7 Tips for Efficient, Effective Google Cloud Operations for Business

Organizations exploring cloud computing have a multitude of options to choose from. The most popular are AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

Let’s take a look at how to use Google Cloud storage and infrastructure, how to improve upon it and why Google Cloud for business can be a good solution.

Why is Google Cloud Good for Business?

There are a number of reasons why businesses may be attracted to Google Cloud operations. Not only is Google Cloud a leader in the cloud computing industry, but it has a few major advantages: competitive pricing, live migration of virtual machines, high-performance environments, reliable security and redundant backups. Google has invested a considerable amount of time and energy into building out Google Cloud, and it’s only growing.

Tips for Making Your Google Cloud Deployment More Efficient

The goal for a Google Cloud deployment is efficiency. When a deployment is inefficient, it isn’t as productive as it could be — more importantly, it can become very expensive. Google Cloud, like other cloud solutions, charges based on the resources that are used. As an organization uses more resources (which will almost certainly happen as the organization scales), it becomes more expensive.

By improving upon the efficiency of your Google Cloud deployment, you don’t just grow in productivity — you reduce your costs.

Here are some important tips:

1. Regularly cull resources you aren’t using. Delete unattached block storage, unneeded snapshots and IP addresses you no longer use. Remove any zombie assets and ensure that your entire system is regularly audited. Not only is this a good idea to reduce usage (and therefore cost), but it also reduces the overall complexity of your network and consequently reduces security risks as well.
2. Migrate your cold data to other storage areas. Data that isn’t being constantly accessed can be shifted to areas of the cloud that utilize fewer resources. Google Cloud has tiered resource usage, so there can be tiers of data ranging from most often used to least often used. You can still store and archive all your data — it just doesn’t have to all be accessible quickly.
3. Consider hybrid and multi-cloud solutions. Hybrid and multi-cloud solutions make it possible to take advantage of private servers and public servers. With a hybrid and multi-cloud solution, you can use the environment and infrastructure that makes sense for each application. You don’t need to waste your most rigorous security, for instance, on services that aren’t as important to secure.
4. Migrate other workloads to the cloud. Rather than trying to tie in a multitude of third-party solutions, legacy solutions or other products, migrating all your workloads into a single infrastructure can vastly improve your cloud operations. There’s a certain amount of lost efficiency when it comes to integration, importing and exporting. Sometimes, a single system can do the work of three or four.
5. Use software-as-a-service solutions when needed. Using as-a-service solutions greatly reduces the amount of maintenance and troubleshooting that your organization is responsible for, thereby making it easier for your organization to maintain and manage its core systems. Many software-as-a-service solutions are extremely affordable and can reduce the workload on your own system.
6. Regularly analyze your Google Cloud deployment costs. A regular audit of your Google Cloud costs can help you identify trends; if your costs continue to rise even though you aren’t getting more value from the system, it’s likely that there are certain resources that can either be reduced re-allocated. A regular audit will also tell where money may need to be spent in the future, such as resources that are truly needed for the system to grow.
7. Secure your applications and infrastructure. Better security leads to more efficient operations. When data is properly secured, there’s less of a likelihood of malicious attacks — which can consume tremendous resources. Better security can automatically deny things like Denial-of-Service attacks, which will consume resources until the server crashes entirely.

As with any cloud server, it’s important that the Google Cloud be properly secured and backed up. The better the initial design of the Google Cloud infrastructure, the more efficient it will be. And once that initial design is deployed, it will have to be both managed and maintained to ensure that it remains efficient.

Deploying Google Cloud

There are many reasons why an organization would switch to Google Cloud for business. But without expertise, it can become inefficient and expensive. Just like any other type of infrastructure, a Google Cloud deployment can eventually grow and become sprawling.

A managed service provider can help. At Red River, we can help you determine whether Google Cloud is the best solution for you. We can also help you make your transition to Google Cloud — and provide IT and end-user support following the transition. Contact Red River today.