Google Distributed Cloud air-gapped
GDC air-gapped does not require connectivity to Google Cloud and helps customers meet compliance and regulatory requirements
Combining innovation & sovereignty in the cloud
In a world with many geopolitical tensions, digital sovereignty is an increasingly important issue. Businesses have strong needs and requirements for the cloud, they need to use innovative services, operated and supported by trusted providers while having control over their data.
The issue of data sovereignty is even more critical for a European organisation that is digitising its operations and deploying the latest cloud innovations as it wants to have full control over the privacy of its data while being compliant with European jurisdiction.
The sovereign cloud solves the dilemma between innovation and compliance. By combining the best of both worlds, it facilitates access to technological innovations while ensuring compliance and protection of sensitive data.
The solution we offer is a unique initiative in Luxembourg and Europe. It allows customers to deploy sensitive applications containing critical data with confidence and to provide next-generation digital sovereignty controls. Installed and managed locally, the solution has all the necessary guarantees with regard to data preservation and is the best compromise on the market between "strong sovereignty" and "access to the best of the cloud". A pioneer in the European market, the platform is able to offer an experience close to that found in the public cloud in an environment completely isolated from third parties - including Google. A configuration such as this allows for full control over where data resides and access rights.
About Google Distributed Cloud Hosted
GDCH is a disconnected cloud, operated by Proximus via its brand Proximus NXT and ensuring customer segregation and private access.
- Google will provide a software and hardware platform that contains a series of functionalities developed for their Public cloud.
- LuxConnect will provide their services and in particular the highly secure data centres. These services guarantee the data residency in Luxembourg and the platform resiliency & redundancy.
- Proximus NXT will have the crucial role of sovereign operationality. This means installing, maintaining and controlling the environment, performing updates, providing customer support and a range of value-added services.
Full isolation
GDCH is truly air-gapped and does not require connectivity to Google Cloud or the public internet at any time to manage its infrastructure, services, APIs, or tooling. This allows customers to run the most sensitive workloads and supports public sector customers and regulated enterprises that have strict classification requirements including ICD 503/703, NIST SP 800-53 - FedRAMP High and FedRAMP+ for IL5, IL6, and FIPS140-2L3.
High-Availability and Redundancy
One of the leading differentiators of public cloud is the ability to deploy highly available and redundant configurations. Although no on-premises solution can ever rival the HA and resilience capabilities offered by the public cloud, not every organization needs that level of HA. GDC Hosted offers an HA and resilient design and implementation on-premises.
The solution therefore guarantees the 6 pillars:
- Data residency: since we use the Tier IV datacentres provided by LuxConnect based in Luxembourg,
- Data sovereignty, since the inviolability of third parties is guaranteed,
- Autarky since the solution is only subject to the EU regulations and independency.
- Operational sovereignty, since two European companies are in charge of operating the environment
- Software sovereignty enabling interoperability and portability, since the technology used is based on open source and allows the customer a concreate exit strategy.
- Capability as the proposed solution is based on Google cloud technology for hardware and services
To whom the solution is intended?
In the last decade, cloud services have come into their own. These days, storing your hardware, software or data remotely via the internet offers fast connectivity, reduced IT costs, business scalability and continuity.
With abundant choices as to how to implement cloud, and a variety of types (public, private, community-based) and service models available (such as software, platforms or data logging) it would be easy to think that there is a cloud solution for every organisation.
Nevertheless, there are companies for whom clouds signal rocky weather.
Enter the disconnected cloud.
- GDC Hosted enables public sector organizations and regulated enterprises to address strict data residency and security requirements, delivering innovation to their users.
- For organisations in industries that have unique regulatory and policy requirements, a hybrid or disconnected approach will allow the benefits of automation, speed, performance and scalability of cloud with the security and physical proximity that they need.
- For customers with even more critical data, a fully disconnected cloud may be more of the right choice. In this scenario, there is no connection at all to the public cloud, thus the term disconnected, and the operation of the platform is ensured by a trusted local provider.
- With a physically disconnected platform, companies can benefit from a set of advanced cloud features on a platform that is operated and managed by regional established and trusted provider companies. This configuration allows for total control over where the data is located and who has access to it.
Key advantages of using “GDCH”
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Security
Our air-gapped cloud supports restricted workloads including: analyzing sensitive datasets, running training and simulations, translating field intelligence, and AI for responsive government. Our solution supports strict personnel and security controls, ensuring our ability to support the highest accreditation requirements while ensuring modernization, innovation, and cost optimization.
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Data privacy
GDCH air-gapped operations, coupled with the available partner-operated model enables power and utilities and e-government to support meeting the strictest sovereignty regulations, including ensuring data residency, control of operational staffing, and limiting impacts of jurisdictional challenges. GDCH can provide flexibility that public cloud can’t. GDCH has the flexibility to be on-premises, in a regional location, or in a remote datacenter, and can scale from four racks to hundreds. This gives customers like financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing the flexibility to support regional data residency, security, or isolation regulations by providing a consistent set of platform services in multiple venues and operational models
FAQ
Can GDC Hosted operate disconnected from the internet?
Yes, GDC Hosted is a fully disconnected, air-gapped solution. It does not depend on a connection to Google Cloud.
Can I use my own hardware, and just install the software?
No, GDC Hosted is a converged solution consisting of hardware and software.
What's the difference between a "hosted" proof of concept (POC) and an "on prem" POC?
A "hosted" POC is a short-term POC intended for customers to test GDC Hosted services without shipping and installing hardware. Customers will be able to remotely log in to a GDC Hosted instance and evaluate service performance and functionality.
An "on prem" POC is for customers that want a more hands-on experience where hardware is shipped to and installed at a trusted customer facility. This allows users to assess how GDC Hosted hardware and software will interact with their current infrastructure, test non-production workloads, and familiarize IT operators with the system.
What's the minimum amount of hardware needed for GDC Hosted to run?
A production GDC Hosted system can run on as few as four racks of hardware and can be scaled up as the customer needs additional capacity.
How can I find out more information about GDC Hosted?
Please read our GDC Hosted documentation. If you want to know more, please contact us.
How will GDC Hosted be supported?
GDC Hosted can be fully managed by Google or managed by a trusted partner. Google provides full support to our operating partners, and those partners provide support to their end users.
Does GDC Hosted use custom Google infrastructure?
No, GDC Hosted was designed to operate using industry standard racks and equipment, ensuring the customers have access to a global, trusted, supply chain.
Is GDC Hosted a managed cloud offering?
Yes. End users will consume cloud services provided by GDC Hosted as managed cloud services. GDC Hosted includes a full suite of operations tools, runbooks, and processes, to help ensure that customers have a quality cloud experience, regardless if it's delivered directly by Google, or by a trusted local operating partner.
I'm a software vendor, how can I enable GDC Hosted customers to use my product?
GDC Hosted Marketplace enables software vendors to distribute certified software in air-gapped environments. Get started with the GDC Hosted software certification program by contacting us at gdc-hosted-isv-cert@google.com.
What partners can operate GDC Hosted today?
We just signed our first partnership agreement with Proximus in Belgium and Luxembourg, and expect more to be announced later this year. More generally, we collaborate with best-of-breed operators on a country-by-country basis based on the needs of our customers in that market. Customers generally choose an operating partner based on regulatory or sovereignty requirements.
