Demand for Cloud-based services has grown exponentially over the last couple of years. The market is seeing double-digit growth in areas such as SaaS (software as a service), PaaS (platform as a service), and IaaS (infrastructure as a service) as organizations look to trim budgets and boost business efficiency.

While the sky may be filled with clouds, in the world of Cloud Computing, there are only three right now that matter Azure, Amazon AWS, and Google Cloud Platform. If you’re going to ask which cloud is the best, you’ll be sorry to hear that there is no one-size-fits-all platform. Each has its pros and place, however, there is a particular clientele that GCP might appeal to, and for them- the choice is a no-brainer. We’ll cover why, but first, let’s get into what a cloud platform is and how it’s changed traditional computing.

What is cloud computing anyway? A cloud platform explainer

Cloud computing offers web-based software and services in a virtual environment that replaces the need for remote or on-premises hosting. Server rooms that are hotter than the sun? No more. Instead, all your back-end architecture – servers, software, applications, and databases can be offloaded onto the cloud, leaving your IT department more time to focus on business goals and work that actually generates revenue.

Based on your organizational needs, there are three types of clouds available: public, private, and hybrid. Azure, Amazon AWS, and Google Cloud Platform are all examples of public clouds – third-party cloud providers using shared infrastructure to deliver on-demand services over the internet.

By market share, the Google Cloud Platform is significantly smaller than its two main competitors. However, it has slowly been getting the attention of some big-name brands, including Apple, Twitter, and Spotify. Where GCP gets its comparative advantage is with its highly intuitive interface, affordable pricing structure, and unmatched big data and analytics juice.

What types of services can you access using cloud computing?

Just about everything you could possibly want to build, grow, and manage your business’s IT needs is available as an on-demand cloud computing service. There are officially six varieties of as-a-service solutions, but let’s narrow it down to the most used:

Software-as-a-service (SaaS)

For a long time, SaaS was by far the most widely used cloud computing service, accounting for over a third of the market in 2021. SaaS is a means of delivering software applications – including all the underlying IT infrastructure – over the internet to any connected device with no installation required. This means that an organization has unlimited access to the software, typically using an on-demand subscription model, while the provider retains responsibility for managing, hosting, and maintaining the applications.

Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS)

The demand for IaaS has grown exponentially and it now rivals SaaS as the most used cloud computing solution. IaaS provides organizations with the IT infrastructure they need, including servers, data storage, networks, and virtualization, while the user administers things like the operating system, middleware, and applications.

Platform-as-a-service (PaaS)

PaaS is a pay-as-you-go platform often used by developers looking to save time and money by renting all the infrastructure, development tools, and software needed for app development. With PaaS, developers can focus on creating their mobile or web apps without worrying about building or maintaining any of the underlying infrastructures.

GCP stands out from its two main as-a-service competitors thanks to uncomplicated product offerings that provide pretty much everything you could ask for without needlessly and continuously overloading users with new products they don’t want or need. GCP may have fewer products, but the ones it has are easy to use, intuitive, and well-integrated within the ecosystem.

How do businesses use cloud computing in the real world?

Cloud computing services are continually evolving and, along with it, changing the future of how businesses will operate. As-a-service solutions have grown over 30 percent in the past year and are expected to continue along this trajectory, topping $482 billion in 2022. You’re probably already using some form of cloud computing; if you’ve logged into your banking app to check on your stock portfolio, watched something on Netflix, or streamed music on Spotify, you’re using cloud computing.

Here are other ways your organization may want to leverage the power of cloud computing to boost productivity and help it achieve strategic goals.

Cloud-based application development

Cloud computing offers businesses a swath of tools that help reduce the time and cost of getting new cloud-native applications to market without sacrificing performance, UI, or flexibility.

What’s more, by combining GCP with other powerful Google SDKs like Flutter and Firebase you can quickly build, deploy, and scale applications using the same code for both IOS and Android.

Testing and development

Cloud computing provides developers with a scalable, customizable environment where they can test and develop applications without investing heavily in the infrastructure usually required to do so. This can dramatically reduce development costs and speed up deployment.

Analyze data

One of the most significant advantages of cloud computing for businesses of all sizes is the ability to tap into vast amounts of structured and unstructured data from across all levels of your organization.

Using big data analytics, such as the GCP Smart Analytics, your business can extract invaluable information that will help deliver intelligence-driven insight and shape critical business decisions.

Cloud storage, backup, and recovery

Most organizations have massive data storage needs; transferring this data to a cloud can free up resources and produce significant cost savings vs maintaining on-premises servers. In addition, cloud storage enables anyone (with permission) to securely access data from any connected device, from anywhere.

With GCP, you only pay for the storage you are using with no worry about overpaying for services that are not being consumed. And with almost instant scalability, cloud storage is flexible enough to keep up with any growing storage needs. For many businesses, moving to the cloud can generate significant cost savings over the long term.

So why Google Cloud Platform?

Is GCP the best choice for every project? Probably not, but it will never be a wrong choice either. Developers will appreciate the uncomplicated simplicity of using GCP, vast libraries, and heaps of developer tools. At the same time, clients will applaud high-quality UI, intuitive functions, low maintenance, and highly competitive pricing.

Cloud adoption is the future of business as not only does it provide companies with a slew of innovative tools and features, but it does so while enhancing team collaboration, improving data security, boosting performance, and cutting costs.

There are many ways to incorporate cloud computing within your organization; it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing approach. Working with a GCP developer can help you find the right balance between on-site and on-cloud infrastructure for your business.

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