Google’s Cloud Computing Infrastructure Service

Grazed from Midsize Insider. Author: Bert Markgraf.

Google has developed a network of data centers around the world to power its search, ad-serving, web mail, and application service functions. At the recent Google I/O conference, Google announced that it will start offering direct access to this infrastructure within an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) framework. The service is still in limited beta, which means only select customers can try it out for the moment. Eventually, it could offer a simple, open, and easily accessible cloud computing service that is geographically diversified to avoid outages caused by localized problems. When more mature, such a service might be attractive to midsize businesses.

network spheresAs configured, the service consists of virtual Linux machines running on the remote Google architecture. InfoWorld covered the Google I/O announcement. Google calls its service the Google Compute Engine. RightSpace CEO Michael Crandell identified three salient features:…

Google services are accessible through localized infrastructure everywhere. The same will be true of the new service. You can run your applications and store your data nearby or on the other side of the country without leaving the Google network.

The Google system offers fast boot times and good speeds. Everything is automatically encrypted by default, outside the processing.

On the downside, the service is still in its infancy. Google has a high level of confidence in the performance of its cloud computing and infrastructure since it uses its own service continuously, but it still has to show that it can offer outsiders the same high service level.

InformationWeek also discusses the announcement. For the moment, the service offers only Linux servers. IaaS competitor Amazon offers both Microsoft and Linux, and even Microsoft has announced it will offer Linux servers to be able to reach the full market for cloud services. Apparently Google wants to tap into a cloud user preference for open source.

Urs Holzle, primary infrastructure architect at Google, indicated that Google’s initiative is in response to customer demand issuing from user experience with the Google platform and applications built with the App Engine. He wants to position the new service as competing on price, saying that the Google Compute Engine will offer 50 percent more value than other suppliers of IaaS.

Most midsize businesses are not yet ready to transfer major portions of their in-house data processing into the cloud but are looking at future potential strategies. Google has entered the market to present an alternative to private, proprietary clouds and open-source suppliers. Once it offers more details on the new service and offers it without restrictions, companies can try it out by placing development or peak data processing functions there. Rather than invest in their own additional infrastructure, it may be more cost effective to use Google’s network for temporary spikes in requirements. But Google will have to move fast–such temporary use can easily morph into more permanent arrangements and the general availability of the new Google service seems to still be far away.