Every so often, the cloud industry throws us a curveball. Last month, it was Google’s turn: they announced that customers in the EU and UK will pay zero for certain multi-cloud data transfers under its new program, Data Transfer Essentials.
On the surface, it’s just another pricing tweak. But if you’ve been around long enough, you know this is a much bigger deal. Data transfer fees have been one of the most effective lock-in levers the hyperscalers have ever invented. Kill that lever, and you change the game.
The Background: Why Egress Fees Are a Big Deal
If you’ve ever had to explain cloud bills to an exec, you’ll know the frustration of pointing at “data transfer” and shrugging. Unlike compute or storage, there’s no way to optimize away egress fees, they’ve been the silent tax that keeps workloads in one place.
That’s why they matter. They’ve forced architectural compromises, stalled multi-cloud adoption, and, frankly, made a lot of finance leaders grind their teeth.
What Google Announced
According to Reuters, Google is “eliminating data transfer fees for organisations using multiple cloud platforms in parallel within the European Union and the UK.”
NetworkWorld highlighted that this new Data Transfer Essentials service is specifically designed for customers running workloads side by side across clouds, meaning those cross-cloud transfers that used to sting are now free.
It’s also notable that the EU Data Act, coming into force this month, only requires providers to offer transfers “at cost.” TechRadar points out that Google went further, absorbing those costs entirely. That’s not compliance, that’s competitive strategy.
Why FinOps Should Care
Here’s where this gets interesting for us in FinOps:
- Freedom of movement: Workload placement decisions just got more flexible. You can chase the best price/performance without worrying about egress penalties.
- New complexity: If cross-cloud data flows explode, tagging and allocation become non-negotiable. What’s free at the network layer can still create hidden costs elsewhere.
- Forecasting shake-ups: Your historical baselines are wrong now. Models, budgets, and show-back frameworks need adjusting.
- Competitive tension: AWS and Azure can’t ignore this forever. Either they follow suit, or they risk losing workloads to Google.
What To Do Next (Your FinOps Playbook)
So, what’s the move? I’d suggest five quick steps:
- Audit your egress – know exactly what you’re paying today.
- Re-model scenarios – see what becomes viable if transfer is free.
- Update your show-back/chargeback – business units will ask why numbers shifted.
- Set guardrails – “free” doesn’t mean “good.” Latency and operational complexity still have costs.
- Stay alert – this could trigger a pricing war, or providers could make it up elsewhere (compute, storage, support).
Looking Ahead
This isn’t just Google being generous. It’s a shot at breaking the stranglehold of egress fees, and a way to get ahead of regulation.
For FinOps teams, the message is clear: visibility and adaptability matter more than ever. If your models can’t handle sudden shifts in cloud economics, you’ll always be behind the curve.
2025 might be the year where FinOps stops being about “cost cutting” and starts being about strategic positioning. And in my view, that’s long overdue.
