Oracle launches air-gapped cloud for security & sovereignty

Oracle has unveiled Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated, a fully air-gapped cloud service designed for use by governments and regulated sectors needing stringent control over their data.

This offering is positioned to address the requirements of agencies and industries with significant mission-critical security and compliance obligations, including sectors such as defence, intelligence, telecommunications, and healthcare. Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated has been launched as a deployable option that can be separated from the internet, a configuration commonly required to support sensitive and classified workloads.

Security and sovereignty

The new service is engineered to mitigate the risk of external threats, with a focus on data sovereignty tailored for entities with strict regulatory and security needs. According to Oracle, this is an area of particular importance in Australia and New Zealand, where national security and data handling regulations are strong priorities for government and critical infrastructure operators.

Matt Leonard, Vice President, Edge Cloud Product Management at Oracle, said:

"Protecting national security has always been a top priority for Oracle. Oracle Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated is designed to help regulated industries benefit from the cloud and AI, while also providing the flexibility to deploy anywhere."

Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated provides organisations with access to the same compute, storage, and networking capabilities available from Oracle's existing Compute Cloud@Customer offering, but adds the option for an isolated deployment. This is intended to enhance organisations' abilities to accelerate artificial intelligence development and improve efficiency, whilst maintaining comprehensive data sovereignty and control over the underlying infrastructure.

Deployment flexibility

The system can be installed as a single rack and scaled up according to need, granting government and regulated sector customers the ability to quickly deploy Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Compute services on their own premises—in isolated environments designed for locations with unique sovereignty demands. This capability is expected to make it viable for defence users and other sensitive operations to begin or expand cloud migration in regions where mission requirements dictate the need for air-gapped technology.

Oracle presents multiple migration paths, including a Fast-Start option, which can deliver the Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated service on premises within six to eight weeks. This pathway allows customers to later develop a full Oracle Cloud Isolated Region as their requirements evolve. Alternatively, customers can take a phased approach, progressing from edge computing solutions, through isolated cloud deployments, and up towards a fully disconnected Oracle Cloud Isolated Region.

This Isolated Region is entirely separate from public clouds and the wider internet, designed to provide control and security specifically demanded by defence and other regulated clients.

Partner comments

Andy Laidler, Chief Digital Officer for Fujitsu Defence and National Security, addressed the importance of robust and portable connectivity for organisations whose operational backbone now depends on digital services:

"As digital services become the operational backbone—from logistics to command and control—forces need connectivity that moves with the mission. Fujitsu's Secure Cloud solution incorporates the full range of Oracle deployment options to ensure we deliver capability where it is needed most. Oracle Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated provides a secure, isolated environment and access to data anywhere, anytime, and under all conditions to help propel mission success."

The Compute Cloud@Customer Isolated service will be made available globally later in the year, expanding Oracle's suite of cloud infrastructure offerings to clients operating under the world's most stringent data control laws.