Interview: Richard Czech, former Wasabi EMEA VP, joins Leviia

After leading Wasabi’s expansion in Europe, Richard Czech is joining Leviia as Chief Business Development Officer. In a market where cyberattacks, sovereignty, and traceability have become top priorities for CIOs, he will drive Leviia’s European growth. The French cloud storage provider already counts over 1 million users and 1,000 business clients.

Let’s get straight into it. You led Wasabi’s European strategy. Three years later, you’re now joining Leviia. What has changed in the market between 2018 and 2025?

When I started, most organizations looked at price first.

Today, the picture has shifted. Cyberattacks are far more frequent, the war in Ukraine and other geopolitical tensions have exposed how much data depends on foreign legislation.
I’ve recently seen integrators walk away from a cloud service after discovering that access logs weren’t properly kept, meaning no reliable evidence in case of an incident.

For a CIO, that’s untenable. They’re not just protecting the company’s security but also their own reputation. Compliance and traceability have become central.

And you feel Leviia is well positioned to address these challenges?

That’s exactly what attracted me. I believe Leviia has the right approach: treating all data as sensitive. A leak of contracts, HR files, or technical documents can be just as damaging as a medical data breach. That’s why Leviia consistently applies the same high level of protection, without exceptions.
Concretely, that means a sovereign, geo-distributed infrastructure, ISO 27001 and HDS certifications, and advanced encryption and traceability mechanisms.

In your view, what are organizations looking for in backup solutions today?

I hear a lot about data traceability. Customers now expect:

• complete, timestamped access logs,

• immutable backup versions (WORM, snapshots, etc.),

• a reliable audit chain proving data hasn’t been altered, stolen, or copied.

In case of litigation or a cyberattack, that’s what enables a CIO, and the whole organization, to defend themselves and, if needed, go on the offensive.

You mentioned before the interview that price has become secondary. Isn’t that paradoxical in today’s economic climate?

Cost still matters, but it’s no longer the decisive factor. The real calculation is about risk. A data leak or loss can cost millions, even bring an organization to a halt. Companies now realize the cost of poor data protection is far greater than the cost of proper storage.

So what will you tell partners to convince them to offer Leviia to their clients?

I’ll keep it simple, three points. With Leviia:

1. You offer a differentiated solution: sovereign, European, ISO 27001 & HDS certified, while most competitors are just reselling standardized American cloud.

2. You protect both your clients and your own reputation: Leviia provides timestamped access logs, immutable backups, and multi-site replication. In case of an incident, you have clear evidence of who accessed what, when, and the guarantee that the data wasn’t altered.

3. You build long-term value: by offering Leviia, you help clients anticipate upcoming regulations and position your own role as a strategic partner.

Any final words?

Leviia’s motto: Take care of your data.