Google boosts GCP with network intelligence

Google releases its “vision” of intelligent and predictive cloud network ops

Google has released a network monitoring tool to help cloud migrating enterprises monitor and optimise network performance of VMs and applications deployed on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Network Intelligence Center comprises four modules: Network Topology and Connectivity Tests (currently in beta), Performance Dashboard and Firewall Metrics and Insights (currently in alpha). Google said the four modules combined enable faster cloud migrations by revealing topology changes during migration as well as traffic flows and performance metrics before and during migration.

“Adoption of hybrid and multi-cloud is absolutely critical for organizations to remain agile,” wrote Shailesh Shukla, Google’s VP of Product Management – Networking, in a blogpost announcing the launch. “However, this underscores the need for intelligent and continuous network operations—the promise that the network is doing what it needs to do, in line with business intent.

“To realize this vision, you need proactive network operations that can predict and heal network failures, driven by AI/ML recommendations and remediation,” Shukla added.

Network Topology provides network visibility across global GCP deployments, performance metrics and policy compliance verification. It allows companies to see if users are connected to their nearest geographical region and also serves up six weeks of historical topology changes.

The Connectivity Test module identifies misconfigured networks, which Google claims cause 75 percent of network outages and performance issues. The module self-diagnoses connectivity issues within GCP, on-prem or on another cloud, so non-GCP related network issues can be identified.

Performance Dashboard zooms into packet loss and latency at the project level, providing visibility into an individual user’s network experience. If an application is not performing as it should, network teams can identify whether the network or application is the route cause.

Lastly, Firewall Metrics & Insights shows firewall rules usage, including insights into “shadowed rules” — where previous rules in the chain prevent successive rules from being applied.