Google Introduces Enterprise-Level Support for Its Cloud Platforms

Support has never been Google's strong point. Google's products are fairly solid which is a good thing since, if you do have problems, you're stuck with them. There's no phone number to call – well, there is, but you won't find it advertised anywhere – and the rest of support options are either slow or non-existent.

Things are a bit better on the enterprise front, but Google is clearly coming from behind. It's working on it though, it's now introducing several paid support options for its nascent cloud platform.

For a company so entrenched in the cloud, Google is late to the party that Amazon started years ago. Google is only now offering a complete set of cloud services, file storage, low-level and high-level computing, database storage and so on.

"No matter which Google Cloud Platform services you are using—App Engine, Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, BigQuery, etc.—or what time of day, you should be able to get the answers you need," Google explained.

It was about time then to offer proper support options for them, apart from Stack Overflow and Google Groups, which are free, with all that entails.

By default, everyone gets access to the free support, which means online documentation, the community forums listed above, and billing support. That's the Bronze tier.

For $150 / €113 a month, you get the Silver tier with email support, strictly for problems with the service and best practices.

$400 / €303 a month for the Gold tier will get you round-the-clock phone support, app development consultation and advice customized for your particular needs.

Finally, the Platinum tier, which is priced based on your needs, gets you a team dedicated to your account.

It's all fairly basic stuff in the enterprise world, but, again, it's a big step for Google. It's clear that, for better or for worse, Google is closing the gap between traditional companies operating in the enterprise space.