Applications and data supported by identity, networking, security and observability.
Compute Engine, GKE, Cloud Run, Cloud SQL, BigQuery and storage applied according to the workload profile.
A project starts with an inventory of applications, dependencies, integrations, data and contracts. The aim is to decide which workloads remain in the current environment, which can migrate with few changes and which warrant modernization. Criticality, latency, budget and operational capacity guide that choice. The resource structure organizes the work: an organization can contain folders and projects, with policies inherited throughout the hierarchy. Separating production, staging and development helps define administrative boundaries, costs and the impact of changes. Building this foundation must account for who controls the domain, corporate identity and billing. The design must produce usable documents: network flows, an access matrix, system owners and acceptance criteria. An understandable architecture makes maintenance and team handovers easier. Sources: resource hierarchy, Well-Architected Framework.
Compute Engine provides infrastructure for virtual machines, with a choice of resources and control over the operating system. It makes sense when an application depends on specific configurations, agents or compatibility with an existing environment. Sizing must account for CPU, memory, disk, traffic and behavior during peak demand. Google Kubernetes Engine, or GKE, provides managed Kubernetes for containerized applications. In Autopilot mode, Google also manages the nodes; Standard offers greater control over that layer. The choice involves execution requirements, security restrictions, maintenance and team experience. Containers still require trusted images, resource definitions and update testing. Cloud Run supports scenarios including HTTP services and tasks that run to completion, without the team directly administering servers. Selection between these alternatives must consider application state, integrations and the operating model. Adopting Kubernetes simply because it is popular can create complexity without proportional benefit. Sources: Compute Engine, GKE, Cloud Run.
Cloud Storage stores objects in buckets. It can provide a foundation for application files, analytics data and backup copies. Selecting a storage class requires considering access frequency, retrieval, location and retention. Nearline, Coldline and Archive have minimum storage durations and specific charges; the lowest capacity price does not necessarily mean the lowest total cost. Virtual machine disks provide block storage. Applications that need file sharing must have their protocol and semantics checked before a service is selected. A mounting interface for objects does not remove the need for compatibility testing. Cloud SQL provides managed relational databases for MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQL Server. BigQuery supports data analytics, with SQL processing and its own access and capacity controls. Separating operational transactions from analytical queries helps design ingestion, data refresh and processing costs. Sources: Cloud Storage, storage classes, Cloud SQL, BigQuery.
IAM defines which identities can perform actions on each resource. The project must use least privilege, role-based groups and separation between administration, development and auditing. Permission inheritance requires care: a broad grant at the organization level can reach many projects. Application identities need their own approach. Workload Identity Federation allows access to resources without distributing permanent service account keys in supported scenarios. Administrative credentials and application secrets must not be stored in code, images or deployment documents. Secret Manager organizes access to secrets; Cloud KMS supports cryptographic key management. VPC Service Controls adds perimeters for supported services, with rules that must be tested. Security Command Center helps identify risks and misconfigurations according to the available edition. No tool replaces permission reviews, vulnerability remediation and incident response. Sources: IAM, Workload Identity Federation, Secret Manager, Cloud KMS, VPC Service Controls, Security Command Center.
In Google Cloud, VPC networks are global resources, while subnets are regional. Address planning must avoid overlaps with branches, data centers and other clouds. Firewall rules, DNS and routes must reflect the traffic flows applications actually need. Cloud VPN provides IPsec connectivity. Cloud Interconnect enables dedicated or partner connections, depending on the option and availability. The decision involves capacity, redundancy, handoff locations and carrier dependencies. A second circuit only reduces a particular risk if the design evaluates genuine path diversity. Cloud Interconnect does not encrypt traffic by default. Where encryption is required, supported options such as HA VPN over Interconnect or MACsec on supported circuits must be assessed. Private routes and encryption serve different purposes; both must be explicit in the design. Sources: VPC, Cloud VPN, Cloud Interconnect.
Cloud Monitoring brings together metrics, dashboards, checks and alerts. Cloud Logging allows logs to be collected, searched and routed. Configuration must select business-relevant signals, response owners and diagnostic procedures. Log volume, retention and location are also part of planning. Operations require regular updates and reviews of access, capacity and documentation. Repeatable changes, with review and recovery options, reduce reliance on manual intervention. Alerts must lead to an actionable response rather than simply increase notification volume. Financial management links resources to their owners and tracks actual consumption. Alerts-only budgets send alerts but do not automatically block spending. Spend cap budgets are in preview and apply to eligible services; limit enforcement is not instantaneous and excess charges may occur. Any automation that pauses services must consider operational impact. Sources: Cloud Monitoring, Cloud Logging, budgets and alerts, spend cap budget limitations.
The first step is to identify dependencies that do not always appear in the server inventory: authentication, external integrations, certificates, scheduled tasks and file paths. The migration sequence must respect those relationships and have designated owners for functional acceptance. Migrate to Virtual Machines uses replication and allows clones to be tested before the final move to Compute Engine. Tests must take place in an isolated environment to prevent copies from triggering production integrations or routines. The final cutover requires an appropriate window and application validation. The rollback plan deserves specific attention: data written at the destination after cutover does not automatically return to the source. The strategy must provide for reconciliation and criteria for stopping or completing the transition. Temporary resources also need financial tracking until their approved decommissioning. Source: VM migration process.
Availability, backup and disaster recovery must be addressed within the same project, with distinct objectives. Distributing components across zones can reduce the impact of local failures; recovering an application also requires consistent data, credentials, connectivity and available capacity. RPO defines the maximum tolerable data-loss window, measured in time; RTO sets the maximum acceptable application downtime. These objectives must be defined per application and tested against budget, dependencies and validation results. An existing backup only becomes useful evidence when its restoration has been validated. Operations teams must rehearse relevant failures and record the results. Replication can propagate deletions or corruption, and retention mechanisms must be assessed carefully. The final architecture must state which scenarios it covers and which risks remain. Source: disaster recovery planning.
São Paulo uses the identifier southamerica-east1; Santiago uses southamerica-west1. The existence of a region does not ensure that every machine family, edition or feature is available. Location, quotas and capacity must be checked before assuming a deployment date. Data residency depends on the service and configuration covered by the terms. Copies, logs and integrations must be included in that assessment. System and application licenses also require evaluation: BYOL depends on vendor contracts and may require dedicated infrastructure in certain scenarios. Usage commitments can offer discounts but create obligations. Compute Engine resource-based commitments cannot be canceled after purchase under the documented conditions. Support, billing and SLA must be checked by service and contract; the platform SLA is not a single guarantee for the entire application. Sources: regions and zones, quotas, data residency, BYOL, usage commitments, SLAs.
Complete answers for Google Cloud architecture, deployment and operational decisions.
No. Hybrid coexistence can be planned, with migration by application group. Sequencing depends on integrations, connectivity and the transition plan. Each stage must include technical validation and acceptance by the system owner. Source: architecture guidance.
Compute Engine offers control over the VM; GKE supports Kubernetes orchestration; Cloud Run simplifies the execution of supported services and tasks. The best fit depends on the application, operational requirements and team experience. Sources: Compute Engine, GKE, Cloud Run.
That replacement must not be assumed. BigQuery supports analytics; a transactional application needs a database compatible with its requirements. Integration can bring operational data into analytics, with defined governance and frequency. Sources: BigQuery, Cloud SQL.
Eligible services can be configured in specific locations, including resources available in São Paulo. The assessment must cover primary data, replicas, backups, logs and applicable terms. There is no universal answer for the entire portfolio. Source: services with data residency.
Cloud Interconnect does not encrypt by default. If the project requires cryptographic protection of the link, a compatible solution must be selected and configured, considering the full path and the responsibilities involved. Source: Interconnect traffic protection.
An alerts-only budget tracks consumption and notifies the responsible parties. It does not automatically impose a cap. Additional controls must be assessed per service, taking into account the potential effects of interrupting applications. Source: Google Cloud budgets.
This depends on the product, version, contracted rights and hosting model. Before migrating, eligibility and any requirement for dedicated resources must be validated. An existing license must not be assumed to be transferable automatically. Source: bring existing licenses.
The initial discussion should bring together priority systems, dependencies, current consumption and continuity objectives. This context makes it possible to define the engineering, deployment and operational scope, establish acceptance criteria and discuss improvements suited to the business.
Connect architecture, data, identity, networking and operations with explicit criteria.