Google has just canceled a major cloud service called Isolated Region in China. This initiative was begun to offer cloud services to China by satisfying the local data regulations. The initiative was passed last year amid political tensions between the two nations but was now entirely scraped. Google’s spokesperson said it’s because the company has seen better results from other offerings.
Google Shut Down Cloud Service in China
Isolated Region is an area where the data centers and networking solutions are established, with complying with local data regulations. This setup can also help companies to scatter the infrastructural risks over regions, and serve better. Google’s Isolated Region is one such offering, where it’s set-up in sovereign sensitive nations, where user data is strictly monitored or considered.
Since China has built a great data firewall around its nation, it doesn’t let companies like Google have the data of their netizens so easily. Thus, Google obliged to tap the massive Chinese cloud market by establishing a local cloud center, called Isolated Region. This is to offering cloud solutions by partnering with a local company or government.
And now, Google has shut down the entire Isolated Region of China, and also in many politically sensitive countries. As reported by Bloomberg, two employees familiar with the matter said the decision was inspired by the struggles caused by the ongoing pandemic and also the political tensions between US and China, which was mentioned in their closure report.
But after the report publishing, Google’s spokesperson said another reason that Isolated Region was closed because the “Other approaches we were actively pursuing offered better outcomes”. Further, “We have a comprehensive approach to addressing these requirements that cover the governance of data, operational practices, and survivability of software. Isolated Region was just one of the paths we explored to address these requirements.”