Cloud WAN Overview

Summary

Peter Blum and Manisha Gupta from Google Cloud introduce Cloud WAN, a fully managed global WAN solution leveraging Google's global network. Cloud WAN simplifies connectivity for enterprises by consolidating multiple WAN and MPLS networks into a single, secure, and high-performance solution. It provides 40% improvement in application performance, reduces TCO by 40%, and offers seamless integrations with SD-WAN, SSE, and SASE services. The solution supports branch and campus connectivity, cloud on-ramping, and inter-cloud connectivity, all backed by Google’s global infrastructure, ensuring optimal reliability, security, and low-latency experiences for customers worldwide.

Takeaways

• 😀 Google's Cross-Cloud Networking Solution has seen rapid adoption, with over 50% of Fortune 500 companies using it.
• 😀 The Cross-Cloud Network handles over 23 exabytes of data monthly, demonstrating its massive scale.
• 😀 Cloud WAN is a fully managed global WAN solution that simplifies and secures connectivity for enterprises across multiple environments.
• 😀 Cloud WAN leverages Google's global private network, providing high performance and reliability for enterprise applications.
• 😀 With Cloud WAN, enterprises can consolidate multiple WAN solutions, reducing complexity, operational costs, and licensing overhead.
• 😀 Cloud WAN offers flexible connectivity options, including Cloud Interconnect and Cross-Cloud Interconnect, for connecting on-prem data centers to cloud regions.
• 😀 Cloud WAN's Premium Tier network improves application performance by up to 40%, compared to using the public internet.
• 😀 Cloud WAN enables enterprises to extend Google’s backbone network to securely connect branches, campuses, and data centers to various cloud services and the internet.
• 😀 Google’s global network infrastructure, which spans over 2 million miles of fiber and 33 subsea cables, powers Cloud WAN for worldwide connectivity.
• 😀 Cloud WAN integrates with leading SD-WAN vendors and security providers, offering a cloud-native experience and enhancing security and network performance.
• 😀 Cloud WAN helps reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) by up to 40% by consolidating infrastructure and offering flexible pricing options.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of Google Cloud's Cross-Cloud Network?

The main purpose of Google Cloud's Cross-Cloud Network is to help customers connect and protect distributed applications across multiple clouds, on-premise data centers, colocation facilities, and SaaS, allowing businesses to build and deliver applications globally.

How much data does Google’s Cross-Cloud Network handle per month?

Google's Cross-Cloud Network handles over 23 exabytes of data per month, showcasing its massive scale and capacity.

What problem does Cloud WAN address for enterprises?

Cloud WAN addresses the complexity and operational inefficiencies faced by enterprises that manage multiple bespoke WAN networks. It consolidates various networking solutions (e.g., MPLS, SD-WAN, SSE, SASE) into a single, simpler, and more secure global WAN.

How does Cloud WAN help enterprises reduce costs?

Cloud WAN helps enterprises reduce their total cost of ownership (TCO) by up to 40% by consolidating multiple WAN and MPLS solutions into a single network, minimizing operational costs, and offering flexible pricing options.

What makes Google’s global network unique in terms of infrastructure?

Google’s global network is one of the largest in the world, with over 2 million miles of fiber, 33 subsea cables, 202 network edge locations, and access in over 200 countries and territories, ensuring high performance and reliability.

What are the two primary use cases of Cloud WAN?

The two primary use cases of Cloud WAN are providing high-performance connectivity and premium-tier networking for connecting branch and campus environments, and offering flexible, reliable solutions for large global customers to link geographically dispersed data centers.

What is the advantage of using Premium Tier networking with Cloud WAN?

The Premium Tier networking in Cloud WAN provides up to 40% improved performance compared to public internet backbones and offers unparalleled any-to-any connectivity, enabling faster and more reliable connections to cloud, SaaS, and internet applications.

How does Cloud WAN improve application performance?

Cloud WAN improves application performance by reducing latency and the number of hops needed for traffic to traverse networks. Google’s backbone minimizes these hops, providing up to a 40% improvement in application experience.

What is Cross-Site Interconnect and how does it enhance connectivity?

Cross-Site Interconnect is a new cloud-first layer-2 connectivity service that offers 10- and 100-gig protected capacity over Google’s backbone. It simplifies operations by providing a fully managed, SLA-backed service with predictable pricing, offering low-latency, high-performance connections between data centers.

How does Cloud WAN integrate with SD-WAN and security solutions?

Cloud WAN integrates with SD-WAN solutions by providing a centralized hub (Network Connectivity Center) for managing branch and campus connections. It also partners with leading security providers to offer services like SASE and NG firewalls, ensuring a unified security posture across the network.