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The outage at Google Cloud’s London data center affected several banks, financial companies and public service websites and apps in the UK and Europe, highlighting the financial industry’s high reliance on external cloud providers.
Google Cloud services in London were disrupted today, affecting the websites and mobile applications of many local banks, financial companies and public service providers, highlighting how dependent businesses and services are on digital infrastructure.
People familiar with the matter told Reuters that British digital bank Revolut was affected by the shutdown of Alphabet’s Google Cloud service, which resulted in the service being shut down.
European officials have become concerned in recent years about the financial sector’s reliance on external technology providers, including cloud computing services that support critical banking functions.
In July, the UK designated four technology companies, including Google Cloud EMEA Ltd., as major third-party suppliers to its financial industry, and made them subject to direct supervision.
Google Cloud was also one of 19 technology companies designated as major third-party computing service providers by EU authorities last year.European Union The financial industry is dependent on these suppliers.
Google said today that its engineering team is investigating the issue affecting its Europe-West2 data center in London, which primarily serves customers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Google did not respond to Reuters’ request for more details.
The reverse status page shows that most services, including card payments and ATM withdrawals, are currently unavailable or only partially available. The company said on social platforms
Additionally, the German branch of Dutch International Group (ING) said technical issues were causing problems logging into online banking and banking apps. Halifax Bank of Scotland also said customers were experiencing problems with online services and apps.
Outage tracking website Downdetector.com shows that a small number of users in the UK have reported problems with Lloyds Bank, HSBC, Bank of Scotland, real estate website Rightmove, international parcel delivery company DPD, as well as NHS England and the Royal Mail.
Summary FAQ
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The outage affected the websites and mobile applications of banks, financial companies and public service providers. Some services were unavailable or only partially operational, indicating that the scope of the impact was not limited to any one industry.
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Those affected include Revolut, ING Germany Branch and Halifax Bank of Scotland. Additionally, DownDetector also shows notifications from Lloyds Bank, HSBC, NHS England and Royal Mail.
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Because critical banking operations depend on external technology and cloud services, supplier failure could cause massive disruption. The EU and the UK have begun to bring related technology companies under more direct supervision in recent years.
