back to article Open sesame: Alibaba to open its first data centre in Europe

The cloudy arm of China's Amazon-equivalent Alibaba is opening its first data centre in Europe – part of the outfit's bid for global cloud domination. Alibaba Group is partnering with Vodafone Germany to co-locate Alibaba Cloud's first European data centre at Vodafone's data centre facilities in Frankfurt. The biz has also …

  1. Magani
    Black Helicopters

    Cloudy Security?

    Pardon my suspicion here, but working on the assumption that most (all?) major Chinese corporations have significantly less than six degrees of separation with their government, what measures are being put in place to ensure that anything in the cloudy Alibaba Middle Kingdom won't immediately end up being read by someone in Beijing?

    Just asking....

    1. magickmark

      Re: Cloudy Security?

      Well I'm not an expert in this area but I'd assume being in Germany it would be subject to EU data protection laws? I'd further assume that's the reason they have chosen it as a location, to help customers feel more secure?

      Not saying I'd trust them anymore than I would Amazon/Google/M$ seeing how they have to contend with the NSA.and the fact (as often reported here) of the apparent free flow of staff between the US Govmt and the US Tec industry.

      1. streaky

        Re: Cloudy Security?

        it would be subject to EU data protection laws

        Doesn't stop the NSA (or GCHQ or the BND) doing whatever they like so why would it stop the Chinese?

        1. magickmark

          Re: Cloudy Security?

          Exactly the point I was trying to make :)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Cloudy Security?

      Probably none, but if you don't want your stuff to be immediately read by lots of people in the USA then a Chinese-run data centre in Germany is probably as good as any. In other words, if your stuff is secret, don't use the cloud, except, if you're feeling lucky, for encrypted back-ups.

    3. imanidiot Silver badge

      Re: Cloudy Security?

      My thoughts exactly. I highly doubt Cloudibaba is going to get a large market share in the western hemisphere due to exactly these concerns.

  2. streaky
    Pint

    Tulips.

    "We want to establish cloud computing as the digital foundation for the new global economy using the opportunities of cloud computing to empower businesses of all sizes across all markets"

    Oh good it's tulip mania all over again. We don't know why we want cloud but we want cloud because cloud. Cloud amiright? Also cloud, it's the future. Year of the cloud you might say, 'cos cloud.

    [off in the distance] .. cloud!

  3. Adam 52 Silver badge

    Vodafone's data centre facilities

    Poor, poor people. There are some things you wouldn't want even your worst enemy to have to suffer.

  4. GortonSM

    ".. to be opened ..."

    These people love to loudly pre-announce and deliver much, much later - if at all.

    Also, beware not one single Region Data Centre does a cloud make.

    For High Availability we need multiple, highly connected Data Centres (as in plural) - not one.

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