What's IRAP-assessed to PROTECTED actually mean?

IRAP is the Information Security Registered Assessors Program, run under the ASD's Information Security Manual. PROTECTED is the assurance level for sensitive government and defence workloads. AUCyber's VMware High Compliance Cloud is assessed against ISM controls at PROTECTED.

Can I run both platforms?

Yes - many customers do. Dev/test and modern workloads land on OpenStack, compliance-heavy workloads land on VMware, with shared networking between them.

Where is the data, really?

Inside Australia, end-to-end. The platforms, the support, the operations and the SOC all sit onshore. We can document this for your auditors.

What about backup and DR?

Backup as a Service and DR replication are built into both platforms - not optional add-ons. RTO/RPO targets are defined per workload during onboarding.

How does pricing compare to hyperscalers?

For steady-state workloads with predictable usage, our pricing is meaningfully lower than equivalent hyperscaler SKUs - especially once egress, premium storage and backup add-ons are included.

Can you migrate us from a hyperscaler?

Yes. Our Managed Cloud team handles assessment, landing zone, migration and post-cutover operations.

Do you offer connectivity to government networks?

Yes - sovereign interconnects and direct connectivity to relevant networks are available, scoped per engagement.

CLOUD SERVICES

Australian cloud. Enterprise-spec, without the enterprise bill.

Two purpose-built platforms - an open, flexible OpenStack Cloud and an Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP)-PROTECTED VMware High Compliance Cloud. Both with full backup and DR. Both with Australian data residency.

Australian data residency

PROTECTED

IRAP-assessed (VMware)

Backup+DR

In every workload

Enterprise spec, not enterprise price

WHY THE HYPERSCALERS HURT

Hyperscaler bills are eye-watering. Hyperscaler residency isn't always real.

For a lot of Australian workloads - especially regulated, sovereign or steady-state - hyperscaler economics and residency promises stop making sense. You need an Australian cloud built like an enterprise, priced like a sane one.

Unpredictable bills

Egress, premium SKUs and reserved-instance complexity turn cloud spend into a finance gamble.

Murky residency

'Australian region' often quietly relies on services and support from elsewhere - a problem for sovereign workloads.

Hard-to-evidence compliance

Producing IRAP, Information Security Manual (ISM) or ISO evidence on hyperscaler estates eats engineering time most teams don't have.

Backup as an upsell

Hyperscaler default retention isn't a backup strategy - and proper backup quickly becomes its own bill.

WHAT YOU GET

Two platforms, one Australian operator

Run the workload on the cloud that fits - the OpenStack platform for open APIs and self-service, or the IRAP-PROTECTED VMware platform for compliance-heavy systems.

OpenStack Cloud

Open APIs, software-defined networking, self-service provisioning - no proprietary lock-in.

VMware High Compliance Cloud

Enterprise VMware, assessed to PROTECTED under the Australian Signals Directorate's (ASD) ISM. Built for government, defence and critical infrastructure.

Compute, storage & network

Predictable, well-engineered compute, block + object storage and software-defined networking on both platforms.

Backup as a Service

Policy-driven backup of VMs, databases and Microsoft 365 - included by default, not as an upsell.

Disaster Recovery

Replication and tested failover, scoped per workload, with measurable Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) targets.

Australian network fabric

Direct connects, sovereign interconnects and private links for hybrid and government estates.

WHO IT'S FOR

When 'cloud' means more than Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Both platforms are built for Australian organisations with real residency, performance and economic constraints.

Public sector

Government & defence-aligned

PROTECTED-grade workloads on VMware High Compliance Cloud, with ISM-aligned controls and evidence on tap.

Healthcare

Healthcare & research

Patient and research data hosted onshore with auditable controls and strong backup posture.

Engineering

SaaS & dev/test

OpenStack APIs for engineering teams that want self-service and no vendor lock-in.

Enterprise

Cost-pressured enterprise

Steady-state workloads at predictable, enterprise-class pricing - without the hyperscaler bill.

UNDER THE HOOD

What's in each platform

Two platforms, two different sweet spots.

OpenStack Cloud

Stack: OpenStack (Nova, Cinder, Swift, Neutron)
Compute: VMs and bare-metal options
Storage: Block (Cinder) and object (Swift) storage
APIs: Open OpenStack APIs - no proprietary SDK lock-in

VMware High Compliance Cloud

Stack: VMware Cloud Foundation (vSphere, vSAN, NSX)
Assurance: IRAP-assessed to PROTECTED (ISM)
Tenancy: Dedicated and shared options
Residency: Australian only (data and operations)

Backup & DR (both platforms)

Backup: Policy-driven, retention configurable per workload
M365 backup: Available as add-on across Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams
DR: Replication and tested failover, scoped per workload
RTO/RPO: Defined per workload

Network & residency

Connectivity: MPLS, IPsec, ExpressRoute / Direct Connect, sovereign interconnects
Residency: Australian-hosted with onshore data residency
Operations: Australian operators, Australian Security Operations Centre (SOC)
Compliance: ISO 27001, IRAP-assessed (VMware), Defence Industry Security Program (DISP)-friendly

WHO TRUSTS US

Australian cloud, run by Australians

We build for the workloads the hyperscalers were never optimised for.

ISO 27001 certified

DISP member

VMware Cloud Provider

FAQ

Common questions about Cloud Services

Anything else, ask us below.

READY WHEN YOU ARE

Move the workload. Keep the budget.

Tell us what you're running and where. We'll show you what it would cost on AUCyber Cloud - and what it would gain.

Managed Cloud

Have AUCyber operate your workloads end-to-end on these platforms - or in public cloud.

Managed SIEM/SOC

Run your cloud workloads under 24/7 Australian SOC eyes.

Application Development

Build new apps that run natively on AUCyber's Australian cloud.

Let's talk specifics

A short note about your environment is enough to start the conversation.