Official Blog
Built in the cloud. Engineered for your enterprise.
Google Apps and the cloud: Maximum economies of scale
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Editor's note:
This post is the last in a three-part series on the benefits of
Google Apps’ cloud-computing architecture
. - Ed.
The first post in this series focused on
faster access to innovation
and last week’s entry described how Google Apps can drive higher
reliability and security
. This final installment explains advantages achieved from the scale at which the
Google Apps
infrastructure operates.
Maximum Economies of Scale
An Internet-scale cloud infrastructure achieves economies of scale that can produce tremendous cost savings. Rather than buying off-the-shelf completed servers, Google buys raw computer parts in massive quantities, and assembles custom servers with few unnecessary components. Not only do we save costs on hardware, we also minimize overhead by consolidating on a very small number of server configurations that can be managed in bulk globally at an extremely efficient ratio of staff to machines. On a per-user basis, these economies of scale allow Google Apps to operate at higher levels of efficiency than can be achieved by customers themselves.
Further cost savings are also made possible by applications that run in the browser. Not only can customers forgo licensing expensive client software, but browser-based applications also require much less administrative overhead than traditional software or “software plus services”. IT departments don’t need to deploy patches or upgrades for web-based applications, and since improvements roll out gradually and continuously instead of in large disruptive batches every several years, companies can also save on change management costs.
Cloud computing – hosted, web-based applications built on shared infrastructure – can achieve breakthroughs in the pace of innovation, reliability, security and economies of scale. As you consider alternatives to address your organization’s messaging and collaboration needs, it pays to understand how different technologies are actually delivered. Over two million businesses considered their own options and have truly moved to the cloud with Google Apps.
If you’re interested in going a level deeper, we invite you to geek out with us on Thursday, when we’ll be holding a webcast to explore the advantages of Google’s cloud. Hope you can join us!
Geek out on the Cloud-Based Infrastructure of Google Apps
Thursday, April 22, 2010
2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT / 6:00 PM GMT
Posted by Jeremy Milo, Google Apps Marketing Manager
Google Apps and the cloud: Improved reliability and security
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Editor's note:
This post is the second in a three-part series on the benefits of
Google Apps’ cloud-computing architecture
. - Ed.
Last week’s post
kicked off our series on the advantages of Google’s cloud, and described how our infrastructure gives customers faster access to innovation than on-premises technology, single-tenant hosted applications, and “software plus services”. Here, part two focuses on how
Google Apps
is designed from the ground up to provide higher reliability and better security.
Improved Reliability and Security
Through
synchronous replication
, data and user actions in Google Apps are mirrored in nearly real-time across multiple data centers. If one data center becomes unavailable for any reason, the system is designed to instantly fall back to a secondary data center with no user-visible interruption in service. For Google Apps customers, our recovery point objective (RPO) design target is zero, and our recovery time objective (RTO) design target is instant failover. Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Groups, Google Docs and Google Sites have a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and our actual reliability has been significantly higher than this commitment. Attempting to replicate this level of reliability with on-premises or hosted technology is tremendously costly and complex. Even very large enterprises with state-of-the-art disaster recovery systems typically target a recovery time of one hour and accept the loss of one hour’s worth of data.
On the security front, Google’s large investments in physical and process-based security are passed on to customers. First, Google is able to hire many of the worlds leading security experts to protect our systems and conduct cutting-edge security research. Our data centers are hardened with many of the latest measures in security precautions, including biometric access controls and multi-tiered security perimeters. Furthermore, Google has implemented a multi-layered security process protocol designed to help keep customer data safe. Our processes have been independently verified in a successful third-party SAS 70 Type II audit to verify our confidentiality, integrity and availability of customer data. Finally, Google is able to efficiently manage security updates across our nearly homogeneous global cloud computing infrastructure, so customers aren’t exposed to known vulnerabilities until they install security patches themselves.
Browser-based applications also help keep sensitive data more secure. Unlike traditional software, when a user is finished using a web-based application, minimal data is left on the machine that could be compromised. Also, when employees can securely access their data from any browser, they’re less likely to store data locally on unsecured end-points like thumb drives. In a world where one out of ten laptops go missing in the first year
1
and 66% of workers report having lost a thumb drive
2
, making data securely available from the browser and minimizing the amount of sensitive data stored on devices is an effective security strategy.
Next week I’ll conclude this series by sharing how Google’s economies of scale can help companies reduce costs and free up technology resources for higher value initiatives that can make businesses more competitive.
If you’re interested in going a level deeper, we invite you to
geek out with us
on Thursday, April 22nd, when we’ll be holding a webcast to explore the advantages of Google’s cloud. Hope you can join us!
Geek out on the Cloud-Based Infrastructure of Google Apps
Thursday, April 22, 2010
2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT / 6:00 PM GMT
1. The Federal Bureau of Investigation & The Computer Security Institute’s annual Computer Crime and Security Survey, 2005.
2. “Thumb Drives? The New Portable and Convenient Way to Lose Data”, 2007.
Posted by Jeremy Milo, Google Apps Marketing Manager
Google Apps and the cloud: Faster access to innovation
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Editor's Note:
This post is the first in a three-part series on the benefits of
Google Apps’ cloud-computing architecture
.
“Cloud computing” has become a trendy buzzword, and some traditional technology vendors are even using the term though their solutions are still rooted in legacy architectures. In this three-part series, I’ll share how Google’s multi-tenant, Internet-scale architecture and browser-based applications produce three key advantages: the fastest innovation, improved reliability and security, and maximum economies of scale. Today I’ll focus on how Google’s innovation exceeds what’s possible with on-premises technology, single-tenant hosted applications, and “software plus services”.
Faster access to innovation for higher productivity
The web is the epicenter of innovation, and Google’s multi-tenant infrastructure is designed so we can push improvements to our entire customer base on short iteration cycles. We can deliver new functionality on a weekly basis, or faster, because our systems are able to distribute updates so efficiently. In 2009 alone, we launched over 100 improvements, and customers didn’t need to manage any upgrades or patches. In contrast, businesses tend to update traditional server software every five to seven years due to long release cycles from vendors and the cost and complexity businesses face implementing upgrades, especially when more powerful servers are required, like 64-bit hardware.
Browser-based applications are another key ingredient in our recipe for rapid innovation. When we launch new features to our web applications, users automatically get these improvements just by refreshing their browsers. Our mobile browser applications also get new features without software updates. With traditional technology and “software plus services”, client software is an innovation bottleneck. Even after back-end systems can support new features, users don’t get new functionality in those environments until the software on their computers and mobile phones have been upgraded, which can be an expensive and labor-intensive project.
Feedback and anonymous usage statistics from hundreds of millions of users in the real world also help us bring stress-tested innovation to business customers at an unprecedented pace. From our consumer user base, we quickly learn which new features would be useful in the business context, refine those features, and make them available to Google Apps customers with minimal delay.
Continuous innovation powered by the cloud has another advantage over traditional technology cycles: employees adapt to a continuous stream of manageable improvements better than they tolerate large, disruptive batches of change. Gradual iterations in bite-sized chunks substantially reduce change-management challenges. Conversely, employees are subjected to a painful re-learning cycle each time companies upgrade traditional software.
Dramatically faster innovation helps employees be more productive, but that’s not all Google’s cloud has to offer. In part two of this series, next week I’ll focus on how
Google Apps
can offer better security and higher reliability than on-premises technology, single-tenant hosted applications and “software plus services”.
If you’re interested in going a level deeper, we invite you to
geek out with us
on Thursday, April 22nd, when we’ll be holding a webcast to explore the advantages of Google’s cloud. Hope you can join us!
Geek Out on the Cloud-Based Infrastructure of Google Apps
Thursday, April 22, 2010
2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT / 6:00 PM GMT
Posted by Jeremy Milo, Google Apps Marketing Manager
Labels
#innovationupgrade
#InspireGirls
#moregoogleapps
#SysAdminDay
#tbt
#throwbackthursday
#top10trust
100% web
50states
ad contest
add-ons
admin
Admin console
admin sdk
AirPlay
Android
Android for Work
Android for Work Live
Android Marshmellow
Android Nougat
Android security
Android security tips
Apps Adventures
apps script
apptuesday
Armed Forces Day
Asia Pacific
Atmosphere Live
Audi
Audi Connect
audit
Australia
big data
Big Query
bigquery
Boston
browser
Chomebox for Meetings
Chrome
Chrome Device Management
Chrome digital signage
Chrome for Business
Chrome for Work
Chrome Frame
Chrome OS
Chromebit
Chromebooks
Chromebooks for Business
Chromebooks for Education
Chromebooks for Work
Chromebox for digital signage
Chromebox for meetings
Chromebox for signage
Chromeboxes
Chromecast
City 24/7
Classroom
Clearing Kosovo
Cloud
cloud computing
cloud computing gonegoogle
cloud computing gonegoogle Google Apps
cloud computing gonegoogle Google Apps google docs small business success story
cloud computing gonegoogle Google Apps google docs small business success story switch
cloud datastore
cloud platform
Cloud Platform Live
cloud print
cloud series
cloud services
cloud sql
collaboration
Colorado
Connectors
contacts
Control Panel
customer
customer love
Customer story
Customer support
Customer testimonial
data centers
data processing amendment
data protection
Developer
developers
Digital Learning Day
Docs
documents
DPA
Drawings
Drive for Education
drive sharing
Earth
earth and maps
EC
education
Education on Air
EMC
EMM
Energy
enterprise
EU
events
FedEx
Fedex.com
Finance
Firebase
Forms
franchises
GAFE
Gartner
GE
geo
Global Partner Summit
gmail
Gone Google
gonegoogle
Google AdWords
Google App Engine
Google Apps
Google Apps Blog
Google Apps for Business
Google Apps for Education
Google Apps for Government
Google Apps for Work
Google Apps Marketplace
Google Apps Reseller
Google Apps Script
Google Apps Vault
Google BigQuery
Google Calendar
Google Calendar app
Google Certified Teachers
Google Chrome
Google Chromebases
Google Classroom
Google Cloud Datastore
Google Cloud DNS
Google Cloud Platform
google cloud storage
Google Cloud Vision API
google commerce search
Google Compute Engine
Google Doc
Google Docs
Google Domains
Google Draw
Google Drive
Google Drive for Work
Google Earth
Google Earth Engine
Google Earth Enterprise
Google Earth Images
Google Earth Pro
Google Email Security and Archiving
Google Enterprise
Google Enterprise Search
Google Expeditions
Google for Education
Google for Education Partner Program
Google for Education Training Center
Google for Entrepreneurs
Google for Work
Google for Work and Google for Education Partner Program
Google for Work partner program
Google Forms
Google Green
google groups
Google Hangout
Google Hangouts
Google I/O
Google Keep
Google Maps
Google Maps API
Google Maps APIs
Google Maps Coordinate
Google Maps Engine
Google Maps Engine Pro
Google Maps Engine public data program
Google Maps for Business
Google Maps for Work
Google Maps Gallery
Google Maps Tracks API
Google Message Continuity
google message security
Google Mobile Device Management
Google My Maps
Google My Maps Pro
Google Places API
Google Play
google play for education
Google Prediction API
Google Research tool
Google Science Fair
Google Search Appliance
Google Security Key
Google Sheets
Google Site Search
google sites
Google Slides API
Google Smart Lock
Google spreadsheets
Google Springboard
google storage
Google Storage for Developers
Google Translate
Google Vault
Google Video
Google Wave
google+
Google+ api
Google+ Communities
googlenew
government
GSA
GSA 7.0
GSA for Commerce
guest post
HALO Trust
Hangout on Air
Hangouts on Air
HEAT
hints and tips
HIPAA
Inbox
Inbox by Gmail
innovation
international trade
Internet Explorer
intranet
io2011
iOS
iPad
IT
K-12
Kubernetes
large business
MAM
manufacturing
Mapping a better world
marketplace
marketplace highlights
mashups
MCCs
MDM
medium business
migration
mobile
mobile management
model contract clauses
moms
Mother's Day
mpstaffpick
MyHEAT
NAVMAN
new features
news
Niagara International Transportation Technology Coalition
non-profit
noteworthy
offline
OpenID Connect
Parters
partner
Partner Showcase
partners
Place Summaries
Postini
privacy
product ideas
productivity
Quickoffice
Receptionist's Day
reports
Reseller
retail
RSA
Safer Internet Day
SBW2013
SBW2014
sbweek
SCCs
Search
Security
Security Key
small business
Small Business Week
Small businesses
SMB
spam and security trends
Startups
success story
support
switch
System Admin
T Dispatch
Teamwork 2015
Thanksgiving
Transport and Logistics
Trust
UK
university
University of Calgary
Updates
utilities
Veteran Owned Businesses
Veterans Day
Veterans Day 2013
Veterans Day 2014
viewpoint
VNX
wallet
webinar
webmaster
Winter
women in tech
Women's History Month
Work Resolutions
World Bank
Archive
2016
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2015
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2014
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2013
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2012
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2011
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2010
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2009
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2008
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2007
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
2006
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
Feed
Google
on
Follow @gsuite
Useful Links
G Suite
Gmail
Hangouts
Calendar
Google+
Google Drive
Google Maps
Google Cloud Platform
