What is GCP? | Benefits of Google Cloud Platform

This page covers Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services, offerings, and features. It mentions the benefits or advantages of using Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Introduction

Cloud computing enables the use of hardware and software tools as a service to network users. Users can access cloud files and applications from any internet-enabled device. There are various cloud providers including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Oracle, SAP, Salesforce, and Google Cloud.

What is Google Cloud Platform (GCP)?

Google offers cloud computing services on the same infrastructure it uses for its end-user products such as YouTube and Gmail. Google Cloud Platform services run on Google hardware. It allows users to connect using the public internet or a dedicated internet connection.

Users can run a range of services such as compute, storage, machine learning, CDN, Big Data, databases, IoT (Internet of Things), security, applications, etc., at affordable costs.

GCP allows software developers, administrators, and IT professionals to use various Google platform services with improved performance.

The figure depicts Google Cloud Platform i.e. GCP Services.

GCP Services

Here’s a breakdown of key Google Cloud Platform services:

• Compute Engine: Helps create and run virtual machines (VMs) on Google’s infrastructure. It is a secure and customizable service.
• App Engine: A PaaS (Platform as a Service) service that helps build web applications and mobile backends.
• Storage and Databases: Provides object storage for companies of all sizes. Data can be retrieved as often as users like. It helps to host relational MySQL databases on Google infrastructure. It also provides a NoSQL Big Data database service with low latency and high throughput for large workloads.
• Networking: GCP supports Google Cloud Virtual Network, Cloud Load Balancing, and Cloud CDN (Content Delivery Network).
• Big Data: Supports BigQuery, Cloud Dataflow, and Dataproc.
• Machine Learning: Machine learning models can be built using the TensorFlow framework. It supports the Cloud Vision API for image recognition and classification. It supports the Cloud Speech API to convert audio to text and vice versa. Other features include Vision AI, Vertex AI, Video AI, and AutoML.
• Identity and Security: Supports Google Cloud IAM, Cloud Resource Manager, Cloud Key Management, Titan Security Key, and Cloud Security Scanner. Cloud IAM allows administrators to authorize who can manage resources and auditing.
• IoT (Internet of Things): Cloud IoT Core offers IoT device management, integration, and connection services. Edge TPU allows you to run AI at the edge. Edge TPU is a purpose-built ASIC designed by Google.
• Developer Tools: Supports various tools which include Artifact Registry, Cloud Build, Cloud Scheduler, Cloud Code, and Cloud SDK.
• Management Tools: Supports various tools which include Cloud APIs, Cloud Mobile App, Cloud Shell, Cloud Console, and Cost Management.
• Migration: Supports application migration, database migration service, VMware Engine, and BigQuery data transfer service.
• Serverless Computing: Supports Cloud Run, which offers a fully managed environment for running containerized apps.
• Media and Gaming: Provides a Game Server Management service running on Google Kubernetes Engine. It supports OpenCue, which provides an open-source render manager for visual effects and animation.

Google Cloud Offerings or Services

Customers can start for free with Google Cloud in several ways: Check out “cloud.google.com” for more information.

1. Google provides $300 free credit for new customers.
2. Start deploying pre-built solutions for free.
3. Try 20+ free products for all customers.

There are numerous free tier products, including:

• Compute Engine
• Cloud Storage
• BigQuery
• Google Kubernetes Engine
• Cloud Run
• Cloud Build
• Firestore
• Pub/Sub
• Vision AI
• Speech to Text
• AutoML Translation
• Cloud Source Repositories
• Cloud Shell

Benefits or Advantages of Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

The following are the benefits or advantages of Google Cloud Platform (GCP):

• It has better pricing compared to its competitor cloud solutions, offering cost-effective solutions for various use cases.
• It is very fast, which increases the performance of executing the project.
• It offers live migration of applications.
• GCP provides innovative solutions in Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning in comparison to other competitors.
• It offers many benefits such as high productivity, work from anywhere, quick collaboration, high security, fewer data stored on vulnerable devices, and reliable resources to be used by geographically distributed organizations.
• It is very flexible, and hence organizations can scale up and down the use of services and resources as per their requirements.