CLARUS · Project

A Secure Proxy That Keeps Your Cloud Data Under Your Control

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Imagine you store your files in a rented storage unit, but you have to trust the landlord not to peek inside your boxes. CLARUS built a smart lock — a proxy sitting between you and the cloud — that encrypts and protects your data before it ever leaves your premises. You still get all the convenience of cloud storage and computing, but you hold the keys. The system also includes a monitoring dashboard so you can audit exactly what happens to your data at any time.

By the numbers

EUR 4,193,548

EU funding invested in development

consortium partners across 5 countries

total project deliverables produced

42%

industry participation ratio in consortium

industry partners involved in development

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies moving sensitive data to the cloud face a fundamental trust problem: once data leaves your premises, you lose visibility and control over how it is stored, processed, and protected. Current cloud security relies on trusting the provider's own security practices, which is not acceptable for regulated industries handling personal, financial, or government data. Organizations need a way to use cloud services for cost savings and scalability without surrendering control over their most sensitive information.

The solution

What was built

The project built a complete security proxy platform (V2) that sits between an organization and its cloud provider, encrypting and protecting data before it leaves trusted premises. Concrete deliverables include the CLARUS platform V2 with user manual, an adapted monitoring tool for supervising cloud operations, modular security components (CLARUS modules V2), and a benchmarking test suite for validating performance — totaling 33 deliverables across the project.

Audience

Who needs this

Hospital groups and health insurers migrating patient records to cloud platformsBanks and financial institutions with multi-cloud compliance requirementsGovernment agencies modernizing IT infrastructure with citizen data sovereignty concernsLaw firms and professional services handling confidential client information in the cloudSaaS providers needing to demonstrate data protection to enterprise customers

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Healthcare and Life Sciences

enterprise

Target: Hospital groups or health insurers migrating patient records to the cloud

If you are a healthcare provider dealing with strict patient data regulations and the risk of cloud breaches — this project developed a proxy platform that encrypts and controls sensitive data before it reaches the cloud, letting you use cost-effective cloud services without exposing patient information. The solution was built by a 12-partner consortium across 5 countries with 42% industry participation.

Financial Services

enterprise

Target: Banks or fintech companies processing transactions in multi-cloud environments

If you are a financial institution dealing with regulatory compliance and customer data protection in cloud environments — this project developed a deployable proxy with built-in security auditing that sits between your systems and cloud providers, giving your compliance team full visibility over data handling. The platform includes a monitoring tool and benchmarking test suite validated across 33 deliverables.

Government and Public Administration

enterprise

Target: Public agencies moving citizen data to cloud infrastructure

If you are a government agency dealing with citizen privacy requirements while modernizing IT through cloud adoption — this project developed a user-controlled security layer that can be deployed on your own servers or edge devices, ensuring sensitive public data stays protected without sacrificing the efficiency gains of cloud computing. The solution covers access control, cryptography, and data monitoring.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this cloud security proxy?

The CLARUS platform was developed with EUR 4,193,548 in EU funding across a 12-partner consortium over 3 years. Implementation costs for an individual organization would depend on deployment scale, but the proxy is designed to be installed on existing infrastructure — a client computer, server, or edge device like a router — which reduces hardware investment.

Can this scale to enterprise-level cloud operations?

The project produced a V2 platform with a dedicated benchmarking test suite to validate performance under load. The proxy architecture supports deployment at multiple levels — from individual workstations to network edge devices — suggesting it was designed with scalability in mind. However, specific throughput benchmarks are not available in the public project data.

What is the IP situation and how can we license this?

CLARUS was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under Horizon 2020, with IP typically shared among consortium partners according to their contribution. The consortium includes 5 industry partners and 2 SMEs across 5 countries. Licensing terms would need to be discussed directly with the coordinator, Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain.

Does this comply with GDPR and other data protection regulations?

The project was designed specifically to give data owners control over their cloud-stored information, which aligns directly with GDPR principles of data sovereignty and the right to control personal data processing. The built-in auditing and monitoring capabilities support compliance documentation requirements.

How long would integration take with our existing cloud setup?

The CLARUS proxy is designed to sit between your existing systems and cloud providers without requiring changes to the cloud platform itself. It can be deployed on a client computer, an internal server, or an edge device. Based on available project data, the modular design with separate components (proxy, monitoring tool, security modules) suggests incremental integration is possible.

Is there ongoing support or a community behind this?

The project ended in December 2017 and was coordinated by Universitat Rovira i Virgili. With 4 university partners and 3 research organizations in the consortium, the academic expertise remains accessible. The project website at clarussecure.eu may contain additional documentation and contact information.

Consortium

Who built it

The CLARUS consortium brings together 12 partners from 5 countries (Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, UK), with a strong industry presence at 42% — meaning nearly half the team came from the private sector. The mix of 5 industry players (including 2 SMEs), 4 universities, and 3 research organizations suggests the technology was developed with real-world deployment in mind, not just academic publication. The coordinator, Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain, is a recognized institution in cybersecurity research. The multi-country spread across major EU economies indicates the solution was designed to work across different regulatory environments.

UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILICoordinator · ES
THALES SERVICES NUMERIQUES SASparticipant · FR
AKKODIS HIGH TECH SASparticipant · FR
MONTIMAGE EURLparticipant · FR
OFFIS EVparticipant · DE
FUNDACIO DE RECERCA CLINIC BARCELONA-INSTITUT D INVESTIGACIONS BIOMEDIQUES AUGUST PI I SUNYERparticipant · ES
AKKODIS I&S SASthirdparty · FR
TRUST-IT SERVICES LIMITEDparticipant · UK
EURECOM GIEparticipant · FR
HOSPITAL CLINIC DE BARCELONAthirdparty · ES
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENparticipant · BE
ROYAL HOLLOWAY AND BEDFORD NEW COLLEGEparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain) — contact through SciTransfer for a warm introduction to the research team

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore whether the CLARUS cloud security proxy fits your data protection needs? SciTransfer can arrange a direct conversation with the research team and provide a tailored assessment of implementation feasibility for your organization.

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