Developers
June 8, 2020

What Does a Google Cloud Platform Developer Do?

A career as a Google Cloud developer offers a challenging and rewarding path.

Few things have had such an impact on modern business and computing as cloud computing. For decades, individuals and companies alike relied on workstations and personal computers to be productive. Expensive software and tedious hardware upgrades were necessary evils that had to be endured as part of the status quo.

With cloud computing, on the other hand, everything from operating systems (OS) to software can be rented with pay-as-you-go plans. The benefits of this model are enormous for businesses of all types and sizes.

For small businesses and startups, cloud computing eliminates much of the cost associated with starting up a business. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) combine to greatly reduce what a company must invest in. Add in the trend of bring your own device (BYOD) computing, and the cost can be even less.

For large companies, the potential cost savings is equally important. With such companies having thousands—if not tens of thousands—of workstations, paying only for the computing resources they actually need can save millions of dollars. In addition, upgrades and bug fixes are applied automatically, saving valuable time, effort and money, not to mention the potential downtime when physically upgrading traditional systems.

Google Cloud and the Cloud Computing Market

In the US, Google Cloud currently sits in third place behind market leader Amazon Web Services (AWS) and runner-up Microsoft Azure. Their CEO has set a goal for the company to move into the number two spot within five years, and Google Cloud has been making significant inroads in an attempt to meet that goal.

For example, Google Cloud formed a partnership with AT&T to bring 5G edge computing to businesses. The company also unveiled Premium Support for enterprise and mission-critical services. To make it easier for new customers to transition over to Google Cloud, the company purchased Cornerstone Technology, a firm specializing in cloud migration tools.

The moves have paid off, as Google Cloud has scored some significant wins over its rivals. One of the biggest is replacing AWS as Major League Baseball’s cloud platform of choice.

As a result, Google Cloud developers are in increasing demand as the company continues to gain market share and position itself as a viable competitor to its main rivals.

What Google Cloud Developers Do

While the three main US cloud providers share much in common, they each have different strengths and weaknesses. Google, in particular, is viewed as being one of the best cloud providers for open-source software. In addition, it has very competitive pricing, and has a strong emphasis on big data and machine learning. The company is also widely viewed by developers as the most innovative of the three cloud providers.

As a result, it’s common for Google Cloud to be the platform of choice for startups and small businesses. Many Google Cloud developers find themselves working in fast-paced startups and disruptive companies. Two examples are big data and machine learning. With Google Cloud’s focus on those fields, many developers find themselves on the forefront of those industries.

Google has also been working hard to move into the retail industry. This is an area where AWS is vulnerable, as many retailers are reluctant to rely on their prime competitor for their cloud infrastructure. As a result, an increasing number of Google Cloud developers will find their services needed in the retail industry.

Regardless of what specific industry a developer may work in, however, their day-to-day job will consist of building scalable, cloud-native applications, as well as managing databases, migrating legacy applications to the cloud, analyzing datasets, developing end-to-end security measures and much more.

To succeed in the job, a developer should be proficient in at least one language, with Java, Node.js and Python being popular choices.

A Google Cloud developer should also have a clear understanding of the organizational goals, so as to be able to recommend and develop the best solutions. Having a deep understanding of the features and ecosystem Google provides will help a developer do that. That applies not only to Google Cloud, but to all of the products Google offers, as their cloud platform integrates deeply with their other services.

Google Cloud Developer: An Exciting Career With Growth Opportunities

Without a doubt, a career as a Google Cloud developer or engineer is a solid choice that will offer a lifetime of opportunities and growth. Google is clearly working hard to gain more of the cloud market. This will result in its platform, and the developers proficient with it, being in high demand.

Like all of the major cloud providers, Google offers a certification program that any serious developer should take. Being certified will add weight to a developer’s skill set and resume, and make it easier to land a job.

Developers who are interested in specializing in Google Cloud development should check out the company’s website for more information.

TagsGoogle Cloud PlatformJavaNode.jsPython
Matt Milano
Technical Writer
Matt is a tech journalist and writer with a background in web and software development.

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DevelopersJune 8, 2020
What Does a Google Cloud Platform Developer Do?
A career as a Google Cloud developer offers a challenging and rewarding path.

Few things have had such an impact on modern business and computing as cloud computing. For decades, individuals and companies alike relied on workstations and personal computers to be productive. Expensive software and tedious hardware upgrades were necessary evils that had to be endured as part of the status quo.

With cloud computing, on the other hand, everything from operating systems (OS) to software can be rented with pay-as-you-go plans. The benefits of this model are enormous for businesses of all types and sizes.

For small businesses and startups, cloud computing eliminates much of the cost associated with starting up a business. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) combine to greatly reduce what a company must invest in. Add in the trend of bring your own device (BYOD) computing, and the cost can be even less.

For large companies, the potential cost savings is equally important. With such companies having thousands—if not tens of thousands—of workstations, paying only for the computing resources they actually need can save millions of dollars. In addition, upgrades and bug fixes are applied automatically, saving valuable time, effort and money, not to mention the potential downtime when physically upgrading traditional systems.

Google Cloud and the Cloud Computing Market

In the US, Google Cloud currently sits in third place behind market leader Amazon Web Services (AWS) and runner-up Microsoft Azure. Their CEO has set a goal for the company to move into the number two spot within five years, and Google Cloud has been making significant inroads in an attempt to meet that goal.

For example, Google Cloud formed a partnership with AT&T to bring 5G edge computing to businesses. The company also unveiled Premium Support for enterprise and mission-critical services. To make it easier for new customers to transition over to Google Cloud, the company purchased Cornerstone Technology, a firm specializing in cloud migration tools.

The moves have paid off, as Google Cloud has scored some significant wins over its rivals. One of the biggest is replacing AWS as Major League Baseball’s cloud platform of choice.

As a result, Google Cloud developers are in increasing demand as the company continues to gain market share and position itself as a viable competitor to its main rivals.

What Google Cloud Developers Do

While the three main US cloud providers share much in common, they each have different strengths and weaknesses. Google, in particular, is viewed as being one of the best cloud providers for open-source software. In addition, it has very competitive pricing, and has a strong emphasis on big data and machine learning. The company is also widely viewed by developers as the most innovative of the three cloud providers.

As a result, it’s common for Google Cloud to be the platform of choice for startups and small businesses. Many Google Cloud developers find themselves working in fast-paced startups and disruptive companies. Two examples are big data and machine learning. With Google Cloud’s focus on those fields, many developers find themselves on the forefront of those industries.

Google has also been working hard to move into the retail industry. This is an area where AWS is vulnerable, as many retailers are reluctant to rely on their prime competitor for their cloud infrastructure. As a result, an increasing number of Google Cloud developers will find their services needed in the retail industry.

Regardless of what specific industry a developer may work in, however, their day-to-day job will consist of building scalable, cloud-native applications, as well as managing databases, migrating legacy applications to the cloud, analyzing datasets, developing end-to-end security measures and much more.

To succeed in the job, a developer should be proficient in at least one language, with Java, Node.js and Python being popular choices.

A Google Cloud developer should also have a clear understanding of the organizational goals, so as to be able to recommend and develop the best solutions. Having a deep understanding of the features and ecosystem Google provides will help a developer do that. That applies not only to Google Cloud, but to all of the products Google offers, as their cloud platform integrates deeply with their other services.

Google Cloud Developer: An Exciting Career With Growth Opportunities

Without a doubt, a career as a Google Cloud developer or engineer is a solid choice that will offer a lifetime of opportunities and growth. Google is clearly working hard to gain more of the cloud market. This will result in its platform, and the developers proficient with it, being in high demand.

Like all of the major cloud providers, Google offers a certification program that any serious developer should take. Being certified will add weight to a developer’s skill set and resume, and make it easier to land a job.

Developers who are interested in specializing in Google Cloud development should check out the company’s website for more information.

Google Cloud Platform
Java
Node.js
Python
About the author
Matt Milano -Technical Writer
Matt is a tech journalist and writer with a background in web and software development.