News Feature | September 7, 2015

Third-Party Services Providers Upload Data To Google Cloud

Christine Kern

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Third-Party Services Providers Upload Data To Google Cloud

Google has announced the expansion of its Offline Media Import/Export service, a solution that allows users to import data into Google Cloud Storage by mailing physical media to a third-party service provider that then uploads the data on the user’s behalf. Users can also choose which class of storage they prefer for their data, including Nearline, Standard, and Durable Reduced Availability.

The service was first introduced in 2013, when it allowed businesses to use the feature to back up hard drives into Google Cloud Storage. Now, businesses may mail all types of physical storage devices, from hard drives to tapes to USB flash drives, to third-party service providers who will upload the data for them, according to Business News Daily.

Since Offline Media Import/Export is a third-party feature, Google is not responsible for the service and does not offer it directly. Currently, Google has partnered with Iron Mountain, with more partners to come, but Google also says that businesses can choose any third-party provider.

Companies and developers with large volumes of data on physical media such as tapes, HDDs, or USB flash drives, or customers who are stuck on slow or expensive connections will find great value in this new service, according to ZDNet. Customers are advised to encrypt any data that is shipped to the third-party service provider to increase security.

This new offline importing service is significant for developers who deal with terabytes of data, since uploading one terabyte can take as long as 100 days over a standard business DSL connection, according to Google. That means that for those with slow, unreliable, or expensive Internet connections, this service could be cost effective.

The Offline Media Import/Export program is similar to Amazon's Import/Export service, which has been around since 2009 and allows customers to ship storage devices, although not tapes, to AWS. AWS then loads the data into an Amazon S3 bucket before sending the hardware back.

To learn more about the service and how to get started, visit Google Cloud Platform.