Google announced on January 31st, 2024, that its new cloud region in Johannesburg, South Africa, is now open for business, marking a key milestone for the company’s cloud computing expansion in Africa.
The Johannesburg cloud region provides users and partners in Africa with a localized hub to deploy Google Cloud services like storage, computing, and security tools. According to Google Cloud Africa director Niral Patel, the region will empower businesses with the critical resources for digital innovation, scaling, and competing globally.
What is a Cloud Region?
A cloud region refers to a physical location where public cloud resources are hosted. Specifically, a cloud region consists of one or more data centers in close proximity that are connected with low-latency networks.
Some key things to know about cloud regions:
- They are located strategically around the world to provide better performance by serving nearby users and customers. Companies like Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud operate in cloud regions globally.
- Each region contains multiple availability zones (AZs), which are isolated data centers to ensure high availability and fault tolerance. Having separate AZs prevents downtime in case one goes down.
- Regions give customers the ability to host resources and store data locally to meet data residency and compliance requirements. Certain sensitive data may have geographic restrictions.
- Having resources in a nearby region provides faster connectivity and data transfer compared to cross-region access over the internet. This is crucial for latency-sensitive applications.
- Cloud providers regularly add newer regions to expand geographical coverage and cater to local markets and jurisdictions. More regions mean they can serve more customers.
Extensive Infrastructure to Accelerate Africa’s Digital Transformation
The Johannesburg cloud region gives businesses, developers, and partners localized access to infrastructure services including computing, storage, data analytics, security, and more. This brings Google Cloud closer to African users, ensuring lower latency and better data sovereignty compliance.
Also Read: Oracle to set up public cloud region in Nairobi
The launch coincides with Google’s unveiling of dedicated Cloud Interconnect sites in Nairobi, Lagos, Cape Town, and a second Johannesburg location last year. These facilities allow customers to securely connect their on-premises networks directly to Google Cloud through the subsea Equiano internet cable.
Research by AlphaBeta Economics indicates the Johannesburg cloud region could add over $2.1 billion to South Africa’s GDP and support more than 40,000 job opportunities by 2030. This underscores the region’s potential as a Launchpad for digital transformation across industries in Africa.
Cloud Localization Essential as Data Regulations Tighten
The cloud region is well-timed as African countries begin enforcing data localization laws that mandate in-country data hosting and processing, especially for customer and citizen data. Google noted data residency and compliance considerations were key drivers for establishing the Johannesburg facility.
As Google Cloud’s 40th region globally, Johannesburg highlights the company’s commitment to powering Africa’s exponential cloud demand this decade and beyond.
It positions Google Cloud as a competitive force against rival platforms like AWS and Azure also vying for African cloud market share.
