How the state cloud will work in France with US “licensed” technologies
France outlined its sovereign cloud policy with US "licensed" technologies
Not only Gaia-X (the Franco-German initiative for the European cloud), the Macron government presented its national strategy for a sovereign cloud in France.
On May 17, French ministers Bruno Le Maire, Amélie de Montchalin and Cédric O announced the government's national strategy for the cloud.
On the one hand, guaranteeing the protection and control of data hosted in France to oppose extraterritorial laws, such as the American "Cloud Act". The latter may allow American justice or intelligence services to access data hosted outside the United States in some cases. On the other hand, recognizing that the market is dominated by Amazon, Microsoft and Google. Therefore, the economic reality requires the French state to bet on licensing agreements for American technologies.
In fact, France intends to use the cloud technologies of Microsoft, Google and other American players under license, to allow the emergence in its territory of a powerful, but protected and safe offer.
And in Italy? "France has released a policy on the French cloud and that's exactly what we want to do: bring together the best of both worlds, collaboration with private individuals but also the protection and security that the state must provide" , declared the minister for Vittorio Colao Innovation.
THE SOVEREIGN CLOUD MADE IN FRANCE
For competitiveness, French companies must have access to the most effective information technology in the world while guaranteeing data processing that respects European values: this is what today allows the national cloud strategy that strengthens our sovereignty "then summarized Cédric O Cloud services enable customers to benefit from huge IT capabilities that vary as needed.
In an effort to better protect data hosted in France in the cloud, the government wants to use the technologies of players from Microsoft, Google and other licensed American players. The idea: to allow French companies to use the current dominant services by providing new guarantees.
THE CLOUD MARKET DOMINATED BY AWS, MICROSOFT AND GOOGLE
The market is dominated by American players, among which Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Google stand out. A KPMG white paper estimates that the European cloud services market, currently at € 53 billion, will grow from 5 to 10 by 2027-2030.
THE LABELING PROPOSAL
France wants to create a “cloud of trust” label, which guarantees “total independence from American extraterritorial laws”, explained Bruno Le Maire.
As Enrico Martial explained on Start , "France has identified a" Cloud of trust "which on the one hand is protected within the national and European legal system and on the other, despite being located in France and on French or European property – like Ovh, Thales, Dassault Systèmes or T-Systems in Germany or Aruba in Italy – works with licensed software and services from large American companies, for example Microsoft or Google. In this way the data are protected and can be enhanced, because it is not enough to keep them, you have to let them run ”.
“The 'Cloud of Trust' label will be needed to sell services to public administrations,” said Martial. “And it is an update of the“ SecNumCloud ”security protocol of the French Digital Security Agency (Anssi). Private companies will have the choice: large ones, such as EDF, have already expressed support, but the question remains whether the European cloud will not risk being reduced to simple data hosting, while the real business, that of software, will continue to produce profits beyond Atlantic. In any case, the French strategy does not go its own way, but according to Le Maire it is consistent with European collaboration, starting with Gaia-X with Germany up to European cloud policies ”.
THE CASE OF OVH WITH GOOGLE
This is the case in particular of the French champion OVH, which in November signed an unprecedented alliance with Google.
ALSO EXPECTED A 100% FRENCH OR EUROPEAN OFFER
The French cloud plan also provides for the development of a 100% French or European offer, in particular through projects financed under the recovery plan.
FRANCE TRIES US ON SOVEREIGN CLOUD AFTER THE FIRST ATTEMPT IN 2009
But this isn't the first attempt at a sovereign cloud in France. As i-Com recalled in a recent report , “in 2009, France was one of the first nations of the European Union to start the path towards the creation of a sovereign cloud operating through datacenters located on national soil”.
THE ANDROMÈDE PROJECT FAILED
“The first concrete project was Andromède. Originally planned for 2011. […] The sovereign cloud should have been implemented in partnership between the national authorities and operators Orange (i.e. the former incumbent France Télécom), Thales and Dassault Systèmes, who were also to be entrusted with management responsibilities . However, following a disagreement between two of the operators, the initial project was abandoned in 2012 ”recalled i-Com in the report.
WHAT MINISTER COLAO SAID
Meanwhile, Italy is also laying the foundations for the national cloud. That is the National Strategic Pole, the Italian cloud for the public administration with reinforced security levels. And the Minister for Innovation Vittorio Colao seems to be looking precisely at the French model.
"France has released a policy on the French cloud and that is exactly what we want to do: to combine the best of both worlds, collaboration with private individuals but also the protection and security that the state must provide" he declared on May 24. Minister Colao interviewed by Riccardo Luna and Maurizio Molinari on Italian Tech, the new publication of the Gedi group dedicated to digital.
With regard to the companies involved in the National Strategic Pole, Minister Colao made it known that “We have had interactions with various Italian companies of excellence and also expressions of interest from internationals. We are starting in these hours to receive some proposals and then start with the evaluations and in 2022 to have this operational structure ".
THE IMPORTANCE OF GAIA-X
"It is important that the infrastructure is trustworthy and also for this reason the Gaia X initiative (the Franco-German initiative project for the European cloud) is important as well as the French strategy, from which I do not say we are inspired but we believe it is right. : Europe builds clear standards and can negotiate in conditions of greater strength and advantage " echoed Stefano Firpo, head of the cabinet of the Ministry of Technological Innovation and the digital transition, participating in the round table on" Data sovereignty: the European mission di Italia e Francia ” organized by the French companies Ovhcloud and Atos in collaboration with the French diplomatic representation in Italy.
Our country is in fact moving forward with the Gaia-X project. The Italian hub of Gaia-X coordinated by Confindustria was inaugurated on May 28th .
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/come-funzionera-il-cloud-statale-in-francia-con-tecnologie-usa-su-licenza/ on Sun, 06 Jun 2021 06:38:58 +0000.