Tech Roundup, Oct. 11, 2019 | The future of cloud computing in Brazil

You’re reading The Brazilian Report‘s weekly tech roundup, a digest of the most important news on technology and innovation in Brazil. This week’s topics: Cloud computing in Brazil. The government’s strategy to avoid cyberattacks. Why Portugal wants Brazilian IT professionals. The Brazil Game Show. And why WhatsApp calls are so bad in the country.

Google gambling on Brazil’s fast-developing cloud scenario

The Brazilian Report attended an event organized by Google for 3,000 IT professionals in São Paulo to discuss cloud computing. The day included lectures on cloud-computing tools developed by the company, as well as demonstrations by developers. More than a marketing op, the event is part of a wider strategy by the Silicon Valley giant to grow what is already one of its most promising markets.

Cloud computing has become a priority for Google, which invested USD 47 billion in such technologies over the past three years, in order to tap into a market currently dominated by Amazon. And though the company hasn’t disclosed any regional breakthroughs, Brazil is a key market in the continent, as shown by the opening of Google’s first cloud region in Latin America in September 2017. Investments are set to continue flowing, as the company wants to increase its cloud-related workforce by three times in Latin America by the end of 2020—in an attempt to offer more empathetic customer service.

Google Cloud’s Brazil director, João Bolonha, explains that despite the department’s 300-percent growth in Brazil last year, roughly 80 percent of the local market is yet to be explored. “Brazil is considered to be one of the fastest-growing markets for cloud computing outside...