With Google Cloud Platform services, you can spin up virtual machines in minutes and only pay for what you use. Whether you’re a lean startup prototyping a new feature or a global enterprise handling mission critical workloads, these services help you streamline operations. You’ll also lock down your environment and keep spend in check.
In this guide you’ll discover how to explore core service categories, migrate your workloads without fuss, secure your infrastructure, monitor performance, and tap into expert support. Let’s dive in.
Explore core service categories
Google Cloud groups its offerings into logical buckets so you can pick the right tool for each task. Here’s a quick look at what’s available.
Compute offerings
- Compute Engine: customize virtual machines (VMs) with your choice of CPU, memory, and operating system
- Google Kubernetes Engine: run containerized apps on managed Kubernetes clusters
- Cloud Functions: execute small code snippets (functions) in response to events
- App Engine: deploy web apps on a fully managed platform with auto scaling
For a deeper dive into these resources, check out our google cloud computing services.
Storage solutions
- Cloud Storage: scalable object storage for images, videos, and large binary files
- Persistent Disk: high-performance block storage for VMs
- Filestore: managed file shares with NFS for lift and shift of legacy apps
Learn more in our google cloud storage services overview.
Networking tools
- Virtual Private Cloud (VPC): isolate and segment your network in the cloud
- Cloud Load Balancing: distribute traffic across instances and regions
- Cloud CDN: cache content at the network edge to reduce latency
Database offerings
- Cloud SQL: managed MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server instances
- Cloud Spanner: globally distributed SQL database with ACID transactions
- Firestore: serverless document database for web and mobile apps
AI and ML capabilities
- Vertex AI: train and deploy custom machine learning models
- AI Platform: end-to-end development environment for data science workflows
- AutoML: build models with minimal coding using prebuilt templates
Explore our google cloud ai services to see more advanced use cases.
Migrate workloads seamlessly
Need to move apps without disruption? Google Cloud offers tools to transfer data at any scale.
Data migration service
The Google Cloud Migration Service helps you replicate live databases to Cloud SQL, Spanner, or Firestore with minimal downtime. It supports heterogeneous migrations, so you can shift from Oracle, SQL Server, or MySQL to your database of choice.
Transfer appliances
When you’re dealing with terabytes (or petabytes) of data, network upload can feel slow. Request a secure, encrypted transfer appliance—load your data on site, ship it to Google, and let engineers upload it directly into your cloud project.
Hybrid connectivity
Keep on-prem systems talking to cloud resources via Cloud VPN or Dedicated Interconnect. A private link or VPN tunnel ensures your hybrid apps communicate securely and at low latency.
For a full list of options, see our google cloud migration services.
Secure your cloud environment
Worried about threats or unauthorized access? Here’s how you can keep everything locked down.
Identity and access management
Cloud IAM lets you grant granular permissions to users, groups, or service accounts. Assign roles at project, folder, or resource level to follow the principle of least privilege.
Network security
Use VPC firewall rules to restrict traffic flows, and deploy Cloud Armor for DDoS protection and threat mitigation at the edge.
Data protection
Encrypt data at rest with Customer Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK) or bring your own keys to Cloud Key Management Service. For hardware-based security, you can leverage Cloud HSM modules.
Get a complete look at these features in our google cloud security services.
Monitor and manage usage
Want to avoid surprise bills? You can track performance and spend in real time.
Autoscaling and load balancing
Set up target-based autoscaling on Compute Engine or Kubernetes Engine so your services automatically gain capacity when demand spikes, and scale down when traffic falls.
Monitoring and logging
Cloud Monitoring and Cloud Logging give you dashboards, alerts, and log analytics in a single pane of glass. Track uptime, latency, and custom metrics to catch issues before they impact users.
Cost management
Use budgets and alerts to warn you when spend approaches defined thresholds. Export billing data to BigQuery for custom reporting and detailed insights.
If you’d rather offload routine monitoring and ops tasks, consider our google cloud managed services.
Get professional support
Need expert guidance or training? There are options to help you every step of the way.
Consulting services
Workshops, architecture reviews, and proof of concept projects are handled by certified engineers offering tailored recommendations. Explore our google cloud consulting services to get started.
Professional services
Get help with large-scale rollouts, performance tuning, and best practice frameworks. Our google cloud professional services teams bring deep expertise to your most complex challenges.
Backup solutions
Protect against data loss with Cloud Backup and archival policies. Automate snapshots, set retention rules, and restore with a few clicks via our google cloud backup services.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Explore compute, storage, networking, database, and AI services to match your workload
- Use migration tools and hybrid links to move apps without downtime
- Lock down users, networks, and data with robust security features
- Track resources, set budgets, and automate scaling to manage costs
- Tap into consulting, professional, and backup services for a smooth journey
You’re all set to maximize efficiency with Google Cloud Platform services. Ready to get started? Share your first win in the comments below so we can celebrate with you.
