Google Cloud Partners With ISVs at the 5G Edge

Cloud service provider expands telecom efforts by leveraging Anthos platform

Google Cloud is building on the telecommunications strategy it outlined earlier this year by teaming with more than 30 independent software vendors (ISVs) on more than 200 partner-focused applications aimed at driving 5G capabilities at the edge.

The Lowdown:  The company will leverage its Anthos hybrid cloud platform to deliver the software at the fast-growing edge for organizations that want to take advantage of the expanding Internet of Things (IoT) or have highly distributed operations.

The Details:  Google Cloud, the third-largest public cloud provider, has put a focus on the telecom space throughout 2020. A key part of its strategy is helping communications service providers leverage the edge as a business service platform. Google Cloud this year began partnering with AT&T and Telefonica to deliver its cloud services at the edge of those networks.

The company also announced Anthos for Telecom to help organizations deliver workloads to the network edge on Google Cloud.

Google Cloud is enabling enterprises to use its own network, as well as those of its service provider partners, to take advantage of the benefits the edge offers, including lower network latency and costs by processing data and compute cycles closer to where the data is being generated. There also are cost savings in storing data at the edge and not having to transport it to the cloud or data center for processing.

They also now can leverage the increased speeds and capacity offered by 5G networks. Anthos will give organizations a consistent platform for both legacy and cloud-native applications at the edge.

The new edge-focused software touches on a range of areas:

> Industrial IoT and manufacturing: From ISVs like Ayla Networks (device virtualization and management), Dianomic (industrial IoT platform), Litmus (edge data platform), and Dematic (supply chain, warehouse, and robotics applications).
> Media and entertainment: Partners include Broadpeak (content delivery), Firstlight Media (over-the-top media services), Harmonic (broadband services), and Motojeannie (rich media streaming and immersive technology).
> Retail: From the likes of Qwinix (5G edge artificial intelligence solutions), Trax (in-store monitoring and intelligence), Trigo (automated in-store processes), and Zebra Technologies (intelligent edge solutions).
> Horizontal providers: These include Palo Alto Networks (5G security), Equinix (virtual network services), Infovista (cloud-native network planning services), and Thales (security).

The Impact:  As organizations become more decentralized and the cloud, IoT, and mobile trends expand, more data is being created at the edge, driving the need to bring more compute, storage, and processing capabilities to the environment. A MarketsandMarkets report is forecasting that the global edge computing market will expand from $3.6 billion this year to $15.7 billion by 2025.

Background:  Google Cloud introduced Anthos last year to enable enterprises to run its cloud services on-premises and in other cloud environments, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS). It mirrors efforts from AWS (with its Outposts infrastructure) and Microsoft Azure (with Azure Stack) to establish a presence in customer data centers and give the providers a presence in all areas of the hybrid cloud.

The Buzz:  “Here’s why this is important: Organizations with edge presences – like retailers operating brick-and-mortar stores, transportation companies managing fleets of vehicles, or manufacturers relying on IoT-enabled equipment on shop floors – have an opportunity to modernize processes and deliver new experiences with cloud capabilities at the edge,” Amol Phadke, managing director of telecom industry solutions at Google Cloud, wrote in a blog post. “By partnering with these Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), we’re enabling the rapid delivery and deployment of new vertical services and applications, leveraging Google Cloud core components, including Anthos, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML), as well as Google’s global edge network and our telecom partners’ networks.”

Related Links: 
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>Google Cloud’s Anthos Now Available on AWS
>Google Cloud Rolls Out Storage Program for Partners
>AWS Makes Push Into Hybrid Clouds