Google launches second-tier cloud networking offering

Move sees Google offer a cheaper, lower-performance version of its GCP cloud network

Google will release a cheaper version of its cloud networking offering, which it claims is still as good as those offered by its public cloud competitors.

In a blog post Google claimed to be the first major cloud provider to offer a tiered network service, breaking its Google Cloud Platform (GCP) into a Premium Tier and a Standard Tier.

GCP users are using the Premium tier today, but the Standard Tier - which is currently in alpha testing - is available at a lower cost.

Urs Hölzle, SVP of technical infrastructure at Google, said: "Over the last 18 years we [have] built the world's largest network, which by some accounts delivers 25 to 30 per cent of all internet traffic.

"You enjoy the same infrastructure with Premium Tier. But for some use cases, you may prefer a cheaper, lower-performance alternative.

"With Network Service Tiers, you can choose the network that's right for you, for each application."

Google said the Standard Tier is available at a lower rate because it uses ISP networks to deliver traffic to a user's cloud applications, rather than its own private network - which is used for the likes of Google Search and YouTube.

Chris Bunch, head of Europe at public cloud specialist Cloudreach, said that Google probably isn't expecting many customers to opt for the lower standard, but that the move will be used to market the high performance of its network.

"I think it's more about Google shouting about a core strength than actually expecting many people to take up the offer of 25 per cent cheaper networking for a lower degree of service," he said.

"It's great marketing for Google, which has arguably the best software-defined network in the world.

"They trade on the fact that others don't have the same quality. Microsoft and Amazon Web Services are investing heavily in their own world-class cabling, but they need to catch up a bit in investment terms here, whereas Google lags in the size and number of datacentres."