Google VPP: Why Does a Verified Peering Provider Matter?
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Accessing enterprise-scale Google Cloud services requires complex technical capabilities, especially for enterprise businesses using latency-sensitive applications such as Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) and SD-WAN migrations to Google Cloud.
Using such a pre-checked partner eliminates much of the time-consuming work associated with establishing and maintaining a peer connection in-house, leading organizations to turn to Google Verified Peering Providers (VPPs) to handle all the headache-inducing complexities of peering with Google so they can focus on core operations.
What is a Google Verified Peering Provider?
A Google VPP is an ISP that has validated its ability to provide reliable, redundant and diverse connections to Google’s global network. This means it can ensure your business’s connection to Google Cloud services remains active even during a network disruption or outage.
There are two tiers of service available: Silver and Gold. A Silver-tier ISP offers redundancy for a single metropolitan region, while a Gold-tier provider does the same across multiple metro areas. The requirements to become a VPP include dedicated fiber connectivity, diverse connection points and enterprise-grade service level agreements (SLAs).
Google introduced the program to simplify connecting to Google Cloud services for businesses that may not be able to absorb the technical complexity of establishing direct peering connections in-house.
What is Peering?
Peering is the term used to describe a voluntary interconnection between two separate internet-connected networks. A peering connection allows both parties to exchange traffic directly without routing that traffic through third-party transit providers. Peering is a business relationship where IP traffic is shared in a mutually beneficial way, typically on a settlement-free basis.
Peering uses Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) to exchange routing information between the two networks. Unlike transit connections, where each party pays for the delivery of their traffic, peering establishes direct paths that offer reduced latency and overall improved performance over a transit connection. This makes peering ideal for enterprise use, where latency and speed are crucial and transit costs can become prohibitive.
There are two types of peering: public and private (or direct). Public peering occurs at Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), where many public networks interconnect within a shared facility. Direct peering, on the other hand, takes place on a dedicated, direct physical connection between two networks.
Why Does Using a Google VPP Matter?
Using a Google Verified Peer Provider brings enterprises several advantages over managing a peering connection in-house.
- Simplified connectivity: VPPs handle all the complexities of establishing and maintaining a direct peering connection, leaving you free to focus on your core business rather than taking on the technical requirements or managing complex routing design yourself.
- Enterprise-grade reliability: VPPs have shown they can provide redundant connections spanning multiple locations to ensure stable and consistent network performance.
- Enhanced UX: The direct paths provided by VPPs reduce latency and increase available bandwidth for improved user experience.
- Cost efficiency: By eliminating the need for in-house peering expertise and the accompanying infrastructure investments, using a VPP gives you the reliability you need at a much lower cost than self-managing your peering.
Google VPP Use Cases
A VPP can bring all of the above benefits to your organization and address any number of specific use cases, for example:
- Google Workspace connectivity: Optimized performance for seamless access to Gmail, Drive, Meet and the other productivity applications included in Workspace.
- Google Cloud services: A more robust and reliable connection to Google Cloud APIs, Compute Engine and Cloud Storage.
- Latency-sensitive applications: SD-WAN migrations to Google Cloud and SASE require the lowest latency possible for best results.
- Enterprises with multiple locations: Companies with distributed staff and multiple office locations need consistent access to Google services from everywhere.
- High-bandwidth applications: Dedicated high-capacity connections are a must for data-intensive workflows involving multiple Google Cloud services.
- Business continuity: Any company that needs guaranteed uptime and redundant pathways to its mission-critical Google services.
Get Fast Connections with GTT
GTT is a Google Verified Peering Provider, supported by our Tier-1 global backbone with 300+ points of presence across six continents. In addition, GTT offers:
- Comprehensive peering solutions: GTT settlement-free peering policy and extensive connection capabilities provide optimal routing for our VPP customers to all of Google’s cloud services.
- Enterprise focus: GTT specializes in networking and security as a service, delivering solutions that connect, secure and simplify enterprise-grade infrastructure.
- Global reach with local expertise: GTT supports 140,000+ customer locations spanning 170+ countries and has dedicated support teams in local markets.
- Integrated platform: GTT Envision provides a single point of access to visibility, orchestration and control across your entire network.
- Proven reliability: 75% of GTT customer traffic stays on our Tier-1 backbone with geographically dispersed redundancy.
Our Greater Technology Together philosophy aligns our employees and technology behind our customers’ missions. A “one partner, one platform, one experience” approach brings it all together in one place for simplicity, so you can get back to your core business and stop worrying about your network.
When you’re ready to discuss GTT comprehensive portfolio of offerings and learn how we can support your business, reach out to our team of networking experts.
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