Partners Cheer New Google Cloud Database Aimed At Easier App Development

Google is taking another significant step toward luring customers to its Cloud Platform by launching a new document database for use by mobile and web app developers.

Cloud Firestore, a NoSQL database that integrates with Google's Firebase mobile platform, is now in public beta. Cloud Firestore was "built in close collaboration with the Google Cloud Platform team" and includes features such as real-time synchronization of data between devices and advanced data querying capabilities, Google Product Manager Alex Dufetel said in a blog post.

[Related: Google CEO Pichai 'Surprised' By Breadth Of Customers, Workloads Moving To Google Cloud Platform]

As many companies are looking to embark on or expand their software development efforts, Cloud Firestore offers the promise of easier development through less complicated management of data, according to Mountain View, Calif.-based Google.

Simon Margolis, director of Google Cloud Platform at solution provider SADA Systems, told CRN that Cloud Firestore "makes it extremely easy for mobile developers to integrate powerful cloud-based services into their applications without the need to manage multiple platforms and/or front ends."

"Because the Cloud Firestore SDK is so strong and integration into mobile applications is so easy, this creates a fantastic bridge for developers looking to take advantage of the Google Cloud Platform," he said.

For SADA, a Google Cloud Premier Partner based in Los Angeles, "the ease of use allows [us] to propose these solutions to customers, especially those with smaller development teams, knowing that they can immediately benefit without a huge investment of valuable development hours on integration and configuration work," Margolis said. "This ultimately leads to greater customer adoption of Google Cloud Platform services and overall customer satisfaction."

The new release comes as Google is working with channel partners to make the Google Cloud Platform into a larger player in the enterprise, and a more serious alternative to Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. The effort has been ramping up since Diane Greene, former CEO of VMware, took the helm of Google's cloud division in November 2015.

At Minneapolis-based Agosto, a Google Premier Partner, Chief Technology Officer Paul Lundberg said new offerings such as Cloud Firestore should help draw enterprises that are pursuing mobile development to the Google Cloud Platform.

"Mobile developers within enterprises are going to start developing in Firebase, and you can certainly go cross-platform — use AWS or Azure as the back end — but it's a lot easier to do it on the Google platform," Lundberg said. "You can come in and start building out your mobile app on Firebase, and just kind of expand within the [Google Cloud] platform."

Over the past year and a half, there has been an "acceleration" in terms of the services coming from Google Cloud, which in turn is helping Agosto to move more quickly in building solutions for customers, Lundberg said.

"We're very encouraged by the innovation that we're seeing and the continual release of new functions and features to really attract customers," he said.