Canadian Cloud and Infrastructure Service Provider Prioritizes Personalized Support and Compliance

TL; DR: If you’re not familiar with the compliance world, it’s hard to grasp just how critical it really is. With more than 25 years of experience, Leaseweb Canada offers a ton of hosting solutions — all while maintaining PCI DSS and SOC 2 Type II compliance for businesses handling sensitive customer data. We spoke with CEO Roger Brulotte, who told us about how the now-global company prioritizes localized service while supporting secure, long-term growth for its clients.

If I were to build a website tomorrow, I would probably look for the simple things you typically would in a web hosting provider — like price and speed, and probably check out a few reviews.

But that’s just me as an individual; businesses, on the other hand, need a lot more. In Canada, they have to comply with specific data sovereignty laws, especially if they’re handling sensitive data.

It’s important to understand the location of data storage, its governance, and the risks that businesses may run by storing their data in a foreign country. It could involve risks such as an inability to meet legal/compliance mandates, or instability in politically or economically volatile regions. There might be a risk of losing control of data when stored abroad due to political embargoes and compelled disclosures as well.

That’s why we’re talking about Leaseweb Canada today. With more than 25 years in the industry, Leaseweb is among the most trusted providers in the Canadian web hosting, cloud, and infrastructure space. It also prioritizes data sovereignty compliance and systems backed by 100% hydroelectric-powered data centers in Montréal — one of the world’s cleanest energy cities in the world.

We spoke with Roger Brulotte, CEO of Leaseweb Canada, who told us about its range of hosting solutions — from cloud and server hosting to content delivery networks and colocation — and its commitment to keeping its clients’ data 100% secure within Canadian borders.

While Leaseweb Canada specializes in pretty much all types of hosting, what I think really matters is that it’s PCI DSS and SOC Type II compliant:

• PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard): Designed to make sure that any company that works with accepting credit cards meets specific standards, such as firewall configurations and encryptions
• SOC 2 Type II (System and Organization Controls 2): A security framework that focuses on five key areas: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy

See, not all cloud infrastructure and service providers are compliant with these standards. It’s expensive, complex, and, quite frankly, only appeals to a certain market. But for those who do need that kind of service, Leaseweb Canada is a great place to have.

“When you talk about sovereignty and where the data physically resides, some customers start developing strategies to ensure their data stays in Canada. For specific customers, that’s a priority,” said Roger. “We’re a great partner for private cloud solutions inside our data center, giving them full control over their data and ensuring it stays in Canada.”

In Canada, compliance with laws like the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is just non-negotiable.

The penalties are steep — organizations can be fined up to millions of dollars per violation; and with the upcoming Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA) coming into effect in 2025, penalties are even stronger, where businesses could face fines up to $25 million or 5% of their global revenue.

Cybersecurity is, obviously, another huge must-have. Roger explained that Leaseweb Canada’s focus is on making sure its infrastructure remains secure at every level, from physical access to network protection.

“It’s important to understand that we’re an infrastructure-as-a-service and cloud provider. We’re not out there actively selling security features to customers — we operate more on the backend, ensuring our infrastructure and cloud services are highly secure,” Roger explained. “Security goes beyond just the physical side of things. For instance, we conduct penetration testing to make sure no one can access our servers or compromise our infrastructure.”

Penetration tests — or pen tests — are cybersecurity tests that aim to simulate cyberattacks on an organization’s IT infrastructure. The goal is to be able to identify vulnerabilities (i.e., injection attacks and backdoor access) that cyberattackers could exploit.

“We’re very focused on training our employees across the board — not just those working in our data centers, but everyone. Phishing can target anyone, even me,” Roger said. “If you don’t train your people to spot these things, you’re not just putting them at risk; you’re putting your customers at risk too, and that’s something we absolutely want to avoid.”

Before diving into its services, let’s give Leaseweb Canada a proper introduction.

It all started with Leaseweb, a Dutch cloud computing and web services powerhouse founded in 1997 by pilots Con Zwinkels and Laurens Rosenthal. Fast forward to 2021, Leaseweb acquired iWeb, a Canadian web hosting and data center provider, firmly planting itself in the Canadian market.

Today, Leaseweb, as a whole, serves more than 20,000 customers worldwide. Roger noted that Leaseweb Canada has been making significant investments that are helping them acquire a small and medium sized customer base, which they’re able to achieve through their large portfolio of solutions.

“Over the last two years, we’ve been heavily investing in automating our data centers, which has been crucial for streamlining customer acquisition through our portal or website. It’s now much easier for customers to get started, and they can access services within 30 minutes,” he said.

Here’s a closer look at what Leaseweb Canada offers:

• Dedicated Servers
• Cloud Products
• VMware Services
• Cloud Storage
• Hybrid Cloud
• Colocation
• Network Services
• Content Delivery Networks
• Web Hosting
• Domain Names
• Backup Services
• Basic & Extended SLAs
• Cybersecurity Services

One thing I want to highlight is the hybrid and multicloud environments. We know the cloud is everywhere — it’s essentially taken over as the primary way to store data, especially for large companies and enterprises that don’t want to get bogged down by physical storage.

Leaseweb understands that. Roger said the team works with customers to help determine the best solution they need. Think of it as a mini-quiz that points you in the right direction.

“When we work with customers, the first thing we do is sit down with them to understand their goals. What are they trying to achieve? What challenges are they facing? Are there budget constraints or the need for external teams? Do they rely on a third-party partner, like Company ABC, to support their operations? We focus on understanding these factors before diving into the details,” Roger explained.

While the cloud offers scalability and convenience, Leaseweb has seen larger companies struggle when multiple agreements with the same hyperscale lead to problems like miscommunication and other bottlenecks.

For example, Leaseweb Canada’s Object Storage product is a great option for storing massive amounts of data, offering a flexible alternative to traditional hyperscaler object storage solutions.

“That’s why some companies are reevaluating their approach and bringing expertise in-house to regain control,” Roger said. “Ultimately, we work with customers to help them make the right decisions, whether it’s public cloud, hybrid, private cloud, or another solution. It’s always a productive conversation.”

At this point in the digital era, it’s almost unheard of to have a face-to-face interaction with your service provider. While the tech industry continues to push toward automation and self-service solutions, Leaseweb doesn’t (always) subscribe to that.

“We’ve noticed a big difference with face-to-face support. Customers have told us, ‘It’s nice to have a portal, but it’s not exactly what we’re looking for.’ Keeping local teams — account directors and support teams — has been a game changer,” Roger explained. “Our model is very local, but we also have a global reach, which resonates with customers. When they ask, ‘If I need to grow, can I grow with you?’ the answer is yes. We have entities across the globe to support them. That combination of local focus and global scalability is what really stands out.”

It’s a good thing this is how they operate. McKinsey’s 2024 B2B Pulse Survey found that one-third of customers prefer in-person interactions while in the buying journey. It’s an essential part of truly understanding what the customer is looking for — that way, as Roger put it, they don’t come back three months later and ask, “Why did you sell me this? It’s not what we wanted.”

“We emphasize transparency with our customers, and that sometimes surprises them — but it’s one of the things that sets us apart. When we sit down with them, there’s no guesswork or games. We’re upfront about everything because we’re not just looking to sign a contract; we’re building long-term relationships,” Roger added.

Because when it comes to compliance, security, and sustainability, cutting corners isn’t an option. If you need reliable business hosting and infrastructure solutions in Canada, check out Leaseweb for yourself.