Google Cloud's New Alooma Migration Service Won't Accept New AWS, Microsoft Azure Customers

Google Cloud - which is buying data migration startup Alooma - told CRN it no longer will accept new Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure customers for the data pipeline service.

“We are now only accepting new customers that are migrating to Google Cloud Platform,” a Google Cloud spokeswoman said. “We are not accepting new AWS or Microsoft customers, but still providing the service for existing customers. As of now, that’s all we’re offering for existing customers.”

Before the acquistion, Alooma counted AWS’ Amazon Redshift and Microsoft Azure SQL Data Warehouse as its cloud data warehouse partners, along with Google Cloud Platform’s BigQuery and Snowflake Computing.

“It’s a play by Google to be more competitive with AWS and Microsoft Azure,” said Jason Maas, chief operating officer and data management practice lead at Aptitive, a Chicago systems integrator that’s partners with Google Cloud and the Redwood City, Calif.-based Alooma. “What this does is position Google to also have a data-syncing tool."

Microsoft’s Azure has its own SQL Data Sync, as does AWS with its DataSync, Maas said.

While Google Cloud pledged support for current AWS and Microsoft Azure Alooma customers, eventually, its chief rivals most likely will become "unsupported" as target cloud data warehouses, Maas said.

Snowflake Computing likely will be treated differently, because it’s expected to be released in the future on the Google Cloud Platform, according to Maas.

AWS and Microsoft Azure did not respond to CRN inquiries at press time.

Just two months ago, Alooma announced a new integration with AWS' S3 cloud storage platform.

The Alooma acquisition is designed to help No. 3 Google Cloud increase its market share by making it easier for enterprises to move data to its cloud platform. Alooma's big competitive advantage is its ability to quickly migrate data from "various data silos" into a single data warehouse in real time.

“It…allow us to move a lot of different data from a lot of different sources in the enterprise – Oracle, single-server (databases) or SaaS, platforms such as Google Analytics or Facebook – and pull that data into modern data warehouses such as Snowflake, Google BigQuery, Azure Data Warehouse, Amazon Redshift." Maas said.

The Alooma announcement follows new Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s vow last week to aggressively pursue growth.

“Google Cloud is constantly trying to reduce the friction of getting customers' data onto Google Cloud Platform, both through partner and first-party solutions,” the Google Cloud spokeswoman said. “This just reinforces our commitment in this space for customers and partners.”

Terms of the deal, which is pending regulatory approvals, were not disclosed. The Alooma team will join Google Cloud once the acquisition closes.