Google Cloud has teamed up with more than 30 application providers in a program to enable the rapid delivery and deployment of new vertical services at the edge, according to a blog post from the company.
The program builds on Google Cloud’s Global Mobile Edge Cloud strategy, announced in early 2020, and will deliver services and applications, leveraging Google Cloud core components, including Anthos, AI, and ML, as well as Google’s global edge network and those of Google Cloud’s telecom partners, according to Google.
Google Cloud Teams Up with App Delivery Partners to Bring Applications to the Edge
Google’s Anthos provides a platform for both legacy and cloud-native application deployments, according to Google. Anthos allows customers to manage policies for applications across environments, and enable greater visibility and control with a unified view of services’ health and performance, according to the blog post.
Google Cloud says the program will deliver more than 200 partner applications from 30 launch partners at the edge, including Siemens Advanta, Broadpeak, Zebra Technologies, Palo Alto Networks, Equinix and more.
Partners span multiple industries, including industrial and manufacturing, retail, media and entertainment, as well as partners who deliver horizontal services in areas such as security, device validation and verification and virtual network services, according to the statement.
“Organizations with edge presences—like retailers operating brick-and-mortar stores, transportation companies managing fleets of vehicles, or manufacturers relying on IoT-enabled equipment on shop floors—have an opportunity to modernize processes and deliver new experiences with cloud capabilities at the edge,” said Amol Phadke, managing director, telecom industry solutions at Google Cloud in the blog post about the announcement. “By partnering with these independent software vendors (ISVs), we’re enabling the rapid delivery and deployment of new vertical services and applications, leveraging Google Cloud core components, including Anthos, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML), as well as Google’s global edge network and our telecom partners’ networks,” Phadke said.
Enabling 5G Applications at the Edge
By leveraging new 5G capabilities and existing networks from Google and its CSP partners, businesses can optimize latency, lower processing costs by processing data and compute cycles at the edge, reduce costs and processes associated with data storage, and eliminate the need to transport data from the edge to a central location for real-time computation, Google said.
“Retailers can, for example, build enriched in-store visual experiences streaming directly from the network. Or manufacturers can run advanced AI-based visual inspections directly from 5G-enabled devices—all without the need for local processing power—helping reduce cost, and the need for on-site space,” said Phadke.
Additionally, customers are able to leverage high-speed 5G connectivity, enabling a variety of deployments: within a private enterprise network, within the Google Network or within the communications service provider network, so customers have a high degree of control over their data, Phadke said.
“Partners with applications spanning multiple industries are joining our ecosystem today, making their products deployable at the edge with Google Cloud. We’re excited to work with this group of partners, and to grow our ecosystem with additional partnerships, more solutions, and new verticals,” Phadke said.
