Professional Cloud ArchitectAnalyze and optimize technical and business processesHard
A healthcare provider is developing a new patient portal application on Google Cloud. Due to regulatory compliance (HIPAA, GDPR), all patient data must reside in a specific geographical region (e.g., 'us-east1') and must not leave that region, even for backup or disaster recovery purposes, unless explicitly approved and configured. How should you design the data storage strategy to ensure strict data residency compliance?
- AUse Dual-Region Google Cloud Storage buckets and Cloud Spanner instances with regional configs.
- BUse Regional Google Cloud Storage buckets and Cloud SQL instances configured for us-east1.
- CUse Multi-Regional Google Cloud Storage buckets and Cloud SQL instances configured for us-east1.
- DImplement a custom solution storing data on Compute Engine persistent disks with manual replication.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Use Regional Google Cloud Storage buckets and Cloud SQL instances configured for us-east1.
Regional Google Cloud Storage buckets and Cloud SQL instances ensure that all data is physically stored and processed within a single, specified geographical region (us-east1 in this case). This directly addresses strict data residency requirements by preventing data replication or movement outside of the designated region.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Dual-Region buckets replicate data between two specific regions, violating the single-region residency. Cloud Spanner, while globally distributed, would need careful regional configuration, but the GCS part of the answer is still problematic for strict single-region residency.
- C. Multi-Regional buckets replicate data across multiple regions for higher availability, which violates the strict data residency requirement for a single region.
- D. A custom solution on Compute Engine persistent disks would be unnecessarily complex to manage and secure compared to managed services, and manual replication could easily lead to compliance breaches if not perfectly executed.
Google Cloud Data Residency
The geographical location where data is physically stored and processed, crucial for regulatory compliance and sovereignty.
- Regional resources keep data within a single specified region.
- Multi-regional resources distribute data across multiple regions.
- Dual-regional resources distribute data across two specific regions.
- Compliance with regulations like HIPAA, GDPR often requires strict regional residency.
Memory trick: Regional resources are key to keeping your data in its designated home.