---
title: Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
type: entity
tags: [Cloud, Provider, Public-Cloud]
sources: [cloud-operating-model-key-strategies-and-best-practices]
---

# Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

**Google Cloud Platform (GCP)** is Google's cloud computing platform, providing infrastructure and application services with strengths in AI/ML, data analytics, and container technologies.

## Overview

GCP is one of the three major public cloud providers, particularly known for Kubernetes (originated at Google), data analytics, and machine learning capabilities.

## Key Services Referenced

| Category | Services |
|----------|----------|
| Compute | Compute Engine, Cloud Functions, GKE |
| Storage | Cloud Storage, Filestore |
| Database | Cloud SQL, BigQuery, Firestore, Spanner |
| AI/ML | Vertex AI, TensorFlow, Gemini |
| Analytics | BigQuery, Dataflow, Looker |
| Networking | VPC, Cloud CDN, Cloud Load Balancing |

## Multi-Cloud Context

GCP is commonly used alongside AWS and Azure in multi-cloud strategies:
- **Machine Learning** — Often preferred for ML/AI workloads (Vertex AI, TensorFlow)
- **Data Analytics** — BigQuery for data warehousing and analytics
- **Container-native** — GKE (Google Kubernetes Engine) for container orchestration

## Related Concepts

- [[Multi-Cloud-Strategy]] — GCP as one of multiple providers
- [[Cloud-Native]] — Building on GCP-native services
- [[Kubernetes]] — GKE as managed Kubernetes
- [[FinOps]] — Managing GCP costs

## Sources

- [[sources/how-can-a-multi-cloud-strategy-transform-your-business-roi.md]]