- Amazon and the Dutch government are in talks to significantly expand the cloud deal between them.
- Amazon just passed an important data privacy test by the Dutch government.
- Amazon is expecting another privacy audit by the Dutch government later this year.
Amazon Web Services is in discussion to significantly expand its cloud contract with the Dutch government. The results of a recent privacy test could bolster those talks.
The Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security’s deal with AWS could go up to $85 million over a 5 to 6 year period, up from the current $250,000 contract, according to an internal “Amazon Privileged and Confidential” document obtained by Insider.
“The Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security is currently negotiating a cloud service framework with AWS for a conservative estimate total contract volume of $85 million over 5 to 6 years (AWS’ current annual revenue with the Dutch Government is approximately $250k),” the document said.
The deal talks are taking place in the midst of a series of Dutch audits over AWS’s data privacy measures, according to the document.
Last week, AWS passed the Dutch government’s Data Privacy Impact Assessment (DPIA), a key part of complying with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, known as GDPR. The Dutch government previously had “high risk” findings in AWS’s data privacy measures and was recommending that other government agencies not use its cloud offerings, the document said.
AWS is also planning to go through a separate Dutch government audit in September or October of this year, a “top priority” for the company, the document added.
“The outcome of this DPIA is that there are now no more known high risks if Dutch government organisations follow the recommended mitigating measures in this DPIA,” stated the DPIA published last week.
Amazon’s spokesperson declined to comment. The Dutch government didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The Dutch government appears to be interested in purchasing a number of different AWS cloud offerings, as the upcoming audit is expected to focus on AWS’s EC2 compute, S3 storage, and Redshift database services, according to the document.
For Amazon, a positive DPIA result can serve as a stamp of approval, and a critical first step toward closing a larger deal with the Dutch government. Other European countries could follow suit and sign additional deals with AWS, if GDPR-compliance is established.
The Dutch government has become an active enforcer of GDPR compliance in recent years. Some US tech companies have taken the Dutch compliance process as a “status symbol” and a “seal of approval” to show they have passed one of Europe’s most difficult data protection compliance guidelines, the New York Times previously reported.
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