Google Cloud wipes out $125 billion pension fund account accidentally
In a significant mishap, Google's Cloud division inadvertently deleted an account containing $125 billion in pension funds. The error, which involved UniSuper, a leading financial institution, impacted over 620,000 people whose retirement savings were suddenly at risk. This incident severely strained UniSuper's private cloud partnership with Google Cloud and left members anxious about the status of their savings.
Restoration efforts lead to incorrect data display
Following the deletion, UniSuper members were left in a state of uncertainty as services went down. When operations resumed, the figures displayed were incorrect, showing data from the previous week. Both UniSuper and Google Cloud acknowledged their roles in this error. They admitted that a mistake on UniSuper's part led to the cancellation of their cloud subscription, causing significant challenges in restoring order despite having backup plans.
UniSuper enlists external support to resume operations
To resume operations, UniSuper had to seek assistance from another provider after their cloud deal was canceled. The task of restoring hundreds of databases, virtual machines, and apps that made up UniSuper's cloud infrastructure was complex. It necessitated extensive collaboration between UniSuper and Google Cloud to rectify the situation. This incident has raised concerns among UniSuper members and other Google Cloud users about data safety.
