtualisation). Choose Public Cloud for elastic OpenStack IaaS/PaaS, managed DBs, and Kubernetes. Choose Hosted Private Cloud when you need a dedicated VMware-class estate or SecNumCloud-qualified private infrastructure. Many estates combine them via vRack.

Scaleway is another French cloud with a strong developer product surface; often simpler for smaller cloud-native teams. Hetzner is typically leaner on price-performance for VPS and dedicated servers with fewer enterprise sovereign labels. OVHcloud differentiates with scale of owned global regions (including US/CA/APAC), industrial bare-metal manufacturing, Hosted Private Cloud/SecNumCloud, and a broader compliance catalogue—at the cost of more product complexity.