Google Cloud secures contract to supply online productivity tools to Central Dutch Government

Google Cloud is growing its hold on the The Netherlands’ public sector, having signed a deal with the Central Dutch Government to provide it with access to its Workspace portfolio of cloud-based collaboration and productivity tools.

In a statement, the Central Dutch Government confirmed the deal will support the move towards hybrid working models within its departments, while also enabling them to embrace the multicloud model of IT services consumption.

“The intent of the new agreement is to make it easier and more efficient for Central Dutch public sector entities to leverage the full range of Google Workspace tools under preset negotiated terms,” the organisation said, in a statement.

“Organisations will be able to take full advantage of a range of technologies…bringing better digital services to Dutch citizens and supporting new hybrid-working environments.”

Google Workspace, formerly known as G-Suite, is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) set of productivity and collaboration tools that includes email, instant messaging, online document storage, and video-calling capabilities.  

The groundwork for the Google Cloud deal began to be laid in 2020, when the Central Dutch Government embarked on a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) for Google Workplace.

A similar exercise around Google Cloud was also undertaken by the Dutch education sector, which the statement described as a “standard step” for public sector institutions looking to purchase new technologies.

“DPIAs help organisations better understand how companies process and protect personal data and define parameters for GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] compliance,” the statement said.

“As a result of this process, the Central Dutch Government, the Dutch education sector organisations/institutions and Google Cloud found agreement and will continue working together on the DPIA recommendations.”

Joris Schoonis, managing director of Benelux at Google Cloud, said the deal marks the start of a new chapter for the ongoing relationship between the Dutch public sector and the tech giant.

“This is a milestone for Google Cloud’s relationship with the Central Dutch Government, as we see the results of the DPIAs come to fruition. We’ve designed Google Workspace products and solutions, including Google Workspace for Education, to secure and protect the privacy of our customers’ data,” said Schoonis.

“Our tools will empower the Dutch public sector, while adhering to strict security and privacy requirements. We are also looking forward to supporting greater choice and flexibility for public sector entities and are already doing so for education institutions across the Netherlands, providing access to innovative solutions, with cutting-edge security and greater resiliency.”