HMD Global partners w/ Google Cloud to move all Nokia data to Finland

Ben Schoon | Jun 18 2019 - 6:20 am PT

HMD Global has just announced that it is working with Google Cloud and CGI to bring all data collection for Nokia devices to its home country of Finland. Apparently, this change is being made for better security of that data, as well as faster and more accurate updates.

Starting with the Nokia 4.2, 3.2, and 2.2, all phone activation and performance data will be stored in a center in Hamina, Finland which is powered by Google Cloud. This same data from older Nokia models will go to the same place starting with Android Q upgrades starting later this year. HMD says that the data migration will be complete by 2020.

Exactly how this will affect Nokia users is a bit unclear, but from the looks of it, faster updates are on the table. HMD explains that the “advanced data analytics and machine learning technologies” of Google Cloud and “CGI’s cloud and data science expertise” will enable the company to fully leverage data analytics, as well as better protect that data.

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, today announces a partnership with consultancy firm CGI and Google Cloud to move and store phone activation and performance data at the Google Cloud Region in Hamina, Finland. The move will deliver an even better customer and device experience for Nokia phone users, by improving the speed and accuracy of device enhancements delivered to Nokia phones.

HMD Global, CGI, and Google Cloud in partnership to build Nokia phones for the future

Nokia phones move data collection centre to Europe in a move that reinforces HMD Global’s commitment to data security

ESPOO, FINLAND, June 18 2019 – HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, today announces a partnership with consultancy firm CGI and Google Cloud to move and store phone activation and performance data at the Google Cloud Region in Hamina, Finland. The move will deliver an even better customer and device experience for Nokia phone users, by improving the speed and accuracy of device enhancements delivered to Nokia phones.

By using Google Cloud’s advanced data analytics and machine learning technologies, combined with CGI’s cloud and data science expertise, HMD Global can fully leverage data analytics to benefit Nokia phone fans around the world. The first Nokia smartphones to begin storing data to the new centre will be new Nokia smartphones starting from the Nokia 4.2, Nokia 3.2 and the Nokia 2.2, with data from earlier Nokia smartphone models[i] being migrated to Hamina after the Android Q update starting later this year and completed in 2020.

Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD Global, said “Fans world-wide value our unique product promise; that every Nokia smartphone on Android One will receive regular security updates for 3 years, alongside OS upgrades for 2 years. We want every Nokia smartphone to stay fresh for longer and to ensure everyone can enjoy the latest innovations from Google, and so we strive to bring the latest OS upgrades from Android faster than any other manufacturer. This is why consumers can rely on their Nokia smartphone, they just keep on getting better with time.”

“And today, we are taking another significant step forward in upholding their trust. Staying true to our Finnish heritage, we’ve decided to partner with CGI and Google Cloud platform for our growing data storage needs and increasing investment in our European home.”

Additional levels of security, control and analytics driven customer experience on your Nokia phone

This move further reinforces HMD Global’s commitment to adhere to all applicable European security measures and legislation, including EU data privacy regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

“Google Cloud and CGI were natural choices to be our strategic cloud partners thanks to our pre-existing close collaborations with them, which ensures that we’re implementing our leading data security and analytics technology at a global level. We want to remain open and transparent about how we collect and store device activation data and want to ensure people understand why and how it improves their phone experience. This change aims to further reinforce our promise to our fans for a pure, secure and up to date Android, with an emphasis on security and privacy through our data servers in Finland,” says Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD Global.

“As Google matches 100% of its global, annual electricity use with renewable energy, the Google Cloud Platform doesn’t just meet HMD Global’s software and data needs, it also ensures the solution is fully sustainable, deepening our investment in the future,” adds Eva Fors, Managing Director, Google Cloud Northern Europe.

CGI created the world-class infrastructure between the back-end data collection and smartphones with an efficiently built architecture and optimised cost structure. HMD Global also leverages CGI’s expertise in advanced analytics to carefully operate and monitor the solution to maximize its potential.

“By implementing the latest data collection and analytics technologies combined with the expertise of CGI´s data engineers and scientists, HMD Global is able to enhance data security and learn from the customer experience. Analyzing the usage of the phones and user-satisfaction gives insights on how to develop the phones to deliver even better experiences and services for Nokia fans across the world,” says Martti Reilander, Vice-President, Advanced Analytics Solutions, CGI Finland.