Skip to content Skip to site navigation

Google Cloud Platform Cloud Storage

GCP Cloud Storage is object storage. It's highly durable and scalable, with different options for redundancy and different tiers for performance and retrievability.

Guidance

Use this option when you…

  • Have an existing solution in Google Cloud Platform, or are planning to use GCP technologies primarily
  • Designed a solution that uses object storage (common)
  • Want GCP to keep track of how frequently you access some objects so they can be moved between hot and lower-cost cool tiers automatically (“Object Lifecycle Management”)
  • Need long-term, unchanging archival storage with no interaction expected

Example Use Cases

  • Need to serve web application assets and content
  • Have a service pipeline that uses object storage
  • Want to integrate SQL tools like Google BigQuery
  • Want integration with Stanford's Google Groups

Cost Considerations

  • Pay for what you use with no minimums
  • Cost may vary substantially month-to-month
    Know the specific cost considerations with “Object Lifecycle Management” to avoid costly mistakes
  • Be aware of the significant cost penalties with Archive Storage (early deletion, transactions, access and restore costs, etc)
  • Your cost will vary each month, based on usage
  • Stanford has negotiated an enterprise agreement with Google that substantially reduces the cost
  • Like other vendors, education institutions like Stanford receive a waiver on practically all global data egress charges

Support

  • This service is accessible as part of your Google Cloud Platform account
  • Your GCP account will be provisioned by University IT Hosting Services
  • If your service is self-managed, you will be responsible for all aspects of security compliance associated with your GCP account
  • UIT professional services teams may include this service as part of fully-managed, fully-supported solution