As part of the public consultation process, Joachim Kraftmayer, CEO of CLYSO GmbH, has submitted a technical contribution outlining the role of Ceph in the Germany Stack The article clearly demonstrates why Ceph, as an open-source software-defined storage solution, can serve as a foundational element for digital sovereignty and resilient infrastructures across federal, state, and municipal authorities.
Key Takeaways from the Contribution
- Digital Sovereignty: Ceph is fully open source, enabling public authorities to maintain complete control over their data, infrastructure, and operations — without vendor lock-in.
- Unified Storage Platform: Object, block, and file storage are combined within a single system, supporting diverse workloads across cloud environments, AI, research, and specialized government applications.
- High Resilience: With its distributed architecture, self-healing capabilities, and multi–data center support, Ceph meets the requirements of highly available and KRITIS-adjacent environments.
- Cost Efficiency: By leveraging standard hardware and scalable architectures, Ceph reduces costs compared to proprietary storage solutions while improving energy efficiency.
- Seamless Integration: Ceph integrates natively with Kubernetes, OpenStack, and the Sovereign Cloud Stack — all key technologies of the Germany Stack.
Project Objectives
The project “Ceph as the Storage Backbone for the Germany Stack” aims to:
- Develop a scalable reference architecture
- Validate integrations with SCS, Kubernetes, and AI workloads
- Test security and compliance requirements
- Create an operational blueprint for German data centers
The goal is to simplify and standardize the planning, deployment, and operation of Ceph — including aligning with BSI requirements for public sector security standards (e.g., VS-NfD).
Benefits for Public Sector Organizations
- Sovereign cloud foundation without vendor lock-in
- Standardized storage platform for diverse workloads
- Scalability for AI, data spaces, and modernization initiatives
- Lower operating costs through open-source technology
- Long-term future-proofing supported by a strong community
Why Ceph Expertise Matters
Ceph is powerful — but also complex. Specialized expertise helps mitigate risks, ensures compliant architectures, and accelerates secure operations. Expert support enables:
- Governance and compliance alignment
- Reliable architectural design
- Efficient scaling strategies
- Knowledge transfer and enablement for data center teams
- 24/7 enterprise support for mission-critical environments
For KRITIS-adjacent infrastructures, this level of expertise is essential.
Conclusion
Ceph — combined with expert knowledge — can accelerate the development of the Germany Stack, strengthen long-term digital sovereignty, and equip the public sector for cloud, data, and AI-driven workloads.
Original contribution in the Germany Stack initiative: HERE
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