NetApp Expands Collaboration with Google Cloud to Strengthen Data Infrastructure for Distributed Cloud
NetApp announced a 4-year enterprise agreement to expand collaboration with Google Cloud, accelerating the deployment of its storage solutions on Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) for highly secure, air-gapped environments suitable for government and defense agencies.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 20:00
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NetApp LLC (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Representative Executive Officer and President: Chiharu Saito) - NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), the intelligent data infrastructure company, today announced an expanded collaboration with Google Cloud and the signing of a four-year enterprise agreement. This agreement accelerates the deployment of NetApp's storage solutions in air-gapped environments of Google's sovereign cloud platform, "Google Distributed Cloud (GDC)," provided by World Wide Technology (WWT).
Embedded in a full-stack air-gapped private cloud solution, NetApp's data platform provides the built-in security required to handle sensitive information and meet data sovereignty requirements.
Cesar Cernuda, President of NetApp, stated:
"Government and defense organizations cannot move sensitive or classified data outside of highly controlled environments. Yet at the same time, this data is crucial for AI-driven decision making. By embedding NetApp's secure-by-design storage systems into Google Distributed Cloud, we provide an intelligent data infrastructure foundation that directly supports authenticated enterprise-grade AI within sovereign and air-gapped environments. This allows public sector customers to modernize operations, accelerate insights, and drive responsible innovation without compromising security, compliance, or national sovereignty."
Google Distributed Cloud extends cloud infrastructure and services to wherever customers need them, such as on-premises data centers and network edges. NetApp's AFF, StorageGRID, and Trident solutions, when integrated with GDC, deliver an intelligent data infrastructure that enables private clouds with zero-trust security, allowing data to be stored locally while managing encryption keys and maintaining control.
By leveraging these systems on GDC, customers can adopt cloud technologies and applications, including AI capabilities, while maintaining enhanced control over their IT environments by bringing the cloud closer to where data is generated or by building air-gapped environments that restrict or completely sever external connections.
Muninder Sambi, Vice President of Product Management & Supply Chain for Google Distributed Cloud at Google Cloud, said:
"The public sector is looking to expand data utilization while increasingly dealing with stricter data sovereignty, security, and compliance requirements. Google Distributed Cloud is designed exactly for these environments, bringing modern cloud services and advanced AI capabilities to sovereign, air-gapped, and disconnected environments. Our collaboration with NetApp helps government and regulated industry customers drive innovation wherever their data resides. It supports core workloads and maintains the highest standards of security, compliance, and operational integrity without sacrificing the speed of transformation."
Over the past year, Google Cloud has expanded its AI capabilities for regulated environments. Gemini's advanced reasoning and state-of-the-art generative capabilities are also available on GDC, enabling key generative AI functions such as automation, content generation, search, and summarization in on-premises environments. Customers can maintain completely offline operations while leveraging Google's AI capabilities, driving innovation while meeting strict security and compliance requirements.
Joe Koenig, President of World Wide Technology, stated:
"AI has the potential to transform the operations of any organization, including those most restricted by national security and data sovereignty requirements. To drive business with data-driven insights, it is essential to balance innovative AI capabilities with powerful infrastructure."
Related Information
NetApp Expands Collaboration with Google Cloud to Provide Data Storage for Distributed Cloud Infrastructure
Embedded in a full-stack air-gapped private cloud solution, NetApp's data platform provides the built-in security required to handle sensitive information and meet data sovereignty requirements.
Cesar Cernuda, President of NetApp, stated:
"Government and defense organizations cannot move sensitive or classified data outside of highly controlled environments. Yet at the same time, this data is crucial for AI-driven decision making. By embedding NetApp's secure-by-design storage systems into Google Distributed Cloud, we provide an intelligent data infrastructure foundation that directly supports authenticated enterprise-grade AI within sovereign and air-gapped environments. This allows public sector customers to modernize operations, accelerate insights, and drive responsible innovation without compromising security, compliance, or national sovereignty."
Google Distributed Cloud extends cloud infrastructure and services to wherever customers need them, such as on-premises data centers and network edges. NetApp's AFF, StorageGRID, and Trident solutions, when integrated with GDC, deliver an intelligent data infrastructure that enables private clouds with zero-trust security, allowing data to be stored locally while managing encryption keys and maintaining control.
By leveraging these systems on GDC, customers can adopt cloud technologies and applications, including AI capabilities, while maintaining enhanced control over their IT environments by bringing the cloud closer to where data is generated or by building air-gapped environments that restrict or completely sever external connections.
Muninder Sambi, Vice President of Product Management & Supply Chain for Google Distributed Cloud at Google Cloud, said:
"The public sector is looking to expand data utilization while increasingly dealing with stricter data sovereignty, security, and compliance requirements. Google Distributed Cloud is designed exactly for these environments, bringing modern cloud services and advanced AI capabilities to sovereign, air-gapped, and disconnected environments. Our collaboration with NetApp helps government and regulated industry customers drive innovation wherever their data resides. It supports core workloads and maintains the highest standards of security, compliance, and operational integrity without sacrificing the speed of transformation."
Over the past year, Google Cloud has expanded its AI capabilities for regulated environments. Gemini's advanced reasoning and state-of-the-art generative capabilities are also available on GDC, enabling key generative AI functions such as automation, content generation, search, and summarization in on-premises environments. Customers can maintain completely offline operations while leveraging Google's AI capabilities, driving innovation while meeting strict security and compliance requirements.
Joe Koenig, President of World Wide Technology, stated:
"AI has the potential to transform the operations of any organization, including those most restricted by national security and data sovereignty requirements. To drive business with data-driven insights, it is essential to balance innovative AI capabilities with powerful infrastructure."
Related Information
NetApp Expands Collaboration with Google Cloud to Provide Data Storage for Distributed Cloud Infrastructure