Opennebula Lands On Ovhcloud To Bolster Sovereign Cloud

(MENAFN- The Arabian Post) OpenNebula Systems has formalised a collaboration with OVHcloud that places European digital sovereignty at the centre of enterprise cloud deployment, as the open-source cloud platform becomes available through OVHcloud's infrastructure under the Hosted OpenNebula Cloud – Ready Certification Program. The move reflects mounting demand from public bodies and regulated industries for cloud environments that guarantee data residency, jurisdictional control and operational transparency within Europe.

The partnership allows organisations to deploy OpenNebula-based private and hybrid clouds on OVHcloud's European data centres while retaining full control over workloads, governance and compliance. For OpenNebula, the certification by one of Europe's largest cloud providers marks a significant expansion of its ecosystem and a clear positioning against US hyperscalers that dominate the global market. For OVHcloud, the collaboration strengthens its pitch as a sovereign alternative capable of supporting open standards and vendor-neutral architectures.

This tie-up positions OpenNebula within Europe's sovereign cloud push, as governments and enterprises reassess technology dependencies amid tighter data-protection rules and geopolitical pressures. European regulators have steadily raised expectations around where sensitive data can be stored and processed, particularly in sectors such as defence, healthcare, energy and public administration. OpenNebula's open-source model, combined with OVHcloud's European ownership and operations, is designed to address those concerns without locking customers into proprietary platforms.

Under the Hosted OpenNebula Cloud – Ready Certification Program, service providers must meet technical and operational criteria covering performance, security, interoperability and lifecycle management. OVHcloud's participation signals that its infrastructure is validated to run OpenNebula at scale, enabling customers to deploy workloads ranging from virtual machines to containerised applications using Kubernetes. The setup supports hybrid strategies in which on-premise environments are integrated with off-site capacity, a model increasingly favoured by enterprises seeking resilience and cost control.

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Executives from both companies have framed the collaboration as a response to a shift in enterprise priorities. Cloud adoption in Europe is no longer driven solely by price or scalability, they argue, but by questions of control, auditability and legal certainty. OpenNebula has highlighted that its platform allows organisations to inspect and customise the software stack, an attribute seen as critical for sensitive workloads. OVHcloud, meanwhile, has emphasised that its data centres operate under European law and are not subject to extraterritorial access frameworks that apply to some non-European providers.

The timing of the announcement aligns with broader policy initiatives across the continent. The European Union has promoted digital sovereignty through funding programmes, procurement guidelines and initiatives such as Gaia-X, which aims to foster interoperable and trusted data spaces. While Gaia-X has faced criticism for complexity and slow progress, it has helped push cloud providers and software vendors to demonstrate concrete compliance with sovereignty principles. Partnerships like the one between OpenNebula and OVHcloud are increasingly viewed as practical implementations of those goals.

Market analysts note that demand for sovereign cloud offerings has intensified as enterprises reassess risk exposure. Heightened awareness of supply-chain vulnerabilities, cross-border data transfer disputes and compliance costs has prompted some organisations to repatriate workloads or adopt multi-cloud strategies that include regional providers. Open-source platforms play a particular role in this trend by reducing dependence on a single vendor and allowing greater portability across infrastructures.

Competition in the European cloud market remains intense. US hyperscalers continue to invest heavily in local data centres and compliance certifications, while regional players seek differentiation through sovereignty, sustainability and specialised services. OVHcloud has positioned itself as a champion of open technologies, and the OpenNebula collaboration reinforces that narrative by offering customers a fully open-source cloud management layer on top of European infrastructure.

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For OpenNebula, the deal expands its reach beyond traditional on-premise deployments and smaller service providers. By aligning with OVHcloud, the company gains access to large enterprise and public-sector customers seeking certified solutions that can be deployed quickly without sacrificing control. The collaboration also underscores OpenNebula's strategy of building alliances with infrastructure providers rather than competing directly with them, focusing instead on software innovation and community development.

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