Amazon and Google’s new cloud link could make it easier to deal with outages
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Google and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are joining forces to enhance cloud connectivity for businesses. This partnership introduces a new tool that allows companies to establish a private connection between AWS and Google Cloud in just a matter of minutes. This initiative is particularly significant in light of recent outages experienced by major cloud providers, including a notable incident in October where AWS faced a widespread outage that disrupted services for popular platforms like Fortnite, Alexa, and Snapchat. With this new offering, businesses can create a safety net, ensuring they are not entirely reliant on a single cloud provider, thus mitigating the risks associated with potential service interruptions.
The tool is designed not only for ease of access but also incorporates a proactive monitoring system that identifies and responds to failures before they impact users. Google emphasizes that this feature is critical for maintaining service continuity, as it allows for coordinated maintenance efforts to prevent any overlap that could disrupt services. Previously, connecting different cloud providers required complex manual setups, often involving intricate networking components and physical infrastructure, a process that could take weeks or even months. Now, with the streamlined connectivity provided through their cloud console or API, businesses can significantly reduce setup time and improve operational efficiency.
This collaboration comes at a crucial time when the tech industry is grappling with the vulnerabilities of relying on a limited number of cloud service providers. Following the AWS outage, concerns have been raised about the fragility of internet infrastructure, prompting AWS to announce plans to establish similar connectivity with Microsoft Azure next year. By enabling quicker and more reliable connections between cloud services, Google and AWS are not only enhancing their offerings but also addressing the growing demand for resilience in cloud infrastructure. This partnership stands to benefit a wide range of online businesses, empowering them to navigate the complexities of multi-cloud environments with greater ease and reliability.
Google and Amazon Web Services
are teaming up
to offer a link between their cloud services, as
reported earlier by
Reuters
. With this tool, companies can establish a private connection between AWS and Google Cloud within “minutes,” giving online businesses a possible safety net if either of the providers experiences an outage.
Though the tool is positioned as a way for customers to easily gain access to services from multiple cloud providers,
Google says it comes
with a “proactive monitoring system that detects and reacts to failures before customers suffer from their consequences.” It also offers a coordinated maintenance system designed to “avoid overlaps” that could impact service.
In October, AWS experienced a major outage that took down a swath of services, including
Fortnite
, Alexa, and Snapchat. Both
Microsoft Azure
and
Cloudflare suffered
outages in the following weeks,
raising concerns about the risks
of relying on just a handful of major internet infrastructure providers. AWS plans on rolling out a link to Microsoft Azure next year.
As noted in Google’s blog post, companies trying to connect cloud service providers would have to “manually set up complex networking components, including physical connections and equipment” in a process that could take weeks or months. Now, the two cloud providers say companies can quickly establish connectivity between cloud providers using their cloud console or API.
