Unlock the Power of Google Cloud: Why It’s Time to Get Off Traditional Databases

Is it time to finally move off your traditional database and into the cloud? Many traditional environments are sprawling and complex, resulting in performance, security, and management issues. They also weren’t built to leverage modern business applications, like artificial intelligence and advanced analytics.

For many organizations, data has accumulated over time across their IT infrastructure, often across siloed departments. In this type of environment, it’s easy to lose track of what data exists and where it’s located—let alone glean any useful insights out of it. 

Migrating to the cloud can provide a more flexible, agile, scalable environment that not only future-proofs your business, but also helps your teams innovate with the latest cutting-edge technologies. And that’s where Google Cloud shines.

Drawbacks of Sticking with Traditional Databases

Some organizations stick with their traditional infrastructure because of the potential cost and complexity of a cloud migration. They may believe that it’s more secure to keep data on-premise than in the cloud, or that an on-premise system provides more control over one’s data and applications. However, traditional databases are often less secure—and offer less flexibility and control—than cloud-based alternatives.

For example, they may not be compatible with the latest security features, such as advanced encryption, multi-factor authentication, role-based access, and zero trust policies. They also risk falling out of compliance and losing vendor support. As these systems age, they can also become much more expensive to maintain, especially as software patches and bolt-on solutions create technical debt. In many cases, it means organizations can’t fully leverage modern business applications, like AI and advanced analytics.

Benefits of Migrating to Google Cloud

Google Cloud offers the flexibility, scalability, and security required for modern business applications. With a global network of data centers, users can access applications from anywhere with multi-region redundancy. Here are some of the many benefits of migrating from traditional databases into Google Cloud:

Unlock advanced analytics and AI capabilities. BigQuery is a serverless enterprise data warehouse that’s capable of analyzing petabytes of data, and with AI integration, you can unleash predictive analytics in your BigQuery data. Gemini, Google’s AI assistant in Google Cloud, can provide AI-powered assistance with BigQuery tasks, which means AI can be leveraged for automation, predictive analytics, and other value-added outputs—even without extensive programming knowledge of ML frameworks.

BigQuery Machine Learning (BQML) can help you build and deploy machine learning models using SQL queries; you can also access Vertex AI models and Cloud AI APIs. Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s ML platform, offers multiple ways to train models, including AutoML and custom training. In addition, Document AI allows you to build, tune, and train new large language model (LLM) applications.

Enhance security and compliance. Google Cloud’s built-in security features, such as encryption, Identity and Access Management (IAM), and Cloud Armor provide robust data protection in the cloud. For example, data is stored using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm, AES-256. And IAM enables granular access controls and defined permissions for the secure management of cloud resources.

Google Cloud Armor helps protect applications and websites against denial of service (DDoS) and web attacks—at Google scale. For example, ML-based adaptive protection helps to detect and block Layer 7 DDoS attacks, and bot management helps to stop fraud at the network’s edge. However, security controls such as IAM can be complex to configure and may require the assistance of a Google Cloud partner. 

Realize cost savings and operational efficiencies. Migrating to Google Cloud can help reduce operational costs with more efficient resource management and pay-as-you-go pricing. For example, Google Cloud’s Recommenders can help you track down idle virtual machines (VMs), remove unused resources, and right-size resources to avoid paying for excess capacity. You can also automate cost management through tools or services that analyze your data and recommend actions to improve resource allocation.

There are also several ways to realize cost savings. Through Google’s committed use discounts (CUDs), you’ll receive a discounted rate if you commit to using a specific amount of resources for a specific period of time—with savings of up to 57 percent. You can also take advantage of preemptible VMs for non-mission-critical applications; this option allows you to leverage unused resources at a discounted price, so long as you don’t mind the possibility of service interruptions.

Taking the Next Step

From unlocking the latest AI and analytics capabilities, to enhancing security, to realizing cost savings, a move to Google Cloud is more than a migration—it’s an opportunity for modernization. A Google Cloud partner like Pythian can help you determine the right migration strategy for your workloads and databases to maximize these benefits and ensure continuing success in the cloud.

Want to plan a successful migration journey and unlock the full potential of Google Cloud? Talk to a Google Cloud expert at Pythian today!