Google’s parent company, Alphabet, activated its local cloud region for Israel last week, a task that has been more than a year in the works and is expected to boost employment and economic growth, as well as provide ministries and public entities with greater security of knowledge. .
The cloud region is a component of Israel’s $1. 2 billion “Nimbus” allocation with Google and Amazon’s AWS. The two tech giants won government tenders last year to build and deliver regional cloud-based knowledge centers for the nation.
The allocation allows Israeli government ministries and other entities to move servers and facilities to locally provided cloud knowledge centers. So far, Israel has used cloud facilities provided through Google and AWS knowledge centers in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Frankfurt. All that knowledge will be transferred to those established in Israel, with all knowledge secured within Israel’s borders under strict security rules and under Israeli law. Israeli workers will be required to pass security clearances.
The Finance Ministry said Thursday that the government’s transition to Google’s new cloud region “will increase the power of government facilities, shorten reaction times to enable virtual facilities for citizens, and decrease operating costs, while allowing government offices to use complex facilities. “
The task will also enable “the entry of complex IT facilities through the Israeli market, foster virtual transformation of local facilities, business productivity, inspire the processing and research of massive knowledge from local companies in Israel, and help publicize the ecosystem of the State of Israel. “in cloud technology spaces,” the ministry said.
As a component of the project, billions of shekels will be invested in local infrastructure in Israel, the ministry said on Thursday.
Boaz Maoz, country director of Google Cloud Israel, said in a message that the new region will “help local organizations connect with users and consumers around the world, and help drive innovation and virtual transformation across all sectors of the economy,” as well as give a cumulative contribution of $7. 6 billion to Israel’s GDP between 2022-2030 and the creation of 21,200 jobs through 2030. according to a recent study commissioned by Google. The studies were also cited by the Department of Finance.
Google will hold a launch event for the task early next month.
AWS is expected to activate its cloud region in Israel in the first part of 2023, the Ministry of Finance said.
The government’s contract with Google and Amazon is for an initial period of seven years, with the option to make it larger for a total of 23 years. After the first seven years, Israel will be able to charge more suppliers or prevent them from running on existing ones. some.
The overall project, which calls for the status quo of six knowledge centers in Israel with an investment of at least four billion NIS ($1. 23 billion), will generate some 500 direct jobs for each center, but will also boost employment through the facilities. that these centres will be used by other providers.
The centers will also help create an ecosystem for startups providing cloud-based services, ministry officials said, and exercise the workforce with the right skills that will then filter into the country’s tech ecosystem. Neighboring countries will also take advantage of cloud infrastructure. established in Israel, the Finance Ministry said.
Nimbus’ allocation was divided into 4 parts with 4 separate tenders: build the knowledge centers and supply the cloud to the government on a public platform, won through Google and AWS; Help outline a government strategy to move operations to the cloud. provide technical assistance in the implementation of the move; and an unprecedented one, to provide cloud optimizationArray
The assignment had been criticized since last year when it was first announced, after Google and Amazon workers (including Jewish workers) strove to cancel the contracts.
During the May 2021 fighting between Israel and Gaza-based terror groups, Google workers called on Control to review the company’s contracts and corporate donations to “institutions that violate Palestinian rights by Israel,” citing the Israel Defense Forces as an example of such an institution. .
The staff said in a letter that the two tech corporations were seeking contracts with U. S. establishments such as the Defense, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Breakdown and law enforcement. “These contracts are part of a troubling trend of militarization, lack of transparency, and avoidance of surveillance,” the letter says. The workers said the agreement with the Israeli government is a continuation in the same vein: a contract “to sell harmful generation to the Israeli army and government. “
Asked last May whether the tech giants could make the decision at any time to close the facility, leaving Israel in the lurch, lawyer Zviel Ganz of the Finance Ministry’s legal branch said: “According to the needs of the tender, the answer is no. “”The contracts also prohibit corporations from denying facilities to specific government entities,” he said in a briefing with reporters.
Defence Minister Benny Ganz added that this had been taken into account when formulating the offers.
Shoshanna Solomon contributed to this report.
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