Cloudwatt
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cloud computing |
| Founded | September 6, 2012 |
| Defunct | February 1, 2020 |
| Fate | Ceased operations; integrated into Orange Business Services |
| Successor | Orange Cloud for Business |
| Headquarters | France |
Area served | France |
Key people | Patrick Starck (CEO) |
| Products | Cloud storage services |
| Owner | Orange S.A. |
| Parent | Orange S.A. |
Cloudwatt represented a significant component of Project Andromède, an initiative by the French government launched in 2009 aimed at developing a sovereign cloud computing sector, backed by an investment of €285 million.
Overview
Established on September 6, 2012, Cloudwatt functioned as a subsidiary under Orange S.A., with minority stakes held by the French government and defense firm Thales. The company was led by CEO Patrick Starck.
In 2013, Cloudwatt partnered with US-based Juniper Networks to enhance data sovereignty through sophisticated networking technologies. The company commenced commercial operations in 2014, setting a revenue target of €500 million annually. Its cloud storage offerings, comparable to Dropbox, were primarily designed for small enterprises and organizations and were promoted via television advertisements in 2013.
On March 20, 2015, Orange acquired full control of Cloudwatt and integrated it into the Orange Business Services division known as Orange Cloud for Business by January 1, 2016.
Although receiving €75 million in governmental funding, Cloudwatt achieved only €6 million in revenue within its first two years. In July 2019, Orange declared the platform would cease operations on January 31, 2020, recommending customers transition to its Flexible Engine public cloud service. All operations concluded on February 1, 2020, with client data being securely erased.
Assets
Cloudwatt’s capital amounted to €225 million, distributed among shareholders as follows: Orange held 44.4%, Thales owned 22.2%, and Caisse des Dépôts possessed 33.3%.
On January 13, 2015, Orange and its subsidiary Orange Cloud for Business announced their intention to acquire full ownership of Cloudwatt.
From March 2015 onward, Orange assumed complete ownership of Cloudwatt’s capital.