Google Cloud and MobileIron Inc. are teaming up to create a new online marketplace for businesses interested in purchasing cloud services for employees.
The collaboration will create a new end-to-end platform for enterprise cloud services combining Orbitera, a cloud commerce platform purchased by Google in 2016, and MobileIron’s solutions for app distribution, security, and analytics.
The new cloud services store will enable enterprise customers to purchase tools and services for employees.
A New Marketplace
Planned features of the new cloud marketplace include:
- Customized bundles to enable operators to create bundles of services by customer segments
- Customized branding for both operators and customers of the marketplace
- One bill for everything across all of a customer’s devices, data, voice, and third-party cloud services on one monthly invoice
- Secure cloud access to ensure only trusted users, using trusted apps on trusted devices get access to the cloud services
- Usage analytics for customers to track what’s being used and by whom
“Today’s enterprises are looking for a solution to address the need for a seamless cloud commerce software experience from purchase to deployment,” said Marcin Kurc, Head of Commerce Platform, Google Cloud.
Kurc went on to say that Google Cloud is working with MobileIron to bring together the Orbitera platform and MobileIron’s EMM and Access solutions to provide a set of tools to allow businesses to work in a secure, managed environment.
The new marketplace is expected to expand on Google’s current G Suite product, which offers cloud-based applications such as Google’s docs, sheets, Gmail, calendar, and storage to corporations for their employees.
Competing with Amazon and Microsoft
Google has been investigating ways to make its product more competitive against its two closest rivals, AWS and Microsoft Azure.
The upcoming marketplace echoes one that has existed on the Amazon Web Services platform since 2012. Microsoft Azure also features a cloud app marketplace, putting it on a more even playing field with the two cloud giants.
Competition for the new marketplace isn’t limited to other public cloud providers. Many corporations purchase mobile cybersecurity tools through phone service providers, and as Bloomberg mentioned in its coverage, AT&T offers a NetBond virtual private network to allow users to securely connect to cloud services.
The difference here is that where mobile providers offer individualized service options, Google can do so at scale.
To date, Google Cloud has remained a distant third in public cloud market share to AWS and Microsoft Azure.
As of this writing, Google Cloud holds a 13.427 rating on the Liftr Index. This is in stark contrast to Microsoft Azure’s 17.013 and AWS’ leading 17.669.
