Looking for an affordable managed PBS backup? Two very different approaches compete: Nimbus (NimbusBackup, by RDEM Systems), a French autonomous network operator (AS206014) with its own premium infrastructure, and Remote-Backups.com, a German low-cost PBS cloud hosting service. This comparison helps you decide between price-first and security-first approaches.
Last updated: March 2026
Nimbus (NimbusBackup): network operator and sovereign backup
NimbusBackup is the backup brand of RDEM Systems, a provider of human-scale managed services and autonomous network operator under AS206014. Unlike budget hosting services, 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
- 7 protection levels: from Single Drive to Bank Vault, including LTO tape and air gap
- Bank vault air gap: LTO tapes physically transported off-datacenter, true air gap
- 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.
Remote-Backups.com: German low-cost PBS hosting
Remote-Backups.com is a German cloud hosting service offering budget-priced Proxmox Backup Server storage. With pricing starting at $8.50/TB/month (billed per 100 GB, 500 GB minimum) and a free 100 GB tier, it targets cost-conscious users who need basic offsite PBS storage.
Remote-Backups key strengths:
- Low pricing: starting at $8.50/TB/month, volume discount to $8/TB for resellers/enterprise
- Free 100 GB tier: test the service at no cost
- GDPR compliant: German datacenter, EU data residency
- Multiple protocols: also offers Borg/rsync hosting and Proxmox VE backup ($10/TB)
Note: Remote-Backups offers a single disk-only storage tier hosted in Germany. There is no LTO tape, no air gap, no bank vault, and no French datacenter option. For organizations with NIS2 or French sovereignty requirements, this may be a limitation.
Detailed comparison table
Here's a point-by-point comparison to help you objectively evaluate each criterion:
Pricing comparison: price vs protection
Remote-Backups wins on raw per-TB pricing. But Nimbus offers a broader range of protection levels that Remote-Backups simply cannot match:
Remote-Backups is ~30% cheaper on raw disk pricing. However, it only offers a single disk tier in Germany. The price gap reflects the infrastructure difference: German low-cost hosting vs French premium infrastructure with own AS.
Nimbus protection levels not available from Remote-Backups:
- Single Drive PBS (disk only, French infra): $12/TB/mo
- AirGapped LTO PBS (LTO tape in DC safe): $119/TB/mo
- Magnetic Bank PBS (disk + tape + bank vault): $149/TB/mo
Remote-Backups pricing is in USD and billed per 100 GB increment (500 GB minimum). A free 100 GB tier is available for testing.
Infrastructure and sovereignty
The fundamental difference between Nimbus and Remote-Backups 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, fully compatible with managed Proxmox France environments. Remote-Backups hosts data in Germany with limited public information about its infrastructure.
For French organizations subject to NIS2 or national data sovereignty regulations, hosting backups in France on infrastructure controlled by a French operator is a concrete compliance advantage. While Germany is GDPR-compliant (EU member), it does not satisfy French-specific sovereignty requirements.
Network performance also differs: Nimbus's direct BGP peering with French ISPs (Free, Orange, SFR) means lower latency and higher throughput for French clients. Backup and restore operations to a German datacenter will inherently have higher latency.
Learn more about offsite Proxmox backup in France.
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 true physical air gap across multiple levels: LTO tapes stored in a datacenter safe (AirGapped LTO PBS) or physically transported to a bank vault, completely disconnected from any network. These protections are essential for ransomware resilience and regulatory compliance.
Remote-Backups offers disk-only storage. There is no tape backup, no air gap, and no offline storage option. If an attacker compromises the online infrastructure, all backup data is potentially at risk.
Disk-only backup is not ransomware-proof. Without an air-gapped copy on LTO tape or in a bank vault, a sophisticated attacker who gains access to the backup infrastructure can encrypt or destroy all copies. The 3-2-1-1-0 rule recommends at least one offline copy.
Delivery and onboarding
Nimbus commits to specific delivery times with 24/7 on-call support included: 80% of requests processed within 4 business hours and 95% within 8 business hours. 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.
Remote-Backups offers a free 100 GB tier for testing, which is a convenient way to evaluate the service before committing. Nimbus offers a 7-day free trial on all plans.
Both services use the standard PBS protocol, making initial setup straightforward. Check out our blog for step-by-step guides on configuring PBS in Proxmox VE.
Who should choose what?
Choose Remote-Backups if:
- Price is your primary decision factor
- You only need basic disk-based PBS backup
- German/EU data residency is sufficient for your compliance
- You want to start free with 100 GB
Choose Nimbus if:
- French sovereignty and NIS2 compliance are required
- You need physical air gap in a bank vault for ransomware protection
- LTO tape backup is part of your 3-2-1-1-0 strategy
- Your provider's network expertise (BGP, AS, peering) matters
- You prefer a Tier IV equivalent datacenter (Equinix Paris)
Frequently asked questions
Our verdict
Remote-Backups wins on raw price (~30% cheaper on disk-only PBS). But the comparison stops there: Nimbus offers 7 protection levels including LTO tape and bank vault air gap, runs on own infrastructure (AS206014) in a Tier IV equivalent datacenter, and satisfies French sovereignty and NIS2 requirements. If your backup strategy demands more than cheap disk in Germany, Nimbus delivers the premium security that Remote-Backups simply cannot match.