What is Google Cloud? Here’s what you need to know

What do you mean by Google Cloud Platform?

As it is already clear from its name Google Cloud Platform (GPC) is a cloud platform. In other words you can say that it is an “Infrastructure as a Service” or Iaas. It means that it offers a suite of tools, services, and applications that the businesses can use to enhance their productivity and even the workflow. These include the cloud storage and backup, the database management system, developer tools, IoT, analytics, and machine learning.

In this blog you will be able to completely understand the concept of google cloud platform. Once you have read this blog you will on your own be able to answer these questions: what is meant by Google Cloud? Is Google Cloud certification a worthwhile thing to invest in for professionals? Does GCP offer the services that your business is in need of? Let us proceed forward with the specifics of this blog. Without any further ado, let us dive right in!!

An introduction to the Google Cloud:

If you are an android app developer there is a huge possibility that you are familiar with firebase, or you must have at least heard about it! For those of you who are not familiar with this particular terminology I will provide you with its brief description: It is a mobile application development platform that provides you with various useful tools that can be used while you are building your app.

While most of an app’s code will run natively on the user’s device, some of it will also need to defer to the cloud for a variety of different functions. For instance, you may be needed to let a user log-in using their personal Google account. You may want to store their user data on the google cloud platform as well (so that they can still access it after changing devices), or there is also a chance that you might want to use the voice recognition/computer vision that would be slow to process on your device. To that end, a developer will be outsourcing these features to an online service such as Google’s Firebase.

Any Firebase project can also be termed as a GCP project, and many of the Firebase’s functions are simply delegated to the Google Cloud. In fact, the mobile developers will often be redirected to the Google Cloud console, which has a very different, blue and white User Interface. In this way, Firebase acts as a front-end for the Google Cloud that has been optimized for the mobile developers specifically.

Therefore, a Google Cloud Project will be working in precisely the same manner, but with a broader set of applications. Companies can use the Google Cloud services in just the same way to power their apps, websites, and even in-house software, as well as tools. Google provides you with hardware (servers) along with the software in an always connected manner that normal businesses can rely on.

A company can leverage the Google Cloud Platform when storing the user data, you are integrating the machine learning into their tools and services, adding additional security measures, or backing up the databases.

Google Cloud vs AWS vs Microsoft Azure

As mentioned before, GCP is just one of the several competing cloud platforms. The next question that arises then is ‘what is Google Cloud best at?’ or ‘When should you choose one over the other?’

The two biggest competitors of GCP are Amazon Web Services (AWS) and also Microsoft’s Azure. These platforms similar to GCP offer the “infrastructure as a service” (IaaS), but vary in terms of the pricing and the specific features that are offered.

Amazon Web Services is the largest and most widely used cloud platform in today’s date with a 33% market share. This is then followed by Microsoft Azure, which has a market share of total 16%. Google Cloud lags behind these two with just 8% of the market.

Anyhow, while Google Cloud is not the most widely adopted and has a fewer number of services overall, it is very popular for performing specific tasks. In particular, Google Cloud is very well known for its machine learning capabilities, which are powered by the excellent Tensor Flow platform.

What is Google Cloud certification?

Google Cloud certification demonstrates that an individual has expertise using Google Cloud services. The meaning of this statement is: that they will be able to help the businesses to integrate these cloud services into their very own workflow: an in-demand skillset for many of the leading organizations.

There are a huge number of different Google Cloud certificates that are available:

• Associate Cloud Engineer.
• Professional Cloud Architect.
• Professional Data Engineer.
• Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer.
• Professional Cloud Network Engineer.
• Professional Cloud Security Engineer.
• Professional Collaboration Engineer.

Applicants have to pass an exam in order to gain the certification. Exams cost somewhere between $125 and $200.

Therefore, is this a worthwhile investment for IT professionals? Answering this question in short: yes for a great many people. Though AWS and Azure are more widely used, many companies will still be choosing Google Cloud. And with the machine learning becoming increasingly integral to many services and products in the contemporary world, the demand for certification is only more likely to grow. Many IT professionals would benefit from gaining certification with all the three major cloud platforms.

That being said, certifications like these should be considered as a way to augment and initiate a well-rounded resume. Most employers will still be prioritizing experience and qualifications over the certifications.

Thank you so much for reading this blog! I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!!

Do come forth with your questions and queries if any shall arise!