Associate Technical Lead at SoftwareONE
MSP
Top 10
A scalable tool that offers a user-friendly interface and GUI to its users
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution's customer service and support are helpful since they are responsive...Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten."
  • "When compared to one of its competitors, Google Cloud Storage does not have or offer a lot of services to its users. So, this is one of the downsides of the solution."

What is our primary use case?

In my company, we have a multi-cloud environment in which we are using AWS and Google. So, we are using a mix of services, in which some of our work is on AWS, while the others are on Google. Mostly, we are using certain DevOps tools in our company since I am not a part of the team that handles the infrastructure.

In my department, Kubernetes, Docker, and some other DevOps-related stuff, like containers, are what we have been using on Google Cloud Storage. However, there might be some other teams who are using the infrastructure as well.

What is most valuable?

Although I cannot provide a detailed analysis of the solution's valuable features, I can say that its storage capacity is adequate based on my team's experience. We used to consult with our cloud team to get the storage, mainly related to volumes on the Kubernetes side, and they were able to align those things for us. So, I won't be able to specifically speak about its storage since when it comes to Kubernetes, there is also an open-source version available in the market. The service-based Kubernetes from Google is quite secure and helpful, specifically the GUI of the solution.

What needs improvement?

In my previous company, we used Google. More precisely, we were involved with it because earlier, I was using Azure, which we were specifically using AKS, which is Azure Kubernetes Service. So, AKS was a solution that was well-managed by both cloud providers. But compared to AKS, Google Kubernetes is better, especially its GUI and user-friendliness, because one doesn't have to search too much to find a solution.

Solutions from Amazon and AWS are quite better compared to Google Cloud Storage since they offer more services than Google. When compared to one of its competitors, Google Cloud Storage does not have or offer a lot of services to its users. So, this is one of the downsides of the solution. This might be because AWS has been there a long while Google has just come up in the last five years.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have experience with Google Cloud Storage for three to four months. Also, I am using the solution's latest version. My company has a partnership with Google. The solution is a Google-managed service.

Buyer's Guide
Google Cloud Storage
March 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Google is quite scalable, especially Google Kubernetes. But again, it depends on why we are using the solution.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten since the services provided by the solution are good. More than a hundred people in my organization are using the solution. From an admin point of view, around ten to fifteen engineers work on the solution. We also have an engineering department with users using it for their applications and other work

How are customer service and support?

The solution's customer service and support are helpful since they are responsive. I rate the solution's technical support a nine out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

If we use a managed service, then Google takes care of the maintenance part. However, if we use an infra one, we manage the maintenance part. I can't say how many people are involved in the maintenance phase because we have multiple applications, and people are involved from the application side and the IT side. So, it depends, and it is situational in nature, like if we are using infrastructure service, then it's all managed by us. Only the VM is managed by the cloud. However, if the application is installed, then the application is managed by the application team. And if any storage or network is associated, then that is all managed by us.




The deployment model for the solution consists of AWS, Amazon, and Google. To some extent, I think we also use Azure for O365 or M365, like Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook.

There were no complexities involved in the installation of the solution. In our company, we only had to use the online services provided by Google to install the solution. Though most of the installation can be done online, we are dependent on certain deployment tools like Terraform and Ansible for easy deployment and integration.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Regarding the cost of the solution, Google offers its users a pay-as-you-go model pricing. The cost of the solution is handled by the department handling billing and procurement in the company. So, they used to come to us if they received any extra bills. Then, they used to ask us the reason for extra usage of the services since they always used to compare the solution's current usage with its usage in the past few months.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I previously used Microsoft Azure.

What other advice do I have?

I am not sure if I would recommend the solution to others since I am not involved in the infrastructure side, where they actually use the solution for storage purposes. Since I am a part of the DevOps team, I use it to manage services like Kubernetes and containerization. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Nivedan Kedia - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant (M&A/R) at Deloitte
Real User
Top 10
Easy to use, reliable, and free to use for certain amounts of data
Pros and Cons
  • "You do not need to install anything."
  • "I'd like the solution to integrate better with other clouds, including the Apple cloud."

What is our primary use case?

I've used it as my personal online drive, just to store and easily locate files on the go.

What is most valuable?

It's easy to use. It is directly linked to my email ID, et cetera.

You do not need to install anything. 

The product is stable.

It's scalable.

What needs improvement?

I'd like the solution to integrate better with other clouds, including the Apple cloud. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for five to ten years. I've used it for a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable. It's reliable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. Its performance is reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. You can expand it easily.

Our company is not using Google Cloud. I more or less use it for personal files, et cetera. 

How are customer service and support?

I've never had the need to contact technical support. I can't speak to how helpful or responsive they would be. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I use both Apple and Google. Google doesn't cost anything, whereas I have to pay for Apple.

How was the initial setup?

There is no installation required. It's very easy to get up and running. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is free to use up to a certain point. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and end-user.

If you are a personal user, if you are looking for something for free with limited data, you should go ahead with Google. If you're using it on an Apple platform, if you use the Mac platform, there is no other option rather than using iCloud.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Google Cloud Storage
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Google Cloud Storage. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Associate Software Development Engineer at Publicis Sapient
Real User
User-friendly and convenient
Pros and Cons
  • "Some of the most valuable features are how convenient and easy to use this solution is. It's very user-friendly and meets all my requirements."
  • "Google Cloud Storage could be improved by increasing the drive capacity."

What is our primary use case?

My primary use case of this solution is file storage. You can store almost everything in there—files of all formats—and the storage capacity is pretty good. I believe the drive capacity is 15GB or so. This is a cloud-based solution, so you're always using the latest version. 

What is most valuable?

Some of the most valuable features are how convenient and easy to use this solution is. It's very user-friendly and meets all my requirements. 

What needs improvement?

Google Cloud Storage could be improved by increasing the drive capacity. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for many years now. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is scalable. The drive could have more capacity. There is easily a minimum of around 70% to 75% of users in my organization who use this Google Cloud Storage

How are customer service and support?

I have never contacted technical support, but I know friends who have. My friends gave me very positive feedback about getting immediate support. I've heard Google's support is very good. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used Dropbox too, but I usually prefer Google Cloud Storage. When I started using Google Cloud Storage, it was easy to use and met all my requirements, so I haven't switched back since. 

How was the initial setup?

Since this is a cloud-based solution, installation is pretty straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

I implemented this solution myself. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I use the free version and have never paid for any extra storage. I have been able to manage in whatever free spaces are given. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution a 9.5 to 10 out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Google
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
SyamSunder - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Free up to 15GB, easy to add more data, and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "It is seamlessly integrated with your Android. There’s no fuss, no hassle."
  • "The solution only allows so much space for free."

What is our primary use case?

You would end up using Google Cloud storage for anything that has got to do with Google, for example, your Gmail, Google photos, your Google Drive and so on. It’s for storage.

What is most valuable?

I like the simplicity. It is seamlessly integrated with your Android. There’s no fuss, no hassle.

The solution is stable.

You can continue to add to your storage. You just have to pay and it will grow in size. It is also free up until 15GB.

It's used by a lot of people.

What needs improvement?

The solution only allows so much space for free. Later, they forced me to buy additional storage. Now I'm a paying Google customer. 

I'm not a fan of Gmail or the overall email viewing experience. I don’t like the interface. I prefer Microsoft and Outlook.

I'd like to see them improve on that product. They should declutter the UI and keep it simple so that, for example, the latest conversation comes at the top of Gmail and you don't need to really break your head to figure out where things are. 

My concern is that they could block me at any time for any reason. It’s not about security. It’s more about me being unsure how they can assure me of having access when I need my files. At some point, Google can just say “you’ve exhausted your storage” and you have to buy more to access to keep your files.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for barely three months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I haven’t had any issues with stability. There’s been nothing so far that I can think about in terms of issues. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn’t crash or freeze. It’s reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It’s my understanding that almost everybody uses the product. Very few are still in the paying segment as they still may not have exhausted their quotas. Unless you are an avid Apple fan, you'll end up using Google Cloud. After all, who doesn't have a Gmail account?

How are customer service and support?

I don't recall any time in the recent past having contacted for support for a technical glitch.

How was the initial setup?

As a cloud-based solution, there isn't really any setup process to go through. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is free at first, and then you have to pay. I've exhausted my quota of 15 GB which generally Google gives to every user.

What other advice do I have?

I’d recommend the solution to other users.

I would rate the solution nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Tanmoy Prasad - PeerSpot reviewer
Head Of Information Technology at Unitech Ltd
Real User
Top 10
Simple to start using with good reliability and easy file sharing
Pros and Cons
  • "There's no implementation process."
  • "I don't find the solution very user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

Primarily, I use the solution for all my documentation. Prior to this, I'd normally work three or four years in one company and take up an assignment, make things work there, and move out. All related documents I might share with someone physically. Now, all my documents are on the cloud and more easily accessible. 

What is most valuable?

It's simple to use. 

There's no implementation process.

What needs improvement?

I don't find the solution very user-friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for ten years now. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. it's reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For my personal needs, it's okay in terms of scalability. I don't see any challenges, however, I don't know how it would be for the commercial user.

We have about 150 people in the company using it. It used to be 400. We're actually using it less. 

How are customer service and support?

We've never required technical support. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Personally, I used Rackspace, I think five, six years back, which I found it much easier to use, much simpler, and much easier to use.

I'm using the product for my personal needs. In terms of Rackspace, I used to work for a development company, and there I used it for another client. The good part was that whenever I wanted to deploy the whole application, I got good technical support from them. In fact, their team in Hong Kong or Singapore, where they have a data center, that team had a lot of interaction with me on the deployment architecture. They finally suggested the whole solution, how it should be deployed, and how it could be scaled up and scaled down as the need arises. 

How was the initial setup?

The solution does come as part of a bundle. 

There isn't a setup process. It's very easy to start using it. It's all in the cloud, ready to go. 

What other advice do I have?

I'd recommend the solution to others.

I would rate it ten out of ten. If it was more intuitive, it would be even better.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
VamsiKrishna2 - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Trainee at Eidiko
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Easy to use and reasonably priced with 15GB of free initial storage
Pros and Cons
  • "Google Cloud Storage is very convenient to use."
  • "It's actually quite complete and we don't have any issues with the solution."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for cloud storage.

What is most valuable?

Google Cloud Storage is very convenient to use. It is easy as it is linked to our mail ID. 

We can save the data there so that, wherever we log in, we can log into our drive to download any file. We can show it in our drive, so the drive is always linked.

It is easy to use and comfortable.

This is a stable product.

The scalability is great.

It offers free storage of up to 15GB and then you have to pay a reasonable fee. 

Technical support has been fine.

What needs improvement?

It's actually quite complete and we don't have any issues with the solution. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for a few years at this point. It's been a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable and offers good performance. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I'd rate the scalability a ten out of ten. It's extremely scalable. 

Almost everyone uses the product. It's great. There are about 400 people on it.

We do not have plans to increase usage at this point. 

How are customer service and support?

We've reached out to technical support once or twice, however, they easily provide the solutions.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not use a different solution previous to this. 

How was the initial setup?

The solution does not need an elaborate setup as it is in the cloud. You don't need to deploy it. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We do have to pay for additional storage, however, we don't mind paying. They do offer limited free storage up until 15GB, however, we are over that. There's a set payment per month.

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

I don't have any advice as almost everyone might be using it in India. It's quite prevalent. We'd recommend the solution to anyone. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Dilip Telang - PeerSpot reviewer
Director, Talent Acquisition & Staffing at Conduent (formerly Xerox Services)
Real User
Top 5
Reliable, accessible, and allows for an ease of operations
Pros and Cons
  • "It’s very stable."
  • "The solution could always be more user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is only used for the storage and filing of personal items and documents.

What is most valuable?

The ease of operations is great. It makes everything easily accessible.

It’s very stable.

The stability is good.

What needs improvement?

The solution could always be more user-friendly.

For how long have I used the solution?

I’ve been using the solution for the last couple of years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. It’s reliable. It doesn’t crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

If a company needs to scale the solution, it can do so.

I just use it for personal use. I do not have plans to scale.

How are customer service and support?

I’ve never used technical support. I can’t speak to how helpful they would be.

How was the initial setup?

There is no real installation required as the entire solution operates on the cloud.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don’t have any information in regards to licensing.

What other advice do I have?

I’d recommend the solution to other users.

I would rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
CirveshDaga - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Architect at Tech Mahindra
Real User
Top 5
Useful native algorithms, quick setup, and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "Google Cloud Storage's most valuable feature is the native algorithms are available. Some of the algorithms are not available for the use cases that we had in Microsoft Azure. We didn't find any native algorithms and that's the reason why we decided to use the machine learning algorithms in GCP."
  • "Google Cloud Storage could improve the integrations in a way Microsoft Azure is going about it. For Data Lake integrations, Microsoft Azure has a bunch of native pipelines available. All Google needs to do is add the same set or maybe even improve on the sets that they have. All the analytics, including the Data Lake, would then be able to sit in Google Cloud Storage."

What is our primary use case?

We use Google Cloud Storage to copy, and do machine learning, then we send the information back to Microsoft Azure.

What is most valuable?

Google Cloud Storage's most valuable feature is the native algorithms are available. Some of the algorithms are not available for the use cases that we had in Microsoft Azure. We didn't find any native algorithms and that's the reason why we decided to use the machine learning algorithms in GCP.

What needs improvement?

Google Cloud Storage could improve the integrations in a way Microsoft Azure is going about it. For Data Lake integrations, Microsoft Azure has a bunch of native pipelines available. All Google needs to do is add the same set or maybe even improve on the sets that they have. All the analytics, including the Data Lake, would then be able to sit in Google Cloud Storage.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Google Cloud Storage for approximately one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Google Cloud Storage is fairly stable. It's as stable as Microsoft Azure. Thankfully, those customers that we had weren't hit by any downtime, which Microsoft Azure and GCP did see last year. However, our particular customer was very lucky they didn't face any downtime on either service.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of Google Cloud Storage is similar to Microsoft Azure. The scalability between GCP, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon AWS, are all at par, all three providers have the same growth pattern that they want to look at. All of them are setting up new regions and new locations. They are as scalable as each other. I don't think you would be in a position to put one ahead of the other.

Machine learning is for a very specific use case and we have six people in our analytics team that are using this solution.

How was the initial setup?

Google Cloud Storage setup is only a couple of clicks and there's no installation per se. As long as the data feed pipeline is there, that part of the solution keeps running on its own and it will produce results based on what it learned.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others if their use case is compelling enough, such as for analytics.

I rate Google Cloud Storage an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Google Cloud Storage Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Google Cloud Storage Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.