Google expands its sovereign cloud offering for the European Union. The addition of a “data shield” is intended to reassure customers that their data is protected from the U.S. government.
Google Cloud introduces new services and collaborations to offer customers worldwide more control, freedom of choice, and security in the cloud. The updates focus on increasing digital sovereignty without compromising functionality.
The demand for sovereign cloud services is rising in Europe, says Hayete Gallot from Google to the Financial Times. It’s no secret that the U.S. government can claim the right to request data from its national providers, even outside national borders. European companies seemed to be able to live with this for a long time, except for the most regulated sectors, but that is rapidly changing since Trump is back in power.
Data Shield
Google Cloud adds a range of new options to its portfolio of sovereign cloud solutions. Among others, Google Cloud Data Boundary allows customers to geographically delineate their data storage and processing. Customers can also manage their encryption keys outside of Google’s infrastructure.
An expansion of Google Workspace makes it possible to store data locally within the U.S. or the EU, with additional security measures such as client-side encryption. Additionally, Google Cloud introduces the User Data Shield, a security layer that utilizes Mandiant services and regular penetration tests.
For sectors with exceptional security requirements such as defense or intelligence services, Google offers air-gapped cloud services, which are also available without network connection. Finally, Google is bringing its Dedicated Cloud to Germany after a rollout in France. This service is made possible through a collaboration with Thales, to ensure the service meets sovereignty standards.
Local Partners
Google emphasizes that it collaborates with local governments and partners to offer locally anchored services that it rolls out under the “sovereign” flag, such as Proximus in Belgium or Thales in France. In the sovereignty narrative, this is not an unimportant detail. Google can only fulfill the promises of sovereign cloud when it hands over the encryption keys to the customers themselves or allows them to be co-managed by a local partner.
Google is not the only cloud giant responding to the growing demand for locally anchored cloud services. In February, Microsoft rolled out its Data Boundary to delineate customer data boundaries and promises customers more control and security. AWS also offers sovereign cloud services, although it prefers to keep the reins in its own hands as much as possible.