Google Cloud scraps data transfer fees to lure customers away from Azure and AWS

Google Cloud announced on Thursday that it will eliminate data transfer fees for customers who want to migrate their data off its platform, in a move that could challenge AWS and Microsoft’s position on data transfer fees in the cloud market. This change is available to all on Premium Tier Network Service Tier customers globally and following Google Cloud products are eligible for this offer:

• BigQuery
• Cloud Bigtable
• Cloud SQL
• Cloud Storage
• Datastore
• Filestore
• Spanner
• Persistent Disk

Here’s how you can avail this offer:

1. If you have an assigned Google Cloud account team, contact them before proceeding further.
2. Review the free data transfer program specifics as detailed on this page.
3. Complete and submit this form.
4. The Google Cloud Support team will review the request and notify you of when you may initiate the migration of all your workloads and data from Google Cloud to another cloud service provider or an on-premises data center for free in anticipation of terminating your Google Cloud agreement. You will then have 60 days following this notification to complete your migration out of Google Cloud.
5. Once you have completed your migration out of Google Cloud within the designated 60 days, you must terminate your Google Cloud agreement in accordance with its terms.
6. Your invoice(s) following the notification from Google Cloud Support will include a credit amount representing the data transfer cost for the migration of your workloads and data from Google Cloud that is on the platform at the time of your submission of the form.

Google also accused Microsoft of using their dominant position in the on-premises software market to create cloud monopolies and stifle innovation.

In a blog post published, Google Cloud said that some legacy providers impose a “complex web of licensing restrictions” that limit customers’ choice and flexibility in the cloud. These restrictions include charging customers up to five times more if they use a different cloud provider, blocking interoperability of essential software with other cloud platforms, and imposing a 300% cost increase on customers who want to switch providers.

Google Cloud said that it will continue to advocate for its customers and challenge the restrictive licensing practices that are the true barrier to customer choice and competition in the cloud market. It urged other cloud providers to join its efforts and adopt more open and fair practices that benefit customers and foster innovation.