Israel: Google and AWS chosen for 1 billion Nimbus Project

The Government of Israel has chosen Google and Amazon Web Services to provide cloud services for its military and Public Sector Units. The project is to be implemented in four phases and has been named the “Nimbus” project.

About Nimbus Project

• The Nimbus Project is to be implemented at an estimated cost of 1 billion USD.
• It will establish cloud sites in Israel. These sites will keep the information within the borders of Israel under strict security guidelines.
• The four phases of the project are as follows:
  • Acquisition and Construction of cloud Infrastructure
  • Formulating Government Policy for migrating to the Cloud
  • Integration and Migration
  • Control and Optimisation of Cloud Activity

In future, the project is to be extended, where dozens of local suppliers are to be selected to assist in migration of Government Systems to the Cloud.

What is Cloud Services?

The Cloud Services refer to wide range of services delivered over the internet. The Cloud Services are highly important as the defence industry of Israel is one of the largest in the world.

Defence Industry of Israel

Israel is one of the major exporters of military equipment in the world. It accounts to 10% of Global Defence Exports. There are more than 150 active defence companies in the country. Their collective revenue is more than 3.5 billion USD.

Israel and the US are considered as allies and have strong ties through defence industry. However, the relations weakened due to the “Dotan Scandal”. It was said that Israel violated US ITAR (International Traffic on Arms Regulations) restrictions and sold sensitive data and equipment to China. In 2020, US pressured Israel to bar all the Chinese components including the communication systems.

Controversies

Amazon and Google beat out Oracle, Microsoft and IBM in winning the tender. Microsoft is said to have strong hold in Israel. In fact, the company announced in 2020, that it is to invest 1 billion USD in Israel aiming to win this project. One of the three largest Microsoft Research and Development centres is located in Israel. With Microsoft losing the contract, critics believe that Microsoft era in Israel has come to an end.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2021