What is Google Cloud Platform: A Complete Guide to Becoming a Cloud Expert

• Compute: GCP provides various computing options, including Google Compute Engine, which offers Virtual Machines (VMs) for running applications, and Google Kubernetes Engine, a managed environment for deploying and managing containerized applications.
   
• Storage and Databases: GCP offers scalable and reliable storage options such as Google Cloud Storage, which allows you to store and retrieve data objects, and Google Cloud SQL and Google Cloud Spanner to manage relational databases. Additionally, there are NoSQL database options like Google Cloud Firestore and Google Cloud Bigtable.
   
• Networking: GCP provides networking services to connect and scale applications. Google Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) allows you to create private networks with customizable IP addresses and subnets. You can also use Google Cloud Load Balancing to distribute traffic across instances and Google Cloud CDN for content delivery.
   
• Big Data and Machine Learning: GCP offers a range of tools and services for big data processing and machine learning. Google BigQuery is a fully managed, serverless data warehouse for analyzing massive datasets, and Cloud Dataflow provides a managed service for data processing pipelines. 
   
• Identity and Security: GCP provides robust security features to protect applications and data. Identity and Access Management (IAM) helps manage access control and resource permissions, while Cloud Identity-Aware Proxy (IAP) provides secure application access. Google Cloud Key Management Service (KMS) offers centralized key management for cryptographic operations.
   
• Management Tools: GCP provides various tools to monitor, analyze, and control your resources. Google Cloud Console offers a web-based interface for managing services, and Cloud Deployment Manager allows you to automate resource provisioning. Stackdriver Monitoring provides real-time monitoring and logging, and Cloud Trace helps diagnose application performance.
   
• Developer Tools: GCP offers developer tools and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to build and deploy applications. Google Cloud Functions allows you to run event-driven functions in a serverless environment, and Cloud Pub/Sub provides messaging and event ingestion. Cloud Build enables Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD), and Cloud Source Repositories provide version control for source code.
   
• Integration and IoT: GCP offers integration services to connect with other cloud platforms and on-premises systems. Google Cloud Pub/Sub and Cloud IoT Core enable reliable messaging and device management for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

These are a few examples of the services and capabilities the GCP provides. GCP aims to provide a scalable, reliable, and secure infrastructure for individuals and organizations to build and run their applications in the cloud.

GCP offers numerous benefits to individuals and organizations looking to leverage cloud computing. The below listed are some key benefits of using GCP:

• Scalability: GCP provides scalable infrastructure and services, allowing you to scale your applications as needed easily. You can increase or decrease computing resources, storage capacity, and other services on demand, enabling you to handle traffic spikes and accommodate growth without worrying about capacity constraints.
   
• Reliability and Availability: GCP leverages Google’s robust and highly available infrastructure, designed to minimize downtime and ensure high reliability. GCP services are built with built-in redundancy, automatic backups, and failover mechanisms to provide a reliable environment for your applications.
   
• Global Footprint: With GCP, you can deploy your applications and services in various regions around the world. Google’s data centers are spread across multiple regions and availability zones, allowing you to host your applications closer to your users, resulting in lower latency and improved performance.
   
• Security: Security is a top priority for GCP. Google invests heavily in security measures to protect customer data and applications. GCP offers robust IAM tools, encryption at rest and in transit, DDoS protection, and advanced threat-detection capabilities. Compliance certifications and independent third-party audits validate GCP’s security and privacy practices.
   
• Cost-Effectiveness: GCP provides flexible pricing models, allowing you to optimize costs based on your usage patterns. You can choose from on-demand pricing for short-term requirements or committed usage discounts for long-term commitments. GCP offers cost management tools and recommendations to help you monitor and control your expenses.
   
• Wide Range of Services: GCP offers a comprehensive suite of services to meet various business needs. From computing and storage to databases, analytics, machine learning, and IoT, GCP provides a wide range of services. 
   
• Integration and Openness: GCP integrates well with other Google services and offers seamless integration with popular development tools and frameworks. It supports open standards and provides APIs and Software Development Kits (SDKs) for easy integration with existing systems and third-party services.
   
• Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Capabilities: GCP offers robust machine learning and AI services, empowering developers to build intelligent applications. Services like Cloud Machine Learning Engine, AutoML, and TensorFlow provide powerful tools for training, deploying, and scaling machine learning models.
   
• Developer-Friendly Environment: GCP provides a developer-friendly environment with tools and services that streamline the development, testing, and deployment processes. It offers options for version control, CI/CD, debugging, and monitoring, enabling developers to manage applications.
   

These benefits make GCP an attractive option for organizations seeking a reliable, scalable, and secure cloud platform to host their applications and leverage advanced technologies.

To create a GCP account, follow these steps:

• Go to the Google Cloud Platform website (https://cloud.google.com/).
• Click on the “Get started for free” or “Try it free” button, which will direct you to the GCP sign-up page.
• For those with a Google account, please log in using your current credentials. If you do not possess a Google account, simply click the “Create account” button to generate a new one.
• Fill in the required information, including your name, email address, password, and phone number. You may be required to verify your phone number through a text message or phone call.
• Before proceeding, ensure that you have reviewed and accepted the terms of service and any accompanying agreements.
• Provide your billing information. GCP requires billing information to be associated with your account, even for the free trial. However, you will not be charged unless you upgrade to a paid account and exceed the free trial limits.
• Complete the verification process. Google may ask for additional verification steps to confirm your identity.
• Upon completing the account setup process, you will be promptly taken to the Google Cloud Console, a web-based interface designed for the efficient management of your GCP resources.
• Optionally, you can set up project details such as the project name, project ID, and organization details within the Google Cloud Console. Projects help organize and manage your resources within GCP.
   

Congratulations! You have now created a GCP account and can start exploring the various services and capabilities offered by the GCP.

Note: Ensure that you review the Google Cloud Certification price details and understand the billing structure associated with the services you use to avoid any unexpected charges. Also, be aware of the free trial period and any limitations or restrictions that may apply during that period.

The Google Cloud Console is a web-based user interface provided by GCP that allows you to manage and control your GCP resources. It provides a centralized dashboard for accessing and configuring various services and tools GCP offers. The overview of the GCP console and its key features is listed below:

• Navigation Menu: The left-hand side of the console contains a collapsible navigation menu, which provides access to different GCP services and resources. You can expand each section to view the available services and click on them to access their respective management interfaces.
   
• Dashboard: The console’s main landing page is the dashboard, which gives you an overview of your project’s status, usage, and key metrics. It provides quick links to common tasks and frequently used services. 

• Project Selection: If you have multiple projects, you can switch between them using the project selector at the top of the console. The project selector allows you to view and manage resources specific to each project.

• Service Pages: Clicking on a specific service in the navigation menu opens its dedicated service page. Each service page provides a comprehensive view of that particular service, including relevant settings, configurations, and options. You can access service-specific management tools, logs, metrics, and documentation from these pages.
   
• Search Bar: The console features a search bar at the top, allowing you to search for services, resources, documentation, and other relevant information. It helps you quickly find specific features or documentation within the console.
   
• APIs & Services: The console provides access to the APIs & Services section, where you can enable and manage APIs for your projects. This section allows you to configure API access, create API keys, and manage OAuth client IDs.
   
• IAM & Admin: The IAM section within the console enables you to manage access control and permissions for users, groups, and service accounts. You can create and assign roles, control resource-level permissions, and manage service account keys.
   
• Billing: The billing section allows you to manage your billing settings, view usage and costs, set up budgets and alerts, and manage payment methods and billing accounts. You can monitor and control your spending within the console.
   
• Monitoring & Logging: GCP’s Stackdriver suite integrates with the console, providing tools for monitoring and logging. You can access metrics, logs, alerts, and trace information related to your applications and infrastructure.
   
• Marketplace: The GCP Marketplace within the console allows you to discover and deploy pre-packaged solutions, including VM images, containers, and services from various technology partners.

The GCP console provides a user-friendly interface for managing and monitoring your GCP resources, enabling you to efficiently configure, monitor, and control your applications and services hosted on the GCP.

In GCP, projects and resources are fundamental concepts that help organize and manage your cloud resources. The overview of GCP projects and resources is listed below:

• Projects: A project is a container for your GCP resources, including VMs, storage buckets, databases, and more. It acts as an organizing entity that allows you to manage and control access to your resources. 
   
• Project ID: A project ID is a unique identifier for your GCP project. It is used to access and interact with resources within the project. The project ID is also part of the URL for accessing the project-specific services and APIs.
   
• Resource Hierarchy: GCP follows a hierarchical structure for organizing resources within a project. The hierarchy starts with the project as the top-level container. Within a project, you can create and organize resources into folders containing additional or specific resource types. Resources can be organized into folders based on factors such as departments, teams, environments, or applications.
   
• Resource Types: GCP offers various resource types, including compute instances (VMs), storage buckets, databases, networking components, machine learning models, and more. Each resource type has specific characteristics, configurations, and management options.
   
• Resource Management: The GCP console provides a unified interface for managing resources within a project. You can create, configure, and delete resources using the console, command-line tools, or API calls. Resource management also includes configuring access control, setting permissions, and managing resource-level policies.
   
• IAM Roles and Permissions: GCP uses IAM to control accesses within a project. IAM allows you to assign roles and permissions to users, groups, or service accounts, granting or restricting their ability to interact with specific resources or perform certain actions.
   
• Billing and Quotas: Each GCP project is associated with billing and usage tracking. Billing information, such as payment methods, budgets, and usage reports, is managed at the project level. GCP also imposes quotas and limits on resource usage within a project to ensure fair usage and prevent abuse.
   
• Multi-Project Environment: GCP supports managing multiple projects within an organization. This allows you to isolate resources, permissions, and billing for different teams, departments, or applications. Additionally, GCP provides tools and services for managing resources across multiple projects, such as cross-project IAM roles and service accounts.

Understanding projects and resources in GCP helps you effectively organize, manage, and control your cloud infrastructure. It enables you to allocate resources, set up appropriate permissions, and maintain a structured environment for your applications and services.

The following is the list of core services that GCP provides:

• Compute Engine: Compute Engine is a core service in GCP that provides VMs in the cloud. It allows you to create and manage VM instances, choosing from various machine types, operating systems, and storage options. Compute Engine offers high performance, scalability, and flexibility, allowing you to run a wide range of workloads in the cloud.
   
• App Engine: App Engine is a fully managed Platform-As-a-Service (PaaS) offering in GCP. It enables you to build and deploy web applications and APIs quickly and easily. App Engine handles infrastructure management tasks, such as scaling, load balancing, and automatic patching, allowing you to focus on application development. It supports multiple programming languages and provides a serverless environment for efficient app deployment.
   
• Cloud Storage: Cloud Storage is a scalable and durable object storage service provided by GCP. It allows you to store and retrieve data objects of any size, ranging from a few bytes to multiple terabytes. Cloud Storage provides high availability, global accessibility, and strong data consistency. It offers different storage classes to optimize cost and performance based on your specific requirements.
   
• BigQuery: BigQuery is an analytics platform and data warehouse in GCP. It allows you to store, analyze, and query large datasets quickly and efficiently. BigQuery supports SQL-like queries and offers massively parallel processing to deliver fast results. It is a serverless solution that automatically handles infrastructure provisioning, data replication, and performance optimization.
   
• Cloud Pub/Sub: Cloud Pub/Sub is a real-time messaging service that enables reliable and asynchronous communication between applications and services. It provides a scalable and globally distributed messaging infrastructure for building event-driven systems and real-time analytics. Cloud Pub/Sub supports high-throughput, push-based messaging and offers reliable message delivery and ordering guarantees.
   
• Cloud Functions: Cloud Functions is a serverless computing service offered by GCP assisting in deploying code as small, single-purpose functions that automatically scale based on demand. Cloud Functions enable you to build event-driven applications and execute code in response to events from various GCP services, such as Cloud Storage, Pub/Sub, and HTTP triggers. It eliminates the need for managing infrastructure, making it easy to develop and deploy serverless applications.

• Cloud AI: Cloud AI provides various services and tools for machine learning and AI. This includes Google Cloud AutoML, which allows users without extensive machine learning expertise to build custom machine learning models. It also includes Google Cloud Machine Learning Engine, which offers a managed environment for training and deploying machine learning models using popular frameworks like TensorFlow.
   
• Cloud SQL: Cloud SQL is a fully managed relational database service in GCP. It supports popular database engines such as MySQL and PostgreSQL. Cloud SQL handles tasks like database management, replication, backups, and scaling, making it easier for developers to focus on their applications rather than database administration.
   
• Cloud Spanner: Cloud Spanner is a globally distributed and horizontally scalable relational database service. It combines the benefits of traditional relational databases with the scalability and availability of NoSQL databases. Cloud Spanner provides strong consistency, high performance, and automatic scaling across multiple regions, making it suitable for global applications that require transactional consistency.
   
• Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM): IAM is a service that provides user and resource management for GCP. It allows you to control access to your GCP resources by managing roles and permissions. IAM enables you to grant appropriate access levels to users, groups, and service accounts, ensuring secure and fine-grained access control within your projects.
   
• Stackdriver: Stackdriver is a suite of monitoring, logging, and diagnostics tools for GCP. It helps you gain insights into the health of your applications and infrastructure. Stackdriver Monitoring allows you to collect and analyze metrics, set up alerts, and visualize performance data. Stackdriver Logging provides centralized logging and analysis of your application logs. Stackdriver Trace and Debugger offer tools for debugging and analyzing the behavior of your applications.

These additional services and tools provided by GCP enhance the platform's capabilities and enable users to leverage machine learning, manage relational databases, control access to resources, and monitor and diagnose the performance of their applications and infrastructure.

Advancing your skills and becoming a GCP expert involves gaining knowledge, practical experience, and certifications. A detailed explanation of the key steps you can take is provided below.

GCP Certifications and their Benefits

GCP offers a comprehensive certification program that validates your knowledge and expertise in using GCP services and tools. The certifications are role-based and cover different areas, including cloud architecture, data engineering, machine learning, and more. Some popular GCP certifications include the following:

• Google Certified Professional Data Engineer
• Google Certified Machine Learning Engineer
• Google Certified Professional Cloud Developer
• Google Certified Professional Cloud Security Engineer
• Google Certified Associate Cloud Engineer
• Google Certified Professional Cloud Architect

GCP certifications demonstrate your proficiency in designing, developing, and managing applications and infrastructure on GCP. They provide several benefits, such as:

• Validating your skills and expertise in the industry
• Enhancing your professional credibility and marketability
• Increasing your chances of career advancement and job opportunities
• Gaining access to a network of certified professionals and exclusive resources

Other useful certifications include the following:

• GCP Training course certification
• GCP Fundamentals minus core infrastructure
• GCP for AWS Professionals

Real-World Use Cases and Success Stories with GCP

Exploring real-world use cases and success stories can provide insights into how organizations have implemented GCP to solve business challenges. GCP has been used across industries for various purposes such as:

•    Building scalable and resilient web applications and APIs
•    Analyzing and processing large-scale data for business intelligence and machine learning
•    Developing and deploying serverless applications and microservices architectures
•    Implementing data warehousing and analytics solutions
•    Enabling collaboration and productivity through G Suite integration

Google Cloud provides case studies, customer testimonials, and industry-specific solutions on its website. These resources can inspire and guide you in understanding how GCP can be applied to real-world scenarios.

By combining certifications, utilizing learning resources, and studying real-world use cases, you can advance your skills and become a GCP expert. Hands-on experience, continuous learning, and staying updated with the latest GCP offerings and best practices are key to mastering the platform and becoming proficient in architecting, developing, and managing cloud solutions on GCP.

Expected Salaries for GCP Expert Across the Globe

Google Cloud certification salary can vary depending on several factors, such as experience, skills, location, and job market conditions. Here is a breakdown of the average salaries for GCP experts in India, the UK, and the USA:

• In India, the average salary of a GCP expert can range from INR 800,000 to INR 2,000,000 per year. Entry-level professionals with GCP skills can expect to earn around INR 800,000 to INR 1,200,000, whereas those with several years of experience and advanced skills can earn up to INR 2,000,000 or more.
   
• The average salary in the UK for a GCP expert is higher than that in India. The annual salaries for GCP professionals typically range from £40,000 to £100,000. Junior-level positions may start around £40,000 to £60,000, whereas mid-level professionals can earn between £60,000 and £80,000. Senior-level or highly experienced GCP experts with specialized skills can earn salaries above £100,000.

• GCP experts in the USA generally have higher earning potential compared with India and the UK. On average, GCP experts in the USA can earn between $90,000 and $180,000 per year. Junior-level positions may start around $90,000 to $120,000, whereas mid-level professionals earn between $120,000 and $150,000. Senior-level GCP experts with extensive experience and in-demand skills can earn salaries exceeding $150,000, with some earning well over $200,000.

It is important to note that these salary ranges are approximate and can vary based on individual circumstances and market dynamics. Additionally, certifications, additional cloud platform expertise, and experience with related technologies can also impact salary levels.

To summarize what is Google Cloud Platform, it is necessary to discuss the value added by GCP. It offers a comprehensive set of core services, additional tools, and resources that empower users to build, deploy, and manage applications and infrastructure in the cloud. GCP’s compute services provide flexibility and scalability, while storage and database offerings cater to various data management needs. GCP’s networking capabilities ensure secure and efficient communication, and its big data and machine learning services enable advanced analytics and AI-driven solutions.

With GCP certifications, individuals can validate their expertise and enhance their professional credibility. GCP’s learning resources, training programs, and real-world use cases further support skill development and demonstrate the platform’s versatility. By advancing their skills and knowledge of GCP, individuals can become GCP experts and contribute to successful cloud deployments and digital transformations.