Thomas Kurian (CEO - Google Cloud)
Databricks has launched its data management solution on Google Cloud, its integrations with Google BigQuery and AI Platform aimed at unifying data engineering, data science, machine learning and analytics across both companies’ services.
Databricks already runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Alibaba Cloud, with the vendor's platform tightly integrated with the security, compute, storage, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) services natively offered by those particular cloud providers.
Although it seems Google Cloud has come late to the Databricks party – or perhaps Databricks has come late to the Google Cloud party – this particular agreement differs from Databricks’ prior partnerships due to the Kubernetes capabilities Google Cloud brings to the table.
Indeed, the companies claim that Databricks on Google Cloud represents the first container-based deployments of Databricks on any cloud platform.
Databricks on Google Cloud will deeply integrate with Google BigQuery's open platform and will leverage Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), meaning users will be able to deploy Databricks in a fully containerised cloud environment.
Credit: Tenable “This is a jointly developed platform customised to run in the Kubernetes environment. Customers can build unified data environments drawing from both platforms,” Databricks Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ) country manager Bede Hackney told ARN.
“We optimise Databricks for each cloud environment it is on. To get the most out of Google Cloud, it made sense to optimise the Kubernetes capabilities,” he added. “We are reacting to the market here. Customers want us to be on Google Cloud and provide a multi-cloud platform.”
Google Cloud head of cloud partnerships and alliances for the A/NZ region Rhody Burton agreed, suggesting that focusing on the Kubernetes capabilities was the best way the two companies could go to market.
“It gives businesses the ability to update and deploy Databricks much more easily,” she told ARN. “There are tremendous opportunities here for partners already helping their customers through Google Cloud.”
Credit: Google Cloud Under the terms of the new partnership with Google Cloud, organisations will be able to use Databricks to create a lakehouse capable of data engineering, data science, machine learning and analytics on Google Cloud’s global, scalable, and elastic network.
It is claimed that the new integration will also mean users will be able to unlock AI-driven insights to enable intelligent decision-making and work to accelerate their digital transformations through data-driven applications.
Additionally, users will soon be able to deploy Databricks from the Google Cloud Marketplace for simplified procurement and user provisioning, single sign-on and unified billing.
According to Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, the combination of Databricks’ capabilities in data engineering and analytics with Google Cloud’s global network – along with its expertise in analytics and delivering containerised applications – will provide a compelling option for organisations looking to transform their businesses through data.
Meanwhile, Databricks co-founder and CEO Ali Ghodsi said the new partnership was a pivotal milestone that underscored the vendor’s commitment to enable customer flexibility and choice across cloud platforms.
“We are thrilled to partner with Google Cloud and deliver on our shared vision of a simplified, open, and unified data platform that supports all analytics and AI use-cases that will empower our customers to innovate even faster,” he said.
With the new arrangement underway, members of the companies’ joint ecosystem of partners have committed to ensure seamless integrations and expertise with Databricks on Google Cloud.
These ecosystem partners include Cognizant, Collibra, Confluent, Deloitte, Fishtown Analytics, Fivetran, Immuta, Informatica, Infoworks, Insight, MongoDB, Privacera, Qlik, SoftServe, Slalom, Tableau, TCS and Trifacta, among others.
