GCP for Business – What is Google Cloud Platform used for?

Are you trying to pick a cloud service provider for your company, and you still don’t know what the best choice is? Check out what Google Cloud Platform is used for, what kind of tools it offers and what the main benefits are of GCP. Read our article to learn more. 

More and more companies are moving away from on-premises data centers and are deciding to migrate to the cloud. It seems that operating in a cloud environment is becoming the modern standard, especially among tech companies. Of course, there are multiple cloud solution providers on the market (such as, for example AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google). One of the possible choices for business is Google Cloud Platform. How can you benefit from using it?

The potential of the cloud – what is Google Cloud used for?

A “storage space” may be one of the first associations with the term “cloud”, but believe us, there is so much more to it. Google Cloud holds numerous solutions for many types of businesses. Of course, Google Cloud Platform offers plenty of development tools that are very useful for building applications and improving the efficiency of IT companies/departments. Still, cloud implementation also impacts the rest of an organization and improves its overall efficiency. 

Selecting the right cloud services for your business may not be an easy task. Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a set of public cloud computing services from Google. It is meant for software developers, cloud administrators and other IT professionals that require access to a wide range of cloud services. With GCP, you can significantly reduce your business operation and development process costs – Google allows its customers to take advantage of a pay-as-you-go pricing model, so they pay only for services they have actually used. Let’s analyze Google’s services and see what Google Cloud Platform is being used for by companies all over the world. 

Developing with Google Cloud – what is GCP used for?

Accessible remotely, storage and computing power are the basis of Google’s Cloud (or any other cloud) services. Those described above are the core of Google’s cloud-based offer for business users.

1. What is Google Compute Engine used for?

This infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) solution provides users with virtual machine computing power for workload hosting and allows them to utilize particular CPUs, GPUs and Cloud TPUs. The IaaS platform replaces traditional network infrastructure components (like, for example, servers and routers) with cloud-based substitutes, so users can leverage virtual machines in the cloud. If you are facing difficult processing or analytics challenges, Compute Engine will be the right type of service to deal with them.

2. What is Google App Engine used for?

Google’s App Engine allows users to build and host applications on the very same systems that are leveraged by the apps Google itself develops. Using it, you can create your software without worrying about hardware or backups. This platform-as-a-service (PaaS) solution gives you access to systems and hosting that have been already tested and proven good for sites such as YouTube. You can develop your own applications that will run on App Engine using SDK (software developer kit).

3. What is Google Cloud Storage used for?

This platform offers business users the storage and tools for storing large, unstructured data sets. It is a RESTful service that allows companies to store, access and share data on Google’s infrastructure remotely, from various devices. The high performance of Google’s services ensures smooth access to business information anytime. The most advanced security solutions comprehensively protect the data.

Are there any other types of Google Cloud Platform services?

You can find the full Google Cloud Platform services and tools summary in Google’s documentation. GCP offers over 100 different solutions that can make your business more efficient and help you develop high quality applications for your clients and your own internal needs. We won’t describe all of them, but will simply mention some types of tools and solutions that you may find useful for your organization (be aware though – there is so much more):

Databases

Google Cloud Platform comes with numerous, ready-to-use databases of various types (NoSQL databases, non-relational data stores and relational databases etc.). This way, you can use those that suit your individual business requirements best. GCP also includes tools like Cloud SQL that help you create, configure and manage relational databases on your own. 

Migration

Efficient migration of various assets to the cloud requires the right tools. Cloud Migration services allow you to smoothly move your resources (data and applications) to the cloud. For example, you can use Database Migration Service in order to migrate from your on-premises environment or other clouds to your chosen databases in Google Cloud. This way, you avoid long and unnecessary downtime. There are also other services, like BigQuery Data Transfer Service,  which speeds up the data movement from SaaS applications to BigQuery by automating this process, or Transfer Appliance for transferring large amounts of data into GCP in no time.

Networking

Google Cloud offers a broad range of networking services built on infrastructure that enables users to benefit from the most advanced technologies, such as AI. There are services such as Cloud CDN, DNS and VPN, but also special solutions that increase the security of your networks. A perfect example of those is Cloud IDS which is an intrusion detection system capable of recognizing certain kinds of malware, spyware and other attacks. 

Operations

The Google Cloud Operation suite of services supports companies in monitoring the performance of their applications and virtual machines running on GCP. These services enable IT teams to gather performance metrics and metadata and then analyze them through dashboards, charts, and reports. The tools included in Google Cloud Operations enable IT experts to spot and solve performance problems faster and more easily. 

Data Analytics and AI and ML

GCP gives its users access to high-level services such as advanced analytics (BigQuery), artificial intelligence and machine learning (Cloud Machine Learning Engine). If you require access to cloud-based solutions that will enable you to carry out complex, ML and AI-related projects, you can rest assured that GCP has all you need.

Developer tools

Google Cloud Platform could be also referred to as an “all-in-one” solution for tech companies. GCP provides developers with a wide collection of services and tools indispensable for developers, but also some that, while you could work without them, can significantly improve programmers’ productivity. The Cloud Software Development Kit (SDK) consists of many tools such as gcloud, gsutil, and bq command-line tools that your developers can use to access the above-mentioned Compute Engine or Cloud Storage.

Should you use GCP in your organization?

So, now you know what Google Cloud Platform is used for. Google offers you numerous services and tools. You probably won’t use all of them, but there are many that your IT teams will leverage regularly in their work. The biggest benefit of GCP is the pay-as-you-go pricing model, which lets you only pay for those services you actually use. You can not only make your company more efficient, but also reduce your operating costs. Using Google Cloud Platform gives you more business flexibility and allows you to leverage your company’s potential better.

Contact us, if you’d like to learn more about it.