Amazon in Talks to Expand Cloud Deal with Dutch Government
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is currently in discussions with the Dutch government to significantly expand their cloud contract. According to an internal document obtained by Insider, the deal could increase from its current $250,000 contract to a potential $85 million over a 5 to 6 year period. This comes after AWS recently passed the Dutch government’s Data Privacy Impact Assessment (DPIA), an important step in complying with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security is negotiating a cloud service framework with AWS, and the positive results of the DPIA could strengthen their talks. Previously, the Dutch government had concerns about AWS’s data privacy measures, resulting in “high risk” findings and recommendations against using their cloud offerings. However, the recent DPIA stated that there are now no known high risks if recommended mitigating measures are followed.
In addition to the expanded contract discussions, AWS is also preparing for a separate Dutch government audit later this year. The audit will focus on AWS’s EC2 compute, S3 storage, and Redshift database services. A positive outcome from this audit could serve as a stamp of approval and potentially lead to additional deals with other European countries.
The Dutch government has become an active enforcer of GDPR compliance, and passing their compliance process has been seen as a “status symbol” for US tech companies. This could open up opportunities for AWS to secure more contracts in Europe.
Amazon and the Dutch government have not provided any official comments on the ongoing discussions.