7 Simple Tips To Know If You Want To Start Google Cloud Computing

Tip 1: Choose the right cloud computing service model

One of the first things you need to do when you start with Google Cloud Computing is to choose the right cloud computing service model for your needs. A cloud computing service model is a way of delivering cloud resources and capabilities to users. There are three main types of cloud computing service models: infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS).

• IaaS provides you with access to virtual machines, storage, and networking resources that you can provision, configure, and use as you wish. You are responsible for managing the operating system, the applications, and the data on your virtual machines. IaaS is suitable for scenarios where you need full control and flexibility over your cloud infrastructure, such as running custom or legacy applications, or performing complex computations.
• PaaS provides you with a ready-to-use platform for developing, running, and managing applications. You don’t have to worry about the underlying infrastructure, such as servers, storage, or networking. You only focus on the code and the configuration of your applications. PaaS is suitable for scenarios where you want to speed up the development and deployment of your applications, such as web development, mobile development, or data analytics.
• SaaS provides you with access to ready-to-use cloud-based applications that are hosted and managed by the service provider. You don’t have to install, update, or maintain any software on your devices. You only access the applications through a web browser or a mobile app. SaaS is suitable for scenarios where you want to use cloud-based applications for common tasks, such as email, collaboration, or productivity.

Google Cloud Computing offers all three types of cloud computing service models, with different products and services for each one. For example, some of the products and services for IaaS are Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, and Cloud Networking. Some of the products and services for PaaS are Google App Engine, Cloud Functions, and Cloud Run. Some of the products and services for SaaS are Google Workspace, Google Maps Platform, and Google Cloud AI.

To choose the right cloud computing service model for your needs, you need to consider factors such as the type of application you want to run, the level of control and customization you need, the scalability and availability you require, and the cost and complexity you can afford.

Tip 2: Understand the types of cloud computing deployment models

Another thing you need to do when you start with Google Cloud Computing is to understand the types of cloud computing deployment models that are available. A cloud computing deployment model is a way of organizing and accessing cloud resources and services. There are three main types of cloud computing deployment models: public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud.

• Public cloud is a type of cloud computing deployment model where the cloud resources and services are provided over the internet to the general public or large industry groups. The cloud infrastructure is owned and managed by the cloud service provider, not by the user. The user only pays for the resources and services they use, and shares them with other users. Public cloud is a type of cloud hosting that allows users to easily access and scale cloud resources and services. Some of the benefits of public cloud are low upfront cost, no hardware setup, no infrastructure management, and dynamic scalability. Some of the drawbacks of public cloud are data security and privacy concerns, reliability issues, and service or license limitations.
• Private cloud is a type of cloud computing deployment model where the cloud resources and services are dedicated to a single organization or a specific group of users. The cloud infrastructure can be owned and managed by the organization itself, or by a third-party service provider. The user has more control and customization over the cloud resources and services, and does not share them with other users. Private cloud is a type of cloud hosting that allows users to have more security and privacy, as well as better performance and compliance. Some of the benefits of private cloud are data security and privacy, reliability and availability, and control and customization. Some of the drawbacks of private cloud are high upfront cost, hardware setup, and infrastructure management.
• Hybrid cloud is a type of cloud computing deployment model where the cloud resources and services are a combination of public and private cloud. The user can choose which cloud resources and services to use from each cloud, depending on their needs and preferences. Hybrid cloud is a type of cloud hosting that allows users to have the best of both worlds, as well as more flexibility and versatility. Some of the benefits of hybrid cloud are cost optimization, performance optimization, and workload optimization. Some of the drawbacks of hybrid cloud are complexity and integration challenges, security and compliance risks, and vendor lock-in.

Google Cloud Computing supports all three types of cloud computing deployment models, with different products and services for each one. For example, some of the products and services for public cloud are Google Cloud Platform, Google Maps Platform, and Google Cloud AI. Some of the products and services for private cloud are Google Cloud Anthos, Google Cloud VMware Engine, and Google Kubernetes Engine. Some of the products and services for hybrid cloud are Google Cloud Interconnect, Google Cloud VPN, and Google Cloud Storage.

To choose the right cloud computing deployment model for your needs, you need to consider factors such as the type of data you want to store, the level of security and privacy you need, the performance and availability you require, and the flexibility and versatility you want.

Tip 3: Learn the basics of Google Cloud Platform

One of the most popular and comprehensive products of Google Cloud Computing is Google Cloud Platform (GCP). GCP is a suite of cloud computing services that offers infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS) for various use cases and scenarios. GCP provides a set of physical and virtual resources, such as servers, storage, and networks, that are hosted and managed by Google in its data centers around the world. GCP also provides a set of tools and services, such as databases, analytics, machine learning, and security, that help users to build, run, and manage applications and workloads on the cloud.

To get started with GCP, you need to learn the basics of how it works and what it offers. Here are some of the basic concepts and terms that you need to know:

• Google Cloud resources are the fundamental components of GCP, such as virtual machines, disks, networks, databases, and so on. Each resource has a unique name and an identifier that you can use to refer to it. You can create, modify, delete, and manage resources using various methods, such as the Google Cloud console, the Google Cloud command-line interface, or the Google Cloud client libraries.
• Google Cloud projects are the containers for your Google Cloud resources. Each project has a name, an ID, and a billing account associated with it. You can use projects to organize your resources, control access and permissions, and track usage and costs. You can create, modify, delete, and manage projects using various methods, such as the Google Cloud console, the Google Cloud command-line interface, or the Google Cloud client libraries.
• Google Cloud services are the capabilities and features that GCP provides to users, such as compute, storage, networking, database, analytics, machine learning, and so on. Each service has a name, a description, and a set of APIs that you can use to interact with it. You can enable, disable, and manage services using various methods, such as the Google Cloud console, the Google Cloud command-line interface, or the Google Cloud client libraries.

Tip 4: Explore the Google Cloud Platform products and services

Once you have learned the basics of GCP, you can start exploring the different products and services that it offers. GCP has over 100 products and services that cover various domains and scenarios, such as compute, storage, networking, database, analytics, machine learning, security, and more. Each product and service has its own features, benefits, and use cases, as well as its own documentation, guides, samples, and best practices.

To explore the Google Cloud Platform products and services, you can use the following resources:

• Products and Services: A comprehensive list of all the products and services that GCP offers, organized by categories and subcategories. You can browse, search, and filter the products and services by name, description, or domain. You can also compare the products and services with those of other cloud providers, such as AWS and Azure.
• Product description cheat sheet: A handy reference for the most common products and services of GCP, with a brief description, a link to the documentation, and a sample use case for each one.
• Click-to-deploy solutions: A collection of ready-made solutions that you can deploy on GCP with a few clicks, such as WordPress, Jenkins, MongoDB, and more. You can use these solutions to quickly set up and test your applications on GCP, or to learn how to use the products and services of GCP.
• Featured products: A selection of the most popular and innovative products and services of GCP, such as Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, BigQuery, Cloud Run, Google Kubernetes Engine, Vertex AI, Looker, and more. You can learn more about the features and benefits of these products and services, and see how they can help you solve your business challenges.

Tip 5: Get started with Google Cloud Platform for free

One of the best ways to get started with GCP is to take advantage of the free offers and trials that it provides. GCP offers several options for you to try and use its products and services for free, such as:

• Free tier: A set of products and services that you can use for free, up to a certain usage limit, every month. For example, you can use 1 GB of Cloud Storage, 1 GB of BigQuery, and 1 f1-micro instance of Compute Engine for free every month. The free tier is available for all GCP users, and does not expire.
• Free trial: A $300 credit that you can use to try any of the products and services of GCP for 90 days. The free trial is available for new GCP users, and requires a valid credit card or bank account. You can use the free trial to experiment with different products and services of GCP, and to learn how to use them for your applications and workloads.
• Always Free products: A subset of products and services that you can use for free, without any usage limit, as long as you stay within the specified resource quotas. For example, you can use Cloud Functions, Cloud Firestore, and Cloud Pub/Sub for free, without any limit on the number of invocations, documents, or messages. The Always Free products are available for all GCP users, and do not expire.

Tip 6: Build and scale your applications on Google Cloud Platform

After you have explored and tried the products and services of GCP, you can start building and scaling your applications on GCP. GCP provides a range of tools and services that help you to design, develop, deploy, and manage your applications on the cloud, such as:

• Cloud Code: A set of plugins and extensions for popular integrated development environments (IDEs), such as Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ, and Eclipse, that help you to write, debug, and deploy your code on GCP. You can use Cloud Code to create and run applications using Google App Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine, Cloud Run, or Cloud Functions, and to access other GCP services, such as Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, and Cloud Firestore.
• Cloud Build: A service that automates the building, testing, and deploying of your code on GCP. You can use Cloud Build to create continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines for your applications, and to integrate with other tools and services, such as GitHub, GitLab, Docker, and Kubernetes.
• Cloud Deployment Manager: A service that automates the creation and management of your cloud resources on GCP. You can use Cloud Deployment Manager to define and configure your cloud resources using templates, and to deploy and update them using a declarative approach. You can also use Cloud Deployment Manager to create and manage complex and interdependent cloud resources, such as networks, firewalls, load balancers, and virtual machines.
• Cloud Monitoring: A service that monitors the performance and availability of your cloud resources and applications on GCP. You can use Cloud Monitoring to collect and analyze metrics, logs, and traces from your cloud resources and applications, and to create dashboards, alerts, and reports. You can also use Cloud Monitoring to integrate with other tools and services, such as Cloud Logging, Cloud Trace, Cloud Debugger, and Cloud Profiler.

To build and scale your applications on GCP, you can use the following resources:

• Application development: A collection of guides and tutorials that show you how to build and run different types of applications on GCP, such as web applications, mobile applications, data processing applications, and machine learning applications.
• Best practices: A collection of best practices and recommendations that help you to optimize the performance, reliability, security, and cost of your applications on GCP, such as designing for scalability, choosing the right storage option, securing your data, and managing your costs.
• Solutions: A collection of solutions that help you to solve common and complex problems using GCP, such as migrating your applications to the cloud, modernizing your applications with containers and microservices, building serverless applications, and implementing hybrid and multi-cloud architectures.

Tip 7: Learn and grow your skills with Google Cloud Platform

The last tip to get started with GCP is to learn and grow your skills with GCP. GCP is a constantly evolving and expanding platform that offers new and improved products and services, as well as new and updated features and capabilities. To keep up with the latest developments and trends of GCP, and to enhance your knowledge and expertise of GCP, you can use the following resources:

• Documentation: The official and comprehensive source of information and guidance for GCP, including product overviews, quickstarts, how-to guides, reference materials, samples, and more. You can access the documentation for any of the products and services of GCP, and for any of the domains and scenarios of GCP, such as compute, storage, networking, database, analytics, machine learning, security, and more.
• Training: A variety of training options and resources that help you to learn and master GCP, including online courses, on-demand videos, hands-on labs, instructor-led sessions, and more. You can choose the training option and resource that suits your learning style, preference, and goal, and that covers the topic, level, and role that you are interested in.
• Certification: A set of certifications that validate your skills and proficiency in GCP, and that demonstrate your ability to design, develop, and manage solutions using GCP. You can choose the certification that matches your role, such as Associate Cloud Engineer, Professional Cloud Architect, Professional Data Engineer, Professional Cloud Developer, and more.
• Community: A network of users, developers, and experts who share their knowledge, experience, and feedback about GCP, and who help each other to learn and grow with GCP. You can join the community through various channels and platforms, such as blogs, podcasts, newsletters, forums, events, and more.

Conclusion

Google Cloud Computing is a powerful and flexible platform that offers a wide range of services for businesses and individuals. Whether you want to host a website, run a data analysis, or build a machine learning model, Google Cloud Computing can help you achieve your goals. But how do you get started with Google Cloud Computing? What are the best practices and tips to follow?

We hope that these tips will help you to get started with Google Cloud Computing and to make the most of its features and benefits. If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact us at SmartOSC. We are a leading digital transformation agency that specializes in Google Cloud Computing solutions. We can help you to design, develop, and deploy your applications on Google Cloud Computing, and to optimize your performance, reliability, security, and cost. We have a team of certified and experienced Google Cloud experts who can provide you with the best guidance and support. Contact us today and let us help you to achieve your cloud computing goals.