GitHub launches GHEC data residency feature for enterprises

GitHub has announced the launch of its GitHub Enterprise Cloud (GHEC) data residency feature for enterprises, initially making it available in the European Union (EU) and planning to follow with Australia. The new feature will be accessible to EU enterprise customers starting from October 29, 2024. This development aims to provide organisations with more control over where their code is stored, addressing mounting data residency needs and enhancing enterprise-grade features.

Thomas Dohmke, GitHub CEO, commented, "In light of the mounting importance of data residency needs, there is a clear desire for organizations to have more control over where their most valuable asset, their code, is stored. GitHub recognizes this pressing need, and on October 29, we will offer the ability for all organizations to store their code in the EU." He added, "The timing is crucial as organizations in the EU and across the world are racing to empower their software developers with AI at every step to get ahead and win in the global market."

The GHEC data residency will allow customers to store code and repository data in their preferred region. This development comes as data residency needs are increasing in complexity. The feature includes improved enterprise-grade controls, such as unique, company-specific namespaces on ghe.com, isolated from the open-source cloud, and enhanced controls for managing user accounts.

With the integration of AI, companies can leverage AI without the typical complexities of performance, infrastructure, and availability issues. This is particularly crucial as AI adoption rises globally and compute needs increase. Companies located far from data centers will no longer have to face issues concerning latency, performance, and availability with the new GHEC functionality.

Henrik Boettcher, Tech Lead, Development Platforms at ZEISS, shared their experience, stating, "Implementing GitHub Enterprise Cloud with its data residency capability for the EU has been a game-changer for ZEISS. It not only aligns with local EU data protection regulations but also enhances our developer productivity and experience by providing the rich feature set of GitHub Enterprise Cloud."

Alexander Hanl, Product Manager for CI/CD environment at CARIAD, a Volkswagen company, noted the benefits, saying, "As a Volkswagen Group company, ensuring that our data is predominantly hosted in Europe is a top priority for CARIAD. By bringing data residency to GitHub Enterprise Cloud, we now have a valuable solution that aligns with our needs, marking a crucial first step in our plan to reduce our self-hosting efforts and empower our developers to build, deploy, and collaborate from the cloud as well."

Stephen O'Grady, Principal Analyst with RedMonk, observed, "Enterprises all over the world have growing concerns about where their data is hosted, whether that's for performance reasons, to ensure compliance or other preferences. GitHub Enterprise's new data residency capabilities were built to offer customers granular control over where their data resides and what can be done with it."

GitHub Enterprise Cloud, hosted on Microsoft Azure, aims to offer a powerful and secure enterprise-grade cloud platform. Azure boasts built-in resiliency features for high availability, advanced encryption, and integrated security controls. This means that code stored in the designated region chosen by the customer is protected by high standards around security and operational excellence.

This offering will initially be available only to customers with a dedicated GitHub or Microsoft account representative, ensuring tailored support during the transition and migration process. GitHub will provide several tools for migration, including GitHub Enterprise Importer, GitHub Expert Services, third-party migration tools, or partner engagements to assist customers in moving their repositories.

Starting October 29, 2024, new and existing GitHub customers in the EU will be able to access the data residency feature of GitHub Enterprise Cloud. Availability will expand to regions including Australia, Asia, and Latin America in the future.