The managed PBS backup market in France is growing rapidly. Two providers offer fundamentally different approaches: Nimbus (NimbusBackup, by RDEM Systems), an autonomous network operator (AS206014) with its own infrastructure, and Cloud-PBS (Leno IT), a Proxmox Gold partner whose parent company (Lenoit SARL) was registered in March 2025. This comparison objectively details each solution to help you make the right choice.
Last updated: March 2026
Nimbus (NimbusBackup): network operator and sovereign backup
NimbusBackup is the backup brand of RDEM Systems, an autonomous network operator under AS206014. Unlike traditional resellers, Nimbus operates its own infrastructure in the Equinix Paris datacenter (Tier IV equivalent) with direct BGP peering to French ISPs (Free, Orange, SFR).
Nimbus is the only managed PBS provider to operate its own autonomous network (AS206014), ensuring full control over connectivity and latency.
Nimbus key strengths:
- Own infrastructure (AS206014): autonomous network, direct BGP peering with Free, Orange, SFR
- Equinix Paris, Tier IV equivalent: world-class datacenter, redundant power, maximum physical security
- 3-tier model: own infra on AS → partner racks (Scaleway, OVH, Cogent) → rented hardware as needed
- Multi-level air gap: LTO tapes in secure DC cabinet (AirGapped LTO) or off-site bank vault (Drive Bank, Magnetic Bank)
- Transparent public pricing: all offerings (Single Drive, Magnetic, AirGapped LTO, Bank) with published prices
- Fast delivery: 80% of requests within 4 business hours, 95% within 8 business hours
Browse all our PBS plans hosted in France or use the pricing comparison tool.
Cloud-PBS (Lenoit SARL): Proxmox Gold partner
Cloud-PBS is a service by Leno IT, an official Proxmox Gold Partner. Cloud-PBS claims over 250 users (source: cloud-pbs.com), a figure that is difficult to verify: the parent company Lenoit (SARL) was only registered in March 2025 and has just 12 Trustpilot reviews (last review: May 2025). Cloud-PBS offers shared and dedicated datastores hosted on third-party providers.
Cloud-PBS key strengths:
- Community: 250+ users claimed (unverifiable), existing knowledge base
- Proxmox Gold Partner: official certification from the Proxmox vendor
- Multi-geo: servers in France, Germany, and USA (shared instances)
- 7-day free trial: quick onboarding with no commitment
Note: Cloud-PBS holds a Proxmox Gold partnership. The parent company Lenoit (SARL, SIREN 941 951 667) was incorporated in March 2025 — the service may have existed under a different legal entity prior to that, but this is not publicly documented. Its infrastructure relies entirely on rented servers from third-party hosting providers (OVH, Scaleway, Hetzner). US dedicated instances are not yet available ("Coming Soon").
Detailed comparison table
Here's a point-by-point comparison to help you objectively evaluate each criterion:
Pricing comparison: tier by tier
The two entry-level offerings (Nimbus Single Drive and Cloud-PBS Shared EU) are compared below:
With equivalent pricing on base volumes, the difference lies in the underlying infrastructure and advanced offerings.
Advanced Nimbus offerings (not available from Cloud-PBS at public pricing):
- Magnetic PBS (disk + LTO tape): €89/TB/mo
- AirGapped LTO PBS (LTO tape in DC safe): €119/TB/mo
- Magnetic Bank PBS (disk + tape + bank vault): €149/TB/mo
Cloud-PBS offers a "Managed Offline Copy" (cold storage in a different availability zone, medium unspecified), only on a quote basis. This approach is similar to a Double Drive or AirGapped Drive PBS at Nimbus.
Infrastructure and sovereignty
The fundamental difference between Nimbus and Cloud-PBS lies in the infrastructure model. Nimbus operates its own autonomous network (AS206014) and owns hardware in the Equinix Paris datacenter, a globally recognized Tier IV equivalent facility. Cloud-PBS rents all its servers from OVH, Scaleway, and Hetzner.
This has a concrete impact: direct BGP peering with French ISPs (Free, Orange, SFR) allows Nimbus to control latency and bandwidth end-to-end. Data doesn't traverse a third-party hosting provider's intermediate networks.
Nimbus's 3-tier model offers unique flexibility: own infrastructure on its AS for maximum performance, racks at partners (Scaleway, OVH, Cogent) for multi-site, and rented hardware when needed. RDEM Systems can operate its own servers in foreign datacenters with local networking, or rent servers, just like Cloud-PBS does. The team also provides end-to-end managed Proxmox services for clients who want to delegate infrastructure management.
Learn more about offsite Proxmox backup in France and explore all our IT services.
Security and air gap: the key differences
An air gap is a security measure that physically isolates a storage medium from any computer network. It's the ultimate protection against ransomware and cyberattacks.
Nimbus offers multi-level air gap. The AirGapped LTO PBS plan stores LTO tapes in a secure datacenter cabinet, physically disconnected from the network (same site). For maximum isolation, the Drive Bank PBS and Magnetic Bank PBS plans transport media to an off-site bank vault, ensuring true complete physical air gap.
Cloud-PBS offers a "Managed Offline Copy" described as air-gapped cold storage in a different availability zone. The storage medium is not publicly specified. This approach is similar to a Double Drive PBS or an AirGapped Drive PBS at Nimbus. This service is only available on a quote basis.
Offline copy in DC ≠ off-site bank vault. A copy in a different zone of the same hosting provider remains accessible if the overall infrastructure is compromised. Only off-site storage (bank vault) guarantees complete physical isolation against targeted attacks.
Delivery and onboarding
Nimbus commits to specific delivery times: 80% of requests processed within 4 business hours and 95% within 8 business hours, with optional 24/7 on-call support available. Once the datastore is delivered, backup is operational in 5 minutes: just add the PBS storage in Proxmox VE and launch your first backup job.
Both providers offer a 7-day free trial with no commitment.
Cloud-PBS does not publicly communicate delivery times. Check out our step-by-step guide to add a PBS in Proxmox VE.
Who should choose what?
Choose Cloud-PBS if:
- You're looking for an established player with an existing community
- The Proxmox Gold partnership is important for your organization
- You need immediate multi-geo (FR/DE/US shared)
Choose Nimbus if:
- Sovereignty and infrastructure control are priorities
- You need physical air gap (secure DC cabinet or off-site bank vault)
- You want transparent public pricing for LTO tape offerings
- Your provider's network expertise (BGP, AS, peering) matters
- You prefer a Tier IV equivalent datacenter (Equinix Paris)