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Google expands EMEA cloud business with new partners, cloud regions

The tech giant has outlined its plans for the European, Middle Eastern, and African regions.
Written by Charlie Osborne, Contributing Writer

Google has explained how the firm intends to strengthen its market position in the EMEA cloud market with new partnerships, promotions, and collaborations. 

On Tuesday, at the start of the Google Cloud Next OnAir EMEA virtual event -- a summit for Google Cloud developers and clients to discuss the current cloud landscape, benefits, and challenges -- Chris Ciauri, president of the Google Cloud EMEA, said that while the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has heavily disrupted the economy and technology field, the tech giant has been working with partners to try and keep them online and running. 

"At Google Cloud, we have seen first-hand the importance of keeping our cloud up and running, enabling teams to collaborate remotely and scaling to meet the changing demands of our customers," Ciauri said. "We've been working to help businesses and their employees, as well as governments and schools, collaborate and learn during these challenging times."

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The executive outlined a number of changes in the European branch of Google Cloud over the course of 2020. Among these changes is the implementation of additional cloud regions in France, Italy, Poland, and Spain.

In June, Google revealed that the new Spanish region, based in Madrid, will also leverage Telefonica's region infrastructure to advance 5G using Google Cloud's Mobile Edge Computing platform.

The tech giant also recently revealed the creation of a new subsea cable, Grace Hopper. The novel optical fiber switching cable is designed to improve connectivity and capacity between the US, UK, and Spain, and is the fourth private cable project the company has embarked on. 

Google already maintains a range of partnerships with companies across Europe, including Carrefour, Lloyds Banking Group, Lufthansa, Renault, and Telefonica. Now, the company has added Reckitt Benckiser (RB) to the roster, a British consumer and health goods organization. 

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Perhaps with lockdowns, COVID-19, and enforced inactivity forcing many of us to take a wider look at our own nutrition and fitness -- thereby spurring on this market -- Google says the partnership will "drive stronger customer engagement across consumer health, hygiene, and nutrition [as the] company embarks on wide-scale digital transformation."

Finally, Google has ramped up its senior leadership team in EMEA, with Laurence Lafont joining as VP of EMEA Industries -- exclusive of France -- Pip White acting as new MD for the UK and Ireland, Daniel Holz coming in as VP of the DACH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) and Northern regions, and Samuel Bonamigo now acts as VP for Southern Europe.

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"At Google Cloud, we are committed to being a trusted partner to businesses of all sizes and industries across EMEA, and Google Next OnAir EMEA is just one of the ways we are investing locally," Ciauri commented.  

The results of a new IDC study were also shared alongside Google's announcements. The research agency predicts gradual growth in the public cloud sector, with an estimated growth rate between 2018 - 2023 of 22% in the Americas, 31% in the APAC region, and growth of 22% in the EMEA region. 

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