For executives looking to quickly and easily modernize through cloud migration—look no further than Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Google Cloud Platform is Google's unified service model for infrastructure-as-a-service that combines computing, data storage, analytics, and machine learning services. It encompasses a range of management tools and serverless computing options, as well as assistance with object storage and virtual machine allocation.
In addition to these core features, GCP is tied to Google's user services, including Gmail and Google Drive, enhancing collaboration and productivity for users across the Google ecosystem.
In this article, we'll discuss the nuts and bolts of using Google Cloud Platform for business—what it's likely to cost, how to ensure good security, and how to use it to build on existing systems.
Google Cloud Platform Features
Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers a wide range of features and applications for building and scaling compute and storage operations while maintaining excellent availability and uptime for managed services. GCP provides live migration of virtual machines and offers different virtualization options with features — like Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), which is incredibly useful for container management and scaling. Additionally, GCP offers API management with analytics and monetization capabilities, a developer portal, and cloud endpoint management.
GCP offers two popular storage options to its users: BigTable NoSQL data store system, and block storage for virtual machines. BigTable is ideal for large-scale analytics workloads, while block storage is perfect for storing critical business data that needs to be accessed quickly.
Developers have access to various powerful tools on this platform, including PowerShell and Visual Studio. PowerShell is a command-line shell and scripting language that enables automation and management of Windows-based systems. On the other hand, Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) that offers a variety of tools and features to streamline the software development process, such as debugging, testing, and collaboration capabilities. These tools can help developers create high-quality software more efficiently and effectively. Google's Cloud SDK is another useful tool worth considering for specific use cases.
All of this improves Google Cloud Platform's on-premises systems integration with cloud gateways and distributed architectures. Tools like debuggers can help with testing and refining processes. Dashboards can offer transparency. The long list of features attached to Google Cloud Platform means it can fit a lot of different needs for enterprise.
Google Cloud VPS
Companies can take advantage of Google's virtual private server (VPS). This service utilizes a virtual server to provide the same services as a physical on-premise server in a shared environment for cost efficiency. Although multiple users share the same physical server, the multitenant architecture ensures safety and security by preventing cross-over or vulnerabilities.
How does this help your business?
Virtual private servers provide several benefits for businesses, such as better resource utilization and improved performance. This boost is due to the economy of scale involved in vendors providing activated server functions, which results in better uptime and operational integrity. Additionally, businesses can rely on a certain reliability standard that may not be achievable in-house.
Google Cloud Platform Security
Google Cloud Platform is renowned for its exceptional cybersecurity measures and protection. It employs a robust incident data and response setup that utilizes AI capabilities for automated monitoring and intervention. Additionally, Google collaborates with frontline experts from Mandiant to enhance the cybersecurity of its platform services, providing an extra layer of security.
By setting up data resources the right way and ensuring capable threat detection and mitigation, Google Cloud Platform is among the best modern choices for cloud cybersecurity in a digitized environment run by a vendor.
What does this look like? Simply put, GCP offers advanced cybersecurity that provides excellent protection for companies seeking the latest and most effective security measures.
To start, GCP will help you do three important things:
- Learn who is targeting you: This is an excellent part of threat detection and response. Identifying the places that attacks will come from, and the sorts of black hats working to undermine corporate security in real-time, will improve your response preparedness in a huge way.
- Discover your exposed attack surface: This one is extremely important, too. By being able to identify the attack surface, the company’s people will understand the context around risk and begin to draft effective defense plans.
- Validate and automate operational effectiveness: Here, the focus is on pre-emptive calibration and configuration of resources. Companies drastically lower security risk by working more carefully to control process evolution.
In addition, the AI cybersecurity capabilities of Google Cloud Platform can be effective for:
- Dark web monitoring
- Credential monitoring
- Automated and continuous testing
Google Cloud Platform Cost
The costs for any model or platform vary based on what is being purchased. Google starts with instances like E2-small at $12.23 a month, with a pay-as-you-go model that rivals what other top platform are charging. In general, you will get good value for compute services, up to any applicable thresholds.
Alternatives to Google Cloud Platform
There are a number of alternative options for sourcing this type of cloud computing service through a platform.
The two most prominent ones are Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure. Each of these large vendors operates its own alternative to Google Cloud Platform, and both have similar ledgers of diversified services, with subscription-based pricing and a lot of the versatility that customers expect.
Google Cloud vs. AWS vs. Azure
Both of these large vendors has its own sophisticated platform, with a big menu of services, and a lot of versatility for business. Again, the costs vary depending on what's being purchased.
Look for core features and cost as you evaluate cloud data store, cloud SQL and cloud storage options for many of these vendors. Azure gets good marks for backup and disaster recovery, and AWS users enjoy great scalability, but Google Cloud Platform has a lot of the best big data tools and AI automation that the modern environment has to offer.
Hypershift is a Google Cloud Platform Partner
Hypershift excels at offering clients access to Google's platform for all of IT management needs. Ask us about how to streamline your adoption of this platform for your business workloads and datasets, to get easy migration and modernization for your business systems.
As a top-tier IT consultant, we can advise on any technology stack, or infrastructure, and look at alternatives and options for companies bravely taking the plunge to modernize, into current twenty-first century standards. For instance, in migrating from legacy systems to the cloud, so much has to be considered. It’s a complex move, and one in which many companies can use effective guidance. Contact us to find out more about how to get the best data and network systems running for your business.
FAQ
This short FAQ will provide some insight into the Google Cloud Platform.
How does Google Cloud Platform vs. AWS compare?
Google Cloud Platform and AWS are both excellent service options. Both have feature-rich toolsets, lots of scalability, and good security architecture.
One might have a slight edge over the other in terms of some core services, like compute engine or cloud storage. Good choices require examining each vendor's specs and tech stack considerations in depth.
How much is Google Cloud Platform?
Google Cloud Platform offers pay-as-you-go subscription pricing based on what buyers purchase. Buyers can purchase a set of "instances" of object storage, serverless computing functionality, and more as part of a larger enterprise purchase.
Is Google Cloud Platform free?
Google Cloud Platform is not a free service. Businesses can choose from a menu of subscription-based services according to their needs.
Is Google Cloud Platform secure?
Google Cloud Platform is protected by some of the best AI cybersecurity tools on the market. It has high markings for general cybersecurity standards.
