How to choose a region in SkySQL

Posted on June 9, 2020 by

MariaDB Corporation recently released SkySQL, a fully managed database-as-a-service (DBaaS) for MariaDB database products. SkySQL is the ultimate MariaDB cloud and provides transactional and analytical database services backed by the team that engineered MariaDB.  SkySQL is available in regional data centers all over the world run by experts that enable you to meet global business, compliance and security requirements.

SkySQL premiered on Google Cloud using the Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). With support in data centers in Asia, Europe and the US, SkySQL has a global footprint. Current regions include:

  • asia-southeast1 (Jurong West, Singapore)
  • europe-west1 (St. Ghislain, Belgium)
  • europe-west2 (London, England, UK)
  • us-central1 (Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA)
  • us-east1 (Moncks Corner, South Carolina, USA)
  • us-west1 (The Dalles, Oregon, USA)

Update: Since the launch of SkySQL, we have added a number of data centers. For a current list, see Regions and Zones. If there’s a region you would like added, please let us know.

Photo credit: Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Choosing a region

For optimal latency, your application should be homed near your customers. With data centers on six continents, SkySQL enables you to do just that. Lower latency means a lower round trip time (RTT), meaning your customers enjoy a faster response time.

Latency is complicated and can be influenced by many factors. One thing is certain, location matters. With a DBaaS, the latency is from the client to the web server and from the web server to the database server. Double that for the RTT which is the response time your customers experience. Geographic proximity minimizes travel time and is a key factor in optimizing latency.

MariaDB SkySQL makes it easy to house your database where it makes geographic sense. The region is among the first parameters specified when you create a database.

The quality of the network also plays a role. Google’s IP data network combines Google’s fiber, public fiber, and undersea cables to deliver highly available and low latency services across the globe.

Google data centers and Kubernetes

MariaDB has chosen to first deliver MariaDB SkySQL on GCP (Google Cloud Provider) because Google are experts in maintaining and deploying cloud infrastructure. GCP provides a secured and reliable global network.

Google’s data centers include redundant power systems and environmental controls and every critical component has a primary and alternate power source, each with equal power. Google data center physical security features a layered security model to ensure physical security of the data center as well as to protect it from unauthorized access. The data centers are also redundant and geographically distributed to minimize disruption due to regional failures.

For further security, SkySQL uses GKE, the most mature Kubernetes platform in the cloud. SkySQL deploys customer databases to each customer’s private Kubernetes cluster–which is contained within its own virtual private cloud (VPC). SkySQL database access is restricted to whitelisted IP addresses with encrypted connections via firewall rules. You control access to your databases.

Google data center regions are divided into multiple zones within a region. SkySQL takes advantage of  this physical redundancy and distribution in our High Availability (HA) solution. In a replicated Primary/Replica topology, nodes are located in multiple zones within a region. Together with the automated failover provided by MaxScale in SkySQL, the physical redundancy and distribution of the data centers further enhances service availability by protecting against issues local to a particular zone.

GDPR

Customers have different needs based on where their company operates and where their data is stored. We enable customers’ to choose where to keep their data. All data in databases on SkySQL remains in the data center you choose when you launch your database, and we adhere to the privacy and security requirements of locations around the world, for example GDPR in the European Union.

In the EU, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a comprehensive data protection law that regulates the use of personal data of EU residents and provides individuals rights to exercise control over their data.

The GDPR requires data controllers (such as our customers using SkySQL) to only use data processors (such as MariaDB) that provide sufficient guarantees to meet the requirements of GDPR Article 28. MariaDB’s terms of service for SkySQL and our SkyDBA services reflect the requirements of Article 28. MariaDB has a Data Processing Addendum (DPA) that contains provisions to assist us, and our customers, with compliance with the GDPR.

We are committed to our customers’ success, including supporting their GDPR compliance efforts. Additional information including a link to the DPA can be found in our Trust Center.

HIPAA

Similarly, in the US, MariaDB enables customers that are subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to use SkySQL to process, maintain and store protected health information (PHI).

HIPAA provides federal data privacy and security safeguards for PHI. It applies to organizations that are HIPAA “covered entities,” including healthcare providers, health plans and healthcare clearinghouses and to “business associates,” or businesses that work with the covered entities to create, receive, maintain or transmit PHI.

MariaDB and other database service providers are considered business associates and are required to enter into a Business Associate Addendum (BAA). Additional information can be found in our Trust Center.

Sign up, sample apps, and more information

If you’d like to see MariaDB SkySQL first hand, you can create an account and get started right away. If you’d like to find out more, take a look at our getting started video, try a sample app, read the case for life after Redshift, or browse our SkySQL documentation. We think you’ll like what you see.