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Google Cloud in Saudi Arabia: the Dammam region, how you buy it, and the work around it
Google Cloud runs a region in Dammam (me-central2). Google states that organisations billed in Saudi Arabia buy Google Cloud through its exclusive reseller in the Kingdom, or through an authorised reseller that resells via that company, and that this is also the route to the Dammam region. This page explains that chain in plain terms, and where Interkey, a Google Cloud partner, does the architecture, migration and operations work.
In short
- The region: Dammam, me-central2.
- Who can use it: Google says access is for Saudi-based customers who buy through its exclusive reseller in the Kingdom. Customers based outside Saudi Arabia can also use it if their account is on invoiced billing; card-paying accounts have to switch first.
- How Saudi-billed organisations buy: through that reseller, or an authorised reseller that resells via it. Your contract, billing and support sit with whichever of them you sign with.
- Support: Google says Saudi-based customers cannot buy its Customer Care offerings directly; technical support comes through the reseller.
- Where Interkey fits: architecture, landing zone, migration and operation of what runs on Google Cloud, as a Google Cloud partner.
How access to the Dammam region works
Most of the confusion comes from treating the purchase, the region and the engineering as one decision. They are separate steps, and each has a different owner.
| Step | What happens | Who is involved |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Purchase route | A billing address in Saudi Arabia means buying through Google's exclusive reseller in the Kingdom, or an authorised reseller that resells via it | Your procurement team and the reseller |
| 2. Contract and billing | Your Google Cloud billing account is contracted and invoiced by the entity you sign with | The reseller |
| 3. Region access | Resources can be created in Dammam once the account is set up through that route | Google Cloud |
| 4. Technical support | Support comes through the entity you contracted with, not through Google's Customer Care offerings | The reseller |
| 5. Architecture, migration and operation | Designing the landing zone, moving workloads and running them afterwards | Your team, and an implementation partner such as Interkey |
If you already use Google Cloud with a Saudi billing address: Google's FAQ says such accounts move to the reseller route and sign a new contract with the reseller you choose. It also says committed use discounts are bought per region and per account and do not carry over to the new account, so check existing commitments before the move.
The controls Google offers in Dammam
Google describes optional control packages for workloads in the Dammam region, through its Assured Workloads service:
- Sovereign Controls packages (Foundation and Advanced), which Google says add controls operated by its Saudi reseller, including a managed Cloud External Key Manager service, Key Access Justifications and localised support.
- A "KSA Data Boundary with Access Justifications" package, which Google describes as intended for organisations that do not need the additional assurance of a local partner.
Read more
Google also states that the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) granted Google Cloud a Class C licence in the Dammam region.
Which of these a workload needs is a classification question, not a default. Choosing the Dammam region decides where resources run; it does not on its own decide which controls a workload needs or which rules apply to it.
Before you move a workload to Google Cloud
Answer these for each workload, in order:
| Question | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|
| Does your data policy require this workload's data to stay in the Kingdom? | Dammam is the candidate Google Cloud region; confirm the control package it needs | A wider set of regions is open to you, subject to latency and cost |
| Are all the Google Cloud services it uses offered in Dammam? | Continue | Check Google's product availability for the region, then redesign that part or keep it where it is |
| Do you hold existing commitments or discounts on another account? | Check whether they carry over before switching route | Continue |
| Is the support model clear: who you call, for what? | Continue | Agree it with the reseller and your implementation partner before go-live |
| Is there a named owner to operate it after the move? | Ready to plan | Not ready to move |
How Interkey works on Google Cloud
Interkey is a Google Cloud partner. The work is the programme around the platform, delivered from Riyadh in Arabic and English:
- Classification and placement. An inventory in which every application has a placement decision and a reason, including the ones that stay where they are.
- Landing zone as code. Identity, network boundaries and guardrails, built so they can be rebuilt and extended.
- Migration in dependency order. Rehost, replatform or rewrite, decided per workload rather than for the whole estate.
- Operation after the move. Patching, capacity, identity hygiene, guardrail changes and a monthly cost report, as a managed service on an agreed scope. Coverage hours and response targets are written into each agreement.
- Data and AI workloads. Data platforms, containers and machine-learning systems that need to run alongside the rest of the estate.
The Google Cloud contract and billing follow the route Google sets for Saudi Arabia. Interkey's part is the engineering and the operation.
Questions buyers ask
Can a Saudi company buy Google Cloud directly from Google?
No. Google's Saudi Arabia FAQ says customers with a Saudi billing address purchase through its exclusive reseller in the Kingdom, or through an authorised reseller that resells via it.
We are a multinational billed outside Saudi Arabia. Can we use the Dammam region?
Google says customers based outside the Kingdom can use it if their account is on invoiced billing. Accounts paying by card need to move to invoiced billing first.
Who supports us after go-live?
Platform support comes through the entity you contracted with. For the parts of the estate Interkey implements and operates, Interkey's responsibilities are set out in the service agreement.
Does running in Dammam make a workload compliant?
Location is one input. Which controls a workload needs depends on its data classification and the rules of your sector, so we work it out per workload rather than give a general answer.
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Tell us what you want to run on Google Cloud, where your data has to stay, and whether you already have a Google Cloud account. We will reply with the questions that shape the design and a proposed first step.
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