The NWS storage portfolio is growing. In addition to block storage (volumes, PVCs, optionally encrypted at rest), local NVMe block storage, and our air-gapped backup on tape as well as the proven S3 object storage, there is now a new, more cost-efficient option: S3 Eco. We are thus expanding our range with a storage class that is specially designed for workloads where costs and volume are paramount – without compromising on security and compliance.
Why S3 Eco? The need for cost-efficient object storage
Not every data set requires all-flash performance. Backup data, archives, log files, historical evaluations, or AI training data often end up in storage once written and are rarely or never accessed again. This is where capacity is more important than millisecond latency – and this is exactly where our S3 Eco Object Storage comes in.
With S3 Eco, we offer a storage class that specifically addresses this need: solid availability, proven S3 API compatibility and a price point that is also economically attractive for large data volumes.
Technology behind S3 Eco
Like our proven S3 product, S3 Eco is based on another Ceph cluster – one of the leading open source technologies for distributed object storage. However, the technological differences are deliberate:
- Hardware: While the established S3 Storage runs on an all-flash cluster with enterprise SSDs, S3 Eco relies on enterprise HDDs. This enables significantly larger capacities at lower costs.
- Replication: S3 uses triple replication across two data centers for maximum reliability. S3 Eco uses erasure coding within a data center – a modern process that ensures data protection with low storage overhead.
- Availability zones: S3 is setup across multiple data centers and distributes data across two locations. S3 Eco is setup in a single data center, which makes the low price possible.
- Throughput & latency: S3 impresses with high throughput and low latency for real-time requirements. S3 Eco offers normal latency and good throughput – sufficient for all workloads without real-time requirements.
S3 vs. S3 Eco – A direct comparison
| Feature | S3 | S3 Eco |
| Focus | Performance & high availability | Cost efficiency |
| Hardware | Enterprise SSD (All-Flash) | Enterprise HDD |
| Throughput | High | Normal |
| Latency | Low | Normal |
| Availability zones | Multiple DCs (2 data centers) | Single DC |
| Replication/protection | 3-fold replication | Erasure Coding |
| Price* | 0.120 € / GB / month | 0.0158 € / GB / month |
| Recommended use cases | Real-time applications, active data | Backup, archiving, historical data |
* All prices are subject to statutory VAT. Details and current prices at nws.netways.de/s3-storage/ and nws.netways.com/prices/
Use cases: When is S3 Eco the right choice?
S3 Eco is ideal for all scenarios in which large volumes of data need to be stored securely and cost-effectively without being accessed on an ongoing basis:
- Backup & Disaster Recovery: Regular backups of servers, databases and applications – securely stored and available at any time.
- Archiving & compliance: long-term archiving of business data, documents and logs for legal retention periods.
- Logs and monitoring: Central, cost-effective storage of large log volumes for later analysis.
- Historical data & analytics: databases for batch analyses, reporting or data warehouse processes.
- AI and machine learning: training data, model snapshots and data sets that do not necessarily have to be provided with the lowest latency.
- Software repositories & artifacts: Build artifacts, container images, and release packages that are kept for the long term.
Its counterpart, S3, remains the first choice for all latency-sensitive workloads: productive web applications, media streaming, real-time data processing and all scenarios where performance is critical. Of course, both variants can be combined with each other in order to effectively utilize the best of both worlds.
Features that apply to all storage classes
S3 Eco shares all the essential functions with our S3 product:
- Object Lock & Immutable Storage: Audit-proof storage, protection against ransomware and manipulation – ideal for compliance requirements.
- Versioning: Keep several versions of an object in parallel, simple rollbacks.
- Lifecycle management: Automated rules for moving, archiving or deleting objects.
- S3 API compatibility: Seamless integration with existing tools, backup solutions and applications without code adjustments.
- TLS encryption during transmission as well as server or client-side data encryption.
- Multi-tenancy: Logical separation of user, customer or department environments.
- Pay-as-you-go: No minimum purchase, no hidden costs – only pay for what you actually use.
Digital sovereignty – data in safe hands
For us, digital sovereignty is lived practice. S3 Eco – like the entire NWS portfolio – is operated by us:
- NETWAYS Web Services, a German company based in Nuremberg
- German data centers: All data remains exclusively in Germany
- ISO 27001 certification: Our information security management system complies with the international standard
- GDPR compliance: data protection in accordance with European law, no ifs, ands or buts
At a time when data sovereignty is increasingly becoming a competitive advantage, NWS offers a genuine European alternative to the large hyperscalers.
Start now
S3 Eco is available immediately and can be provided directly via the MyNWS Customer Interface.
Further information and price details can be found at nws.netways.de/s3-storage. The technical documentation for Object Storage and the storage classes is available at docs.nws.netways.de.
If you have any questions, the NWS team is available at any time – by ticket, e-mail or via the personal MyEngineer® service.
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