Government Champions UK Digital Ambitions With Help From Google Cloud Platform

The government has further championed its commitment to ensuring Britain’s digital technology industry and its surrounding economy is in a leading position on the global stage. 

At the launch of Google’s new London data centre, attended by Silicon, secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Karen Bradley, noted that the new data centre setup by the search giant is a vote of confidence that the UK’s digital sector is in rude health, despite the concerns around the emerging and potential impacts of Brexit. 

Digital ambitions 

“We want the UK to be at the forefront of the digital revolution, that means we want digital businesses here, able to operate here, taking advantage of the opportunities that global Britain has  as we leave the European Union,” said Bradley. 

 “I am so grateful that Google has put this vote of confidence in the UK economy and given this opportunity for businesses across this country to be able to use the technology that is available to so many across the world.” 

The secretary of state noted that by bolstering the UK’s digital infrastructure with an expanded cloud presence, Google is enabling businesses both in London and beyond its reaches to benefit from the cloud connectivity the data centre offers. 

“We want to make sure that all businesses can take advantage of the opportunities  digital brings,” she said. 

However, Bradley seemingly glossed over the fact that for businesses to benefit from cloud computing a decent internet connection is required, and despite the government’s superfast broadband roll out initiative, there are still areas of the nation with poor Internet connectivity.

But Bradley is confident that through working with technology industry giants, the government will be able to help the UK make the most of of its digital sector and the services and technology it yields. 

“It is only by government industry and academia working together that we can harness the many, many opportunities that arise from digital making Britain the best place to be a digital business, the best place to operate digitally, and the safest place  to operate digitally,” she concluded. 

While working with the industry may be a logical way for the government to shore up the UK’s growing technology sector and spread its benefits around, there is an argument that working too closely with tech giants, which already have massive amounts of power and influence as well as treasure troves of data, essentially gives the technology companies even more influence, particularly over government. 

And for many people who worry over privacy, net neutrality, data protection and other technology related issues, the government’s cosying up to Google may leave a metaphorical bitter aftertaste. 

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