In this episode of the Datastorage.com podcast, cloud experts dig into how IONOS is positioning itself against traditional hyperscalers with competitive pricing, scalable infrastructure, and AI-ready cloud services. They break down the implications of $4.99/TB object storage and what it means for businesses navigating modern cloud strategies.
About This Episode
What does cloud infrastructure look like after hyperscalers, and how does AI change the rules? John Kosturos sits down with Seth Helgesen, Solutions Architect at IONOS, to unpack how cloud, object storage, and AI infrastructure are evolving. IONOS started as a domains and hosting company in Europe and has grown into a full-stack cloud provider offering always-hot object storage, CPU and GPU compute, block storage, and hybrid cloud infrastructure at a fraction of hyperscaler costs.
Seth Helgesen
LinkedInSolutions Architect, IONOS
Seth brings a deep infrastructure background to his role at IONOS, where he helps organizations navigate cloud migration, hybrid architecture design, and AI-ready storage strategy. With experience spanning enterprise IT to modern cloud infrastructure, he sits at the intersection of practical engineering and customer-facing solutions architecture, translating complex platform capabilities into real-world outcomes for MSPs, SaaS platforms, and AI-driven businesses.
Why Always-Hot Object Storage Matters in the AI Era
Why tiered storage access patterns break down for AI workloads and how always-hot object storage at $4.99 per TB changes the economics of continuous model training and inference pipelines.
▶ Watch nowData Proximity and GPU Training Performance
How keeping compute and storage in the same region eliminates the latency and cost penalties that quietly kill GPU utilization, and why data proximity has become a critical infrastructure decision for AI teams.
▶ Watch nowS3 Compatibility, IAM, and Migrating From AWS
How IONOS’s S3-compatible object storage and IAM support makes migration from AWS or other hyperscalers low-friction, and what teams need to think through before making the move.
▶ Watch nowHybrid and Multi-Cloud Architectures for AI Workloads
Why organizations are no longer committing to a single cloud provider for AI, how hybrid and multi-cloud strategies are being designed around workload type, and where IONOS fits into that stack.
▶ Watch nowSimplifying Cloud Without Hyperscaler Complexity
How IONOS strips away the surface area of hyperscaler complexity by offering a focused set of compute, object storage, and block storage primitives that cover most real-world AI and enterprise needs without the sprawl.
▶ Watch nowEgress Fees and the True Cost of Hyperscaler Storage
Why egress pricing is one of the most misunderstood line items on a cloud bill, how IONOS’s approach to egress fees compares to AWS and Azure, and what that means for data-intensive AI workloads.
▶ Watch nowEdge Computing, Smaller LLMs, and the Future of AI Deployment
Why AI is moving toward the edge, how smaller and more efficient models are enabling on-prem and near-edge inference, and what multimodal AI deployment demands from infrastructure in the years ahead.
▶ Watch nowWho IONOS Is Best Positioned to Serve
A practical breakdown of the customer profiles where IONOS delivers the most value: MSPs, SaaS platforms, media companies, AI builders, and enterprise IT teams looking to reduce hyperscaler dependency.
▶ Watch nowEngineers and Architects Evaluating AWS Alternatives
If your S3 and egress costs are growing faster than your usage, Seth walks through exactly what a migration to an S3-compatible alternative looks like technically, and what to stress-test before committing.
AI and ML Teams Managing Training Infrastructure
Understand why data proximity to GPU compute is one of the most underappreciated performance levers in AI training, and how always-hot object storage changes the throughput math for large-scale pipelines.
FinOps and Procurement Teams
Egress fees, tiered storage pricing, and hidden compute costs are the three biggest sources of cloud bill shock for data-intensive workloads. This episode gives you a clear framework for comparing total cost of ownership across providers.
MSPs and SaaS Platforms Scaling on Cloud
IONOS has built a partner ecosystem specifically designed to support managed service providers and SaaS businesses that need predictable, affordable infrastructure without the overhead of hyperscaler account management.
Enterprise IT Leaders Rethinking Cloud Strategy
Whether you’re revisiting a multi-cloud strategy, evaluating hybrid architectures for AI workloads, or simply questioning whether your current cloud spend is justified, this conversation offers a grounded, vendor-honest perspective on where the infrastructure market is heading.
About IONOS
IONOS is a European-headquartered full-stack cloud provider offering object storage, block storage, CPU and GPU compute, and hybrid cloud infrastructure at significantly lower price points than major hyperscalers. With always-hot object storage starting at $4.99 per TB, S3-compatible APIs, low egress fees, and a growing partner ecosystem, IONOS is positioned as a practical, high-performance alternative for MSPs, SaaS platforms, media companies, and AI-driven enterprises looking to reduce cost and complexity without sacrificing capability.
