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Hikube vs Azure: hybrid, M365 at Microsoft
Hikube vs Azure: a hybrid model. Microsoft 365 stays at Microsoft; IaaS, Kubernetes, data and backups run on Hikube (3 Swiss DCs, Hidora SA). Switzerland North does not change the CLOUD Act.
- ISO 27001
- 3 DC
- SLA 99.99%
Hikube vs Azure describes a hybrid model, not a Microsoft 365 replacement. Microsoft 365 stays at Microsoft: mail, collaboration, SaaS identity. The rest (IaaS, Kubernetes, data, backups) can run on Hikube, operated by Hidora SA on three independent Swiss datacenters: Geneva, Gland, Lucerne. Swiss law on that compute. Azure remains rational if you are all-in on the Microsoft catalogue (Functions, Cosmos, proprietary PaaS) at group scale. Switzerland North fixes latency, not the operator: Microsoft is a US group. The CLOUD Act applies to Azure and to Microsoft 365. On Hikube, the compute operator is Swiss. Windows Server is available as an option on cloud instances, as a licensed image (10 CHF/vCPU/month). SaaS identity stays at Microsoft. We migrate VMs, AKS-like Kubernetes, object storage and common databases. Azure PaaS has no 1:1 twin. Azure lock-in sits mainly in Entra / Azure AD, ARM templates, proprietary PaaS, egress costs when leaving, and licence bundling. Hikube is Swiss IaaS: API and console today, VMDK import; Terraform and Cluster API integration in preparation. IN/OUT traffic is not billed: leaving Hikube is not egress-taxed the way leaving Azure is.
| Workload | Where to put it |
|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 | Stays at Microsoft |
| IaaS, Kubernetes, data, backups | Hikube (Hidora SA, 3 Swiss DCs) |
| Non-sensitive global SaaS | Cost / latency decision |
| Capabilities | Hikube | Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Microsoft 365 at Microsoft; IaaS, K8s, data, backups here | Microsoft stack, including Switzerland North |
| CLOUD Act | Hidora SA, Swiss company with no US parent | Applies (US group), including Microsoft 365 |
| Windows Server | Licensed image, 10 CHF/vCPU/month | Images and licenses in the Azure ecosystem |
| Lock-in | Swiss IaaS, API and console, VMDK import; Terraform and Cluster API coming. IN/OUT traffic not billed. | Entra / Azure AD, ARM templates, proprietary PaaS, egress to leave, licence bundling |
| Kubernetes | Managed KCSP, 3 Swiss DCs | AKS + Azure ecosystem |
| Support | Engineers in Geneva, FR and EN | Global Microsoft support |
How to read this table. Six criteria, chosen because they come up in files where Azure is already in place, not a catalogue comparison. The Azure columns describe the service’s public behaviour, reviewed on 8 September 2026; it is a snapshot, check it on your own date. One row does not compare the same thing: “Support” sets a desk in Geneva against a global organisation. And one point is not in the table because it has no equivalent: Microsoft 365 stays with Microsoft, whatever else you move. The legal reasoning: the CLOUD Act guide.
Frequently asked questions
No. Microsoft 365 stays at Microsoft, including SaaS identity. Hikube takes compute, Kubernetes, data and backups, under a Swiss operator (Hidora SA, three DCs). The CLOUD Act still applies to Microsoft 365: US parent. Hikube compute has a Swiss operator.
For latency, often yes. For the CLOUD Act, no: Microsoft remains a US group, including for Microsoft 365. Hikube changes the compute operator, not only the Azure region.
Yes, as a licensed image on cloud instances (10 CHF/vCPU/month). Microsoft 365 stays at Microsoft.
Cost and latency. Hikube does not require repatriating everything. Microsoft 365 stays at Microsoft. Regulated compute, Kubernetes, data and backups can come here.
On the Microsoft side: Entra / Azure AD, ARM templates, proprietary PaaS (Functions, Cosmos), egress costs to leave Azure, and licence bundling. On the Hikube side: Swiss IaaS, API and console control, VMDK import. Terraform and Cluster API integration in preparation. IN/OUT traffic is not billed: leaving Hikube is not egress-taxed the way leaving Azure is. No switching-cost figure is published: it depends on your estate.
Yes: Hidora SA IaaS, three Swiss DCs, 99.99% SLA, ISO 27001, FR/EN support. Windows Server is a licensed image on instances.
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