What is new in Google Cloud IT Infrastructure and Apps?

Google Cloud’s ongoing updates and innovations allow businesses to modernise their IT infrastructure and applications effectively. From expanding infrastructure and enhancing network capabilities to improving database management and strengthening security, Google Cloud offers a complete suite of tools for digital transformation. Leverage these advancements to drive innovation, improve efficiency, and achieve your strategic goals. 

Google Cloud IT Infrastructure Innovations [Last Update: February 2025]

Google Cloud’s Expanding Infrastructure

Google Cloud continuously expands its global presence to provide faster and more reliable services. Think of improved speed and compliance, regardless of geographical location.

• Mexico Region: The Cuaratero region is designed to offer fast and reliable cloud services to businesses and public sector organisations throughout Mexico.
• Saudi Arabia: Vertex AI is now available in the Dammam region, enabling businesses to leverage AI for innovation and efficiency. Google Cloud is partnering with CNTXT to offer a new cybersecurity solution based on assured workload, helping Saudi organisations comply with data sovereignty, regulatory, and security requirements.
• Sweden: The new Google Cloud region in Sweden is the 42nd globally and 13th in Europe. It offers Swedish businesses a powerful platform for growth using AI, machine learning, and data analytics. It addresses data residency requirements and digital sovereignty concerns, allowing organisations to leverage Google Cloud’s services while controlling their data’s location.

Enhancements in Network Features

Network capabilities are critical for application delivery and performance. Google Cloud has introduced several enhancements in this area.

Application Load Balancer: Service Extension Plugins

Google Cloud’s Application Load Balancer (ALB) now features Service Extension plugins, allowing for custom code execution at the load balancer level. These plugins, built with WebAssembly (Wasm), enable users to modify or enhance request and response behaviour before traffic reaches backend services.

Benefits

• Flexible Traffic Control: Dynamically modify headers and implement custom logging without changing backend services.
• Enhanced Security: Custom security logic at the network edge reduces exposure to threats.
• Improved Performance: Processing logic at the load balancer level reduces backend workload, optimising application performance.
• Developer-Friendly: With Wasm-based execution, developers can use lightweight, portable, and efficient plugins to tailor traffic handling.

Cloud DNS: Public IP Checks for Resilient Multi-Cloud Deployments

Cloud DNS now supports Public IP checks, enabling automated, health-aware traffic management in hybrid environments. This feature supports weighted round-robin (WRR), geolocation-based routing, and automatic failover.

Benefits

• Enhanced Resilience: Improves application availability by dynamically adjusting traffic based on health status.
• Simplified Multi-Cloud Management: Provides a unified traffic control mechanism across different cloud providers.
• Lower Operational Overhead: Reduces the need for manual intervention in failover scenarios.
• Consistent DNS Policies: Ensures a standardised configuration across hybrid/multi cloud environments.

GKE Updates

Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) has received key updates that provide more flexible control-plane and node-pool networking.

• Flexible Control-Plane Access: Access to the GKE control plane is now facilitated through DNS-based access, in addition to traditional IP-based access. This bypasses some limitations of previous methods and enhances security.
• Node Pool Flexibility: Node pool management is improved, allowing for easier updates and configuration changes. Private traffic between the control plane and node pool is guaranteed. Detaching or attaching public IPs to node pools is now possible at any time.

Cost Management Tools

It is crucial to manage cloud costs effectively. Google Cloud introduces GCP Labels for Enterprise, a solution for effectively managing labels for Google Cloud resources at scale, enabling proactive and reactive governance approaches.

• GCP Labels for Enterprise: This solution provides tools to effectively use labels for managing Google Cloud resources at scale in a proactive and reactive governance approach. It includes the possibility of having an auto-labelling strategy to ensure all resources are labelled.
• Cost Anomaly Detection is now available in public preview and at no additional cost. It provides automatic monitoring, continuously tracks cloud spending across all Google Cloud products and services and Real-Time Alerts, detects unusual cost spikes and displays them directly in the billing console.

GCVE (Google Cloud VMware Engine) Updates

Google Cloud VMware Engine (GCVE) enables the deployment of private clouds on GCP based on VMware virtualisation.

• Soft Deletion: Soft deletion protects against accidental or malicious private cloud deletion, minimising the recovery time objective.
• Update Centre: The Update Centre offers centralised update management for private clouds, allowing for scheduled updates with real-time status monitoring.

Database Innovations

Google Cloud has several updates in database management.

• Google and Oracle Partnership: A partnership between Google and Oracle facilitates data migration from Oracle to GCP, including migration from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) via interconnects.
• Database Centre: Database Centre acts as an AI-assisted dashboard, providing a centralised view of databases across GCP, using fleet management for improved troubleshooting, risk assessment, and compliance.

• Spanner Graph: Spanner Graph allows for graph-based data analysis using GraphQL, enabling easier analysis of complex relationships. This feature combines the power of graph databases to understand and analyse complex relationships in data and develop applications that rely on finding connections, such as recommendation systems, fraud detection, and knowledge graphs.
• Query Insights: Query Insights for Cloud SQL Enterprise Plus licenses provides advanced database observability with detailed query plans, 30-day telemetry, wait events, and index recommendations. This helps database administrators identify and resolve issues quickly in a centralised and easy-to-consume view in the Google Cloud Console. It also improves efficiency through proactive database tuning with data-driven recommendations.

Security Enhancements

Security is a paramount concern. Google Cloud has introduced several enhancements to bolster security measures.

• Cloud Next-Generation Firewall: a new migration tool simplifies the transition to the Cloud Next-Generation Firewall, offering advanced layer 7 security capabilities. This distributed service centralises rule management and simplifies firewall configuration.
• Expanded Security Posture: Expanded security posture with customer policies provides centralised control over resources, enhancing compliance and risk management. Customer policies allow organisations to define guardrails for their developer teams, ensuring they stay compliant and helping project owners work without worrying about security or compliance issues.
• Cloud KMS: Support for Microsoft CNG: Cloud Key Management System (KMS) now supports Microsoft CNG, enabling seamless integration with Windows-based applications and enhanced security for signing Windows artifacts.
• Google Cloud Abuse Event Logging now includes cloud logging notifications in addition to email alerts for faster response times and improved automation. This service alerts you to security incidents, such as crypto mining attacks or leaked service account keys.

Sustainability Initiatives

Google Cloud is committed to sustainability, with a focus on carbon-free energy. The Swedish cloud region, for example, is projected to operate at or above 99% carbon-free energy (CFE) in its first full year of operation.

IT Infrastructure and Apps with Google Cloud: AI’s potential  – [Update: September 2024]

What’s new with IT Infrastructure and Apps with Google Cloud?

This article explores the latest updates about IT infrastructure and apps with Google Cloud from the first months of 2024. Focusing on VMware Engine, modern infra cloud, developer tools such as Gemini, and advanced storage solutions to leverage business efficiency and cost reduction. Discover insights from Google Cloud’s yearly flagship event, Google Cloud Next 2024!

Empowering Cloud-Computing innovation with advanced infrastructures

VMware Engine: enhanced flexibility and cost savings

Following Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware and their strategic partnership with Google, license portability between on-premises environments and GCV is now a reality. 

Version 5.1 allows seamless license migration, making leveraging VMware solutions within Google Cloud simpler and more cost-effective. Broadcom also plans to integrate additional products and services into the Google Cloud marketplace, facilitating effortless scaling of Broadcom offerings for your organisation. Here’s what you need to know:

• License portability: VMware license portability allows you to move licenses from on-premises to Google Cloud, making your solutions more accessible, cost-effective, and scalable.
• Integration: Fully integrated with Google Cloud services like Cloud Monitoring, Cloud Logging, and BigQuery.
• Cost efficiency: Moving licenses to the cloud saves up to 35% of total costs.

IT Infrastrucre and apps with Google Cloud: A new era for compute engine

Improved performance and efficiency with Google Axion’s processors

Google Cloud introduced several innovations to improve the performance and efficiency of modern infrastructure. Google’s Axion processors represent a significant leap forward in data centres performance. Google redesigned these custom Arm-based CPUs to deliver superior performance and efficiency, setting new industry benchmarks.

• Arm-based processors: Google introduces its first Arm-based processor, promising enhanced performance and energy efficiency. Google Axion’s processors allow businesses to deploy workloads on this next-generation technology, potentially experiencing a 30% performance improvement over baseline instances and a staggering 50% leap over x86-based instances. Energy efficiency surpasses all existing processor options.
• Next-generation general-purpose VMs: Google Cloud introduced a new generation of compute engine VMs powered by their fourth-generation internal processor. What does this mean for you? Superior price-to-performance with flexible vCPU-to-memory ratios.
• X4 Memory-optimised VMs: Businesses can now leverage Google Cloud’s new X4 memory-optimised instances in preview mode. Google designed these VMs explicitly for database workloads and SQL servers.

Note: The new processors and instances are designed to provide the best price-performance ratio in the market.

Developer Cloud: Where innovation and AI meets efficiency

Advanced developer tools: empowering innovation with Gemini

You are going to love these updates if you are a developer! Google shared some exciting updates to streamline their workflows and enhance productivity:

• AI-powered development with Gemini Code Assist: Formerly known as Duet AI for Developers, Gemini Code Assist is now generally available. This powerful tool leverages AI to streamline development workflows by assisting with code writing, commenting, optimisation, testing, and explaining code sections or entire codebases.
• Full codebase awareness for large-scale changes: A new preview feature, full codebase awareness empowers developers to implement large-scale modifications across entire codebases using a single prompt. This functionality can add features, facilitate version upgrades, or conduct code reviews. It is particularly valuable for smaller development teams.
• Code customisation for tailored assistance: You can customise Gemini Code Assist to perfectly fit your business needs. This is achieved by connecting the tool to their private codebases and knowledge sources, enabling the assistant to guide developers towards relevant internal documentation or existing systems within the organisation.
• Expanding 3rd party integrations: The ecosystem surrounding Gemini Code Assist is continuously growing. Google Cloud is expanding third-party integrations, offering developers a growing pool of compatible tools and functionalities.
• Cloud Assist is your AI-powered Cloud Management buddy. It offers AI-powered guidance for various aspects of cloud application management, spanning design, operation, troubleshooting, and optimization.
  • Simplified deployment with architectural configuration generation: Describe your desired outcome, and Cloud Assist will generate an architecture configuration aligned with your needs. It can even explain the reasoning behind the configuration and create a multi-step run.

Storage solutions for cloud security and everyday needs

Google Cloud offers a comprehensive suite of storage solutions to cater to diverse business requirements:

• Block Storage (Persistent Disk): Google Cloud announced a new feature called April Fools’ Disk. This playful name reflects its ability to adapt to your application’s compression, reducing the total cost of ownership by a remarkable 30-50%. It is ideal for scenarios where cost reduction is a priority.
• Cloud storage fuse with caching: Google Cloud also introduced Cloud Storage Fuse with caching, leveraging cloud storage as a file system. This grants compute engine instances access to this space, with the added benefit of local read cache options. This feature accelerates access to small random file input/output operations.
• Cloud Nat: Google Cloud presented Cloud Nat, a new service currently in preview mode. Cloud Nat streamlines network address translation between your private cloud, on-premises environment, or another provider. This service empowers seamless communication between VMs across various networks.

The following diagram shows a basic Hybrid NAT configuration:

IT Infrastructure and Apps with Google Cloud: a bright future ahead

The future of cloud computing services and application modernisation is exciting. By adopting these new Google Cloud technologies, businesses can remain competitive. Whether you want to optimise your current IT infrastructure or explore new possibilities, Google Cloud’s latest offerings provide the tools and capabilities needed to succeed.

But navigating this landscape can be daunting. That’s where Devoteam steps in as your trusted advisor and Google Cloud Premier partner. Our certified experts have the knowledge and experience to guide your cloud journey. Get in touch with our trusted experts now!

Explore the benefits of IT infrastructure modernisation to learn how these advancements can transform your operations.