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☆ Google challenges cloud rivals by making it free for customers to transfer data when they leave
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"Starting today, Google Cloud customers who wish to stop using Google Cloud and migrate their data to another cloud provider and/or on premises, can take advantage of free network data transfer to migrate their data out of Google Cloud," Amit Zavery, a Google cloud vice president, wrote in the post. In 2018, Cloudflare announced the Bandwidth Alliance, a group of companies, including some cloud providers, that reduce or eliminate those data transfer, or egress, fees. "Restrictive licensing practices remain a far bigger issue to customers who want the choice of working with their preferred cloud provider," the spokesperson said. By making transfer free, Google could be pressuring rivals to follow suit or risk losing out on new business prospects. Last year Google expressed concerns about Microsoft's cloud practices to officials in the U.S. and the European Union.

Persons: Amit Zavery, Cloudflare, Zavery, Thomas Kurian Organizations: Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Bandwidth Alliance, Oracle, Amazon Web Services, European, European Union Locations: Virginia, U.S

☆ Exclusive: Google pushes for antitrust action against Microsoft in UK cloud market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In 2022, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft's Azure had a combined 70-80% share of Britain's public cloud infrastructure services market, Ofcom said. Such practices directly harmed customers, and were the only significant barrier to competition in Britain’s cloud computing market, the company said. "A lot of our software and cloud services interoperate, and can run on AWS or on Azure as well, so you're not restricted," he said. "If you don't fix this, eventually you will have fewer cloud providers, and then innovation will not really happen, and investments will start shrinking." Asked why Amazon, which boasts a larger share of the cloud market than Microsoft, did not pose a similarly anticompetitive risk, Zavery said AWS consumers were not facing the same restrictions.

Persons: Arnd, Amit Zavery, Microsoft’s, Zavery, ”, Martin Coulter, Jeffrey Dastin, Kenneth Li Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, Reuters, European Union, CMA, Markets Authority, Ofcom, Amazon Web Services, Google, Google Cloud, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Britain, London, New York

Ofcom said it had identified features that made it more difficult for UK businesses to use multiple cloud suppliers. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft had a combined 70-80% share of Britain's public cloud infrastructure services market in 2022, Ofcom said. Microsoft said it was committed to ensuring the UK cloud industry remained innovative and highly competitive. The CMA welcomed the move, saying effective competition in the 7.5 billion pound ($9.1 billion) UK market was essential. Google Vice President Amit Zavery said Ofcom's referral demonstrated the need to create an open cloud market with no vendor lock-in.

Persons: Dan Ridsdale, Edison, Dado Ruvic, Fergal Farragher, Amit Zavery, Yadarisa, Paul Sandle, Foo Yun Chee, Mark Potter, Jan Harvey, Jacqueline Wong, Jane Merriman Organizations: CMA, Microsoft, Ofcom, Amazon Web Services, Google, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Markets, REUTERS, Cloud Infrastructure Services, Amazon, MICROSOFT, Activision Blizzard, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Britain, France, Japan, The Netherlands, South Korea, China, EU, Europe, Bengaluru, London, Brussels

Ofcom said it had identified features that made it more difficult for UK businesses to use multiple cloud suppliers. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft had a combined 70-80% share of Britain's public cloud infrastructure services market in 2022, Ofcom said. Microsoft said it was committed to ensuring the UK cloud industry remained innovative and highly competitive. UK businesses told Ofcom they were concerned it was too difficult to switch or mix and match cloud providers. Google vice president Amit Zavery said Ofcom's referral demonstrated the need to create an open cloud market with no vendor lock-in.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ofcom, Fergal Farragher, Amit Zavery, Yadarisa, Paul Sandle, Lincoln, Susan Fenton, Mark Potter, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, CMA, Ofcom, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Google, Markets, AWS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, London

☆ Amazon, Microsoft could face UK antitrust probe over cloud services
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Britain’s media and communications regulator Ofcom says it has “significant concerns” that Amazon and Microsoft could be harming competition in the market for cloud services. In a statement Wednesday, Ofcom said it was “proposing to refer” the cloud services market to the Competition and Markets Authority, the UK antitrust regulator, for further investigation. Cloud services are delivered to businesses and consumers over the internet and include applications such as Gmail and Dropbox. According to Ofcom, Amazon (AMZN) Web Services and Microsoft’s Azure have a combined UK market share of 60%-70% in cloud services. “We remain committed to ensuring the UK cloud industry stays highly competitive,” the spokesperson added.

☆ Exclusive: Google says Microsoft's cloud practices anti-competitive, slams deals with rivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, March 30 (Reuters) - Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google Cloud has accused Microsoft (MSFT.O) of anti-competitive cloud computing practices and criticised imminent deals with European cloud vendors, saying these do not solve broader concerns about its licensing terms. Google Cloud Vice President Amit Zavery urged EU antitrust regulators to take a closer look at the issue. Google Cloud's first public comments on Microsoft and its EU deals underscores the rivalry between the two U.S. tech giants in the multi-billion-dollar cloud computing business where Google trails market leader Amazon (AMZN.O) and second-ranked Microsoft. He criticised Microsoft's deals with smaller European cloud vendors. Microsoft has offered to change its cloud computing practices in a deal with smaller rivals which in turn will suspend their antitrust complaints, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters this week.

☆ Exclusive: Google says Microsoft cloud practices are anti-competitive
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BRUSSELS, March 30 (Reuters) - Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google Cloud has accused Microsoft (MSFT.O) of anti-competitive cloud computing practices and criticised imminent deals with several European cloud vendors, saying these do not solve broader concerns about its licensing terms. In response, Microsoft referred to a blogpost in May last year where its president Brad Smith said it 'has a healthy number two position when it comes to cloud services, with just over 20 percent market share of global cloud services revenues'. "We are committed to the European Cloud Community and their success," a Microsoft spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday. There is intense rivalry between the two U.S. tech giants in the fast-growing, multi-billion-dollar cloud computing business, where Google trails market leader Amazon (AMZN.O) and Microsoft. 'UNFAIR ADVANTAGE'Zavery said individual deals struck with several smaller European cloud vendors only benefit Microsoft.

☆ Google selects Coinbase to take cloud payments with cryptocurrencies and will use its custody tool
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Google said Tuesday that it will rely on Coinbase to start letting some customers pay for cloud services with cryptocurrencies early in 2023, while Coinbase said it would draw on Google's cloud infrastructure. Over time, Google will allow many more customers to make payments with cryptocurrency, Zavery said. Google had previously indicated in May that it was exploring the possibility of adding support for payments with digital currencies. Blockchain technologies such as nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, have become a bigger focus for Google's cloud division. Previously, Google's cloud chief, Thomas Kurian, has pushed for growth in major industries such as media and retail.

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