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
