Google Cloud claims revolution with Network Connectivity Centre

Google Cloud has introduced the Network Connectivity Centre (NCC), which it claims is a revolution in simplifying on-premise and cloud networking.

The NCC is said to be able to offer the ability to provision and easily manage virtual private networks (VPNs), interconnects and Cisco SD-WAN as a single network that allows users to access workloads from anywhere, through a single pane of glass connecting VPNs, partner and dedicated interconnects, and on-premise networks, while pairing with Google Cloud’s Network Intelligence Centre for end-to-end visibility to monitor, visualise and troubleshoot a network.

Google Cloud said that as firms increasingly shift to a cloud-first strategy, they have to manage the complexity of connecting resources across on-premise locations and the cloud to ensure access to all workloads from anywhere. This, it said, often meant network teams have to configure and manage multiple networks while delivering consistent access, policies and services across global cloud regions.

To offer networking services everywhere, said Google, organisation need a simple programmatic model that seamlessly spans the cloud, on-premise datacentres and branch locations.   

To address these issues, the NCC is intended to deliver planet-scale network management to simplify complex networks for businesses’ on-premise and cloud connectivity needs. The single management experience is said to include the ability to create, connect and manage heterogeneous on-premise and cloud networks based on Google’s global infrastructure, with the NCC serving as a vantage point to connect VPNs, partner and dedicated interconnects, as well as third-party routers and software-defined WANs, helping firms to optimise connectivity, reduce operational burden and lower costs.

The NCC unlocks VPN-based cloud connectivity directly and via a set of partners, allowing enterprises the choice to create, connect and consume resources spanning multiple clouds. These resources are connected using Google’s infrastructure and can be operated directly via the NCC or select partner systems.

The NCC can also be used as the default landing point when integrating SD-WAN and other routing systems with Google’s infrastructure. When doing so, enterprises are said to be able to obtain a simple and reliable way to consume connectivity on-demand while extending the benefits of their SD-WAN and routing technology to Google Cloud.

The launch of the NCC is also a product of Google Cloud’s expanded partnership with Cisco. The NCC and Cisco SD-WAN Cloud Hub connect branch sites and on-premise datacentres to the cloud using Google’s global infrastructure and Cisco SD-WAN’s vManage.

With tighter integrations between their technologies, the two firms say the availability of the new solution brings a new set of capabilities that dramatically simplifies complex heterogeneous networks, protects mission-critical applications, and minimises operational burden and costs. 

Colgate-Palmolive has been one of the early users of the NCC. Its WAN engineering lead, Miguel Mejia, said: “As an industry leader, a fast and reliable network is essential to maintain our productivity across a large number of our globally distributed work centres. We understand Google Cloud’s NCC could help us achieve broader access to Google’s global network and also enable us to connect our remote site users and applications in a consistent manner.”